Armadillo Overland Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- Field Guides Association of Southern Africa
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $140 to $373 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
BR
Email Sabina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime
Our 3 nights/4 days Kruger Safari Tour was the experience of a lifetime. I went with my husband and my 7 years old son. The 3 of us absolutely loved everything.
The truck is amazingly well equipped, very spacious and comfortable. The big windows allow a wide view of the landscape. It is very important that, once inside the truck, you have a point of view which is far above the ground, a view from the top, which promotes a great sightseeing.
Morris, our guide, does his work in a brilliant way. Unwearying, very skilled, he is able to drive throughout the park spotting many animals, even small and hidden ones, besides cooking very nice food and solving the daily problems that may appear during the trip. He has great knowledge of the animals and the wildlife of the park. Is always willing to make the best of our time. Excellent worker, excellent company.
We are very satisfied. Definitely recommended.
Rave review
In October we went on a wonderful 5 day Armadillo safari. Their truck is so roomy it allows you to move around to get the best angle for photos, plus you are situated high above many obstacles.
The best part of the trip was our guide Morris, who was so in tune with the animals and always eager to share his knowledge and stories. He worked all day as driver, cook, and guide and never lost his enthusiasm. We started at 6 am, and later ate picnic breakfast and lunch at beautiful set aside areas in the park, with another picnic outside our rooms at night. I occasionally asked him if he was tired and would like a break, but he said no, he loved being out looking for the animals.
This small family-run company gets the highest recommendation from us!
US
Email Lara K. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Delightful Adventure
Armadillo Overland Safari company - Chris, Nicky, and Morris specifically - is a wonderful organization. They were responsive to emails and helpful with logistics beyond just the tour. "Truck Norris" is truly a unique vehicle to tour Kruger. Unlike all other vehicles we met on the road, Truck Norris has enormous windows and an aisle to easily jump to either side of the truck for the best viewing and pictures. Most tours have seats window to window and you see what you see from your seat only. The truck also has a great library to help you identify all of the wonderful things you see. Another real bonus is that we carry our meals and bags with us, so we don't backtrack to a spot to find meals or retrieve our bags. Finally, Morris our guide was gracious and knowledgeable. I will never understand how he spots lions under a tree 100 yards away, but he does it! Please remember, nature is not predictable, Morris works with what he has. For an example, we saw 102 unique species of birds, animals, and all of the big five on our trip. It was amazing, but I'm sure experiences vary.
While I don't find these things bothersome, some of you might want to know the following. Wifi is available in the truck, but you're in a National Park, so understand it won't be reliable, not the guide's fault. Guest houses sometimes have an en suite bathroom and sometimes do not. You're in a park so things like cicadas might be in season and create a maddening/hilarious experience, but hey, that's part of the adventure! Finally, the "roads" are bumpy, you'll be seated but turning your head to look outside a lot, your body may feel some of that after six days (great excuse for a massage), but again, I wouldn't trade the experience for any other.
CA
Email Gary Dukeshire | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome experience
I preface this review with the fact that this is the first and only safari I have taken, so I have no other frame of reference with regards to safari service. However, it is difficult to imagine better service than we received.
I am Canadian and was in South Africa on business in October/November 2016. My colleague and I researched various companies and chose Armadillo because of the good reviews and the advertised unique truck they offered. It is truly rare when already high expectations are exceeded in every possible way. We were taken on this experience by Morris, a guide employed by the owners, Kris and Nicky.
The only other spiral galaxy besides our own that can be seen with the naked eye is the Andromeda Galaxy. It takes approximately 2.5 million light years for its light to reach Earth. Even if I contemplated for this amount of time, I could not come up with one way in which Morris could have been a better. He was a fantastic guide, cook, driver, and general resource for everything. He literally worked non-stop 13-15 hours a day to make our safari experience the best it could be, even to the point of us asking him to take a break. He knew the name of every plant, animal, bird, and tree imaginable along with the anatomy, habits, and pretty much anything else we asked. As a spotter, he could spot the smallest animal in the tallest grass, all while driving. Many times we needed to strain 2-3 minutes to discover what he had seen. It was truly uncanny. We have also never seen anyone who can stop at a rest area and within 15 minutes have prepared a full, hot breakfast. He catered to our every need. For example, my colleague mentioned that she may need to buy a new suitcase as the zipper on one of hers had completely broken. The evening we went out on our night drive, when we returned, it was mysteriously fixed. Morris is truly one of a kind.
The vehicle was amazing and lived up to its billing. Kris, the owner, certainly has a unique talent as he custom built it. It was kind of cool to be stared at every time we pulled into a parking lot. We gladly gave tours of the truck to a few people, as if we ourselves had anything to do with creating this work of art. There is a fridge, electrical outlets to charge all your devices, a coffee machine, a mini bar, and the floors open up to reveal ice boxes for any beverages you may wish. I'm not sure how many other safaris end the day watching animals while sipping a pop or beer in the comfort of a truck which allows an incredible view of everything. The wifi offered in the truck was also very important, as wifi in the park is otherwise pretty much non-existent.
Suffice it to say we appreciated our experience. Based on my experience, you can't go wrong with this company.
CA
Email Bernadette | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience! Wonderful safari!
I just finished my safari with Armadillo Overland Safari (Full House) in the beautiful Kruger National Park. My expectations for this 4 day-3 night safari were high. I have to say that my expectations were exceeded. This safari was absolutely phenomenal! I don’t even know where to start.
Well, I will start by the guide/driver/cook, Morris.
He provided us with a remarkable service and did everything possible to make our safari an unforgettable experience!
I was very impressed with his personal knowledge of this particular ecosystem and the wildlife of the Kruger Park. Obviously, Morris knows this area like the back of his hand. He knew not only the name every single animal, bird and even tree we saw, but also much more information about them. He answered all our questions.
Morris is also a great spotter! While driving, he was able to spot everything, even the smallest creature, even if it was the same color as the grass or the threes.
He was so resourceful too! I mentioned that my suitcase was ruined because the zipper was broken. We went for night game and when I returned, he had fixed it!
I have to say that the vehicle is amazing! It was so comfortable and everything was carefully designed. It was high which make it easy to see the animals. We had Wi-Fi, refrigerators and a freezer, a bathroom and plenty of space to put all our stuff. The company took care of everything for us (for example we were provided with blankets, with binoculars, etc.).
The experience of being in this wild and beautiful Kruger National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa and following trails in areas of wilderness that seemed almost untouched by humans was absolutely fascinating. We not only saw the Big Five, but so many more animals and birds! I just can believe how many animals and birds we saw!
We had a sublime safari!
I want to add that the panoramic Route we followed the first day (including Blyde River Canyon, God's Window, the Mac Falls etc.) was an excellent inclusion. We were able to stop and take as much time we needed to admire the magnificent many views. Morris took us to several best spots. It seems that he knew them all!
Many thanks to Chris (owner) and Morris (guide/driver/cook) for this wonderful experience!
I really recommend this company to anyone.
SG
Email Annette | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Truck Norris; best safari vehicle!
Our guide, Morris, was really friendly and informative. He was quick to point out animals even whilst driving, and was able to communicate well with us. Tour was pretty well-planned, and the best thing about the entire tour is our vehicle! We were able to spot animals easily in Truck Norris, due to its height, which is definitely an advantage. Paired with binoculars (available in the truck, TBH all we had to do is be present), we were able to look further than if we were in cars or SUVs. This definitely has been an experience I will never forget. Highly recommend Armadillo--the communications and arrangements made us feel right at home, and will return to look for them if I do decide to go to South Africa again!
AR
Email Isabel Gómez Villafañe | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incredible and very comfortable tour
It was an amazing experience, we saw all the animals we could see,including lions hunting a buffalo.
Chris is a very nice person, always concerned that we are comfortable and prepares excellent food!
The truck is well equipped with books on mammals, birds, insects, etc. I proved very useful and it has binoculars if you do not remember to take them.
The organization was very good, Chris plan everything to the last detail.
The tour with Chris is highly recommended.
Email Andreia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommended! You won't regret!
It was a really nice trip. Chris is extremely professional and caring. The trip is adjusted to your needs, expectations and interests. Moreover, it is always a pleasure to spend days with a such knowledgeable and passionate professional. Top quality equipment and food. Even if I make an effort I can't find anything negative about my experience. Thanks Chris!
AR
Email Bettina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A unique, amazing, safari experience!
If you want to have the best safari experience, Armadillo should be your choice. The truck is amazing: with its height it gives you the best overview of the landscape from a confortable seat, it is fully equipped with books on Southafrican biodiversity so you can check whatever you see, and with Chris as a guide you don´t miss anything that is out there! You will also learn a lot about animals and trees!! Logistics is also perfectly organized: you always have a nice spot at the camps in the park where you enjoy a nice campfire and delicious food and since you do not need to worry about anything because they take care of everything you can enjoy and relax 100% of the time. I fully recommend it!!
Email Lorraine | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic safari in the Kruger
My family and I (4 adults, 2 kids) had a wonderful time on the Armadillo vehicle with Chris and Nicky. We were met at the airport and taken care of from then on. Nothing was too much trouble and the meals were scrumptious. It's a terrific vehicle with great viewing and we saw almost all of the Big 5 (just found the leopard to be elusive this time). We took the softer option of staying in lodges but the camping option would have been great too - something for next time!! We can fully recommend this safari to anyone wanting a great adventure.