About Brilliant

Tracy was born in South Africa and spent her youth on family trips in the African bush, going backwards and forwards to live for a few years, before finally settling in the UK. 

Having spent the last 18 years specialising in Africa travel, she has travelled all over Africa. She's witnessed the incredible wildebeest migration in Tanzania, hiked in the Drakensburg Mountains in South Africa, bungee jumped at Victoria Falls, summited Kilimanjaro and experienced many, many wildlife encounters in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania. 

At Brilliant, Tracy spends her days designing incredible trips for her clients. She loves to support the ‘little people’, choosing owner run lodges and camps where appropriate, and is motivated by discovering new places and experiences that she can weave into the trips she designs. 

Alyson’s fascination with East and Southern Africa can be traced back to her first overland journey from South Africa to Kenya. It was obvious that this was where she was meant to live and work. Alyson spent the next 5 years as a tour guide, leading groups through from the rainforests of Uganda to the stunning coastlines of Kenya - and everything in between. 

Alyson flourished on these remarkable - and often challenging - expeditions. The opportunity to share her love of the continent with others, helping travellers understand this rich, vibrant, and complex part of the world gave her immense joy and purpose.  

After many years on the road, Alyson continued to orchestrate adventures across East Africa from her base in Arusha before moving to the UK to join Brilliant Africa. With her deep understanding of East Africa and breadth of experience across the continent, Alyson brings an itinerary off the page - helping you understand the magic in your trip, and how best to prepare for the adventure of a lifetime.  

Luke is the founder and MD of Swoop Adventures, our sister company. 

Luke’s passion for adventure travel goes back to his explorations in Zimbabwe and Tanzania in his late teens. He’s subsequently been part of some of the travel industry’s great innovations, including leading roles in developing online hotel reservations and customer reviews.

More recently he’s been a champion of both regionally specialised travel propositions and a drive to connect travellers directly to the local guides and operators that run the trips.

Having played a significant role in the tourism landscape of Antarctica, Arctic, and Patagonia, Luke's experience within the wider travel industry has supported the growth of Brilliant whilst keeping us laser-focused on our social mission. 

Tom has a long-standing love affair with Africa. He started the award-winning marine conservation charity, Blue Ventures, in Madagascar, and has lived in several sub-Saharan countries over the years.

Tom has started a number of businesses with a social mission, working closely with local communities but also with a keen eye on environmental issues.

In 2012 Tom built a house on the Kenyan coast and visits East Africa as often as he can.

Marc's first experience in East Africa involved three weeks traversing Ethiopia's bumpy roads, taking meditative walks along Lalibela's rural plateaus, and drinking Tej with the locals in a makeshift bar in the Bale Mountains.

Struck by the diversity of experiences available across the country, he became an instant ambassador of the country and is now committed to unlocking new experiences in under-developed regions, as well as supporting the sustainable development of the core destinations in East Africa. 

Read our customer reviews on TrustPilot. 

Brilliant Africa helped us plan an unforgettable week in Tanzania. They listened to what we were looking for and then created a custom itinerary that perfectly fit what we wanted. We absolutely loved our accommodations, guides, and entire trip! All of our transfers and logistics were seamless and it was so helpful having contacts within country (via Whatsapp) to answer any questions. Thank you again to Brilliant Africa for designing and coordinating an amazing trip!

- Melissa, travelled September 2022

Our team has extensive experience in the travel industry. We've spent decades working in Africa, having lead groups through Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya or designing incredible itineraries to Ethiopia and Rwanda, it's a region we're extremely passionate about. There's something intoxicating about East Africa that brings us back there time and time again. 

Beyond the African continent, our thirst for adventure has taken us to the furthest reaches of the globe. We've explored the polar ice caps of Antarctica and the Arctic, and trekked the national parks of Patagonia. We've even developed marine conservation projects that are still in operation to this day. 

We're explorers. 

Of all the incredible places we've been, East Africa has had the biggest impact. Over the years, we've explored every corner of the region, and developed incredible relationships with dozens of incredible partners. We still visit every year, and we hope to share our passion for the country with you, and create an experience you'll carry with you forever. 

As tourism grows to the region, the quality of ground support varies dramatically. What's more, with so many unique experiences on offer throughout East Africa, it's essential that you're connected with the right specialists for your itinerary.

A big part of what we do is search for the very best local partners across the country. We've developed close relationships with exceptional partners, from trekking specialists to private charter plane providers, we can match your requirements to a network of ground handlers that we know are right for you and your trip. Plus, because we work directly with trusted partners in East Africa, your money goes to the local community.

Most people visit the region only a handful of times during their lifetimes, so every hour counts. Researching all the possibilities, designing an itinerary, piecing it all together, handling payments and making sure the whole trip runs smoothly can be extremely challenging if you don't know the region well. That's where we can help. 

We've explored every corner of East Africa and are working constantly to push the frontier of travel in the region forward. Working with our partners, we're always charting new territory as we try to unlock new experiences to add into our itineraries.

We're constantly mapping out new trekking routes, evaluating new properties, and searching for the very best guides and drivers. There's lots of work left to do, but we understand the importance of crafting the perfect itinerary, and that means truly understanding everything that is possible within East Africa.