Go Different...
Brilliant Adventures and Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $250 to $3,510 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Diane | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Really well curated experience, always looked out for our safety and enjoyment!
The experience with Brilliant was very smooth. Jane helped to curate the itinerary before taking off, going back and forth to accommodate specific lodges, and made sure to personally greet us after arrival. Joshua was our guide and amazing, he made sure we were comfortable and got to see everything we wanted on the safaris. He was very flexible and took us around using his expertise of the parks, very receptive to any requests. Overall incredibly comfortable and easy experience.
Email Jake C. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazingly thoughtful team delivering memories for a lifetime
Booking a guided safari can be a daunting experience when you're unsure about who awaits you on the other side, as this essentially determines the fate of your dream vacation – an experience that, for many, pushes the boundaries of our financial comfort.
I can confidently affirm that you are in the hands of an incredibly thoughtful, experienced, and professional team when you choose Brilliant Adventures Safaris. Unless nature throws an unexpected curveball beyond anyone's control, Brilliant's staff and guides will provide you with an amazing experience tailored to your passions.
From the moment you touch down in Tanzania until you depart, the only decisions you'll need to make are related to when you should apply sunscreen and bug spray. The guides, staff, and partners responsible for your accommodations will take care of everything else.
In particular, I must highlight Joshua, our guide. You spend every day with your guide, and I believe that the difference between a good safari and an extraordinary one is the guide (barring unforeseeable acts of nature or unlucky circumstances).
When we began our safari, we provided Joshua with minimal guidance. When asked about our expectations and what we hoped to see, our response was essentially, "We don't know what we don't know, but we're passionate about photography." It wasn't much to go on for a guide, but it became clear from the very first day that Joshua swiftly grasped our interests, our preferred pace, and what was important to us, and he adapted accordingly. Joshua was so adept at discerning this that we didn't need to vocalize when we wanted to stop or move on. He could intuitively gauge it from our reactions and body language. When we lacked an opinion on what to do differently or more of the next day, he already had a proposal for us to consider.
Joshua is remarkably kind, knowledgeable, empathetic, and hardworking. The entire Brilliant staff is incredibly gracious, communicative, and considerate. When we return to Tanzania, we will unquestionably choose Brilliant, and we will certainly request Joshua if we venture to the north (although based on our observations, all the guides at Brilliant are outstanding).
CA
Email Todd Pinsky | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant is the Best!
Absolutely wonderful experience with Brilliant Safaris - from the first moment of communication about the planning for the trip to the last day of the safari.
I began my planning for our safari with another well-known Tanzania-based safari company but was utterly dissatisfied with the interaction, so decided to reach out to a few others, Brilliant included. Julieth Wilfred from Brilliant responded to me immediately and I knew right away I had found the right person and company to help me plan our trip. Julieth promptly set up a What's App chat between us, listened to my requirement/requests and met each with courtesy and helpful advice. I appreciated her suggested itinerary and accommodations and when I asked for any modification, she gladly and without hesitation adjusted them as desired. From our first chat, to the day we arrived in Tanzania, Julieth was always available - day or night - and every question or query was greeted with a prompt and friendly response. All of the safari lodges and camps she booked for us were wonderful - exceeding all of our expectations. In addition, Julieth noted that we would be celebrating our 25th anniversary on the trip and arranged a surprise private and romantic dinner on the deck of our tent one night - very touching and appreciated.
I must also make mention of our tremendous safari guide, Joshua Wilfred (no relation!) - from the first moment he met us at the Kilimanjaro airport on our arrival to the final moment after he dropped us back at the airport for our departure, Joshua was most gracious, friendly and knowledgeable. With his easygoing nature, extraordinary animal tracking skills and phenomenal driving abilities, my wife and I considered ourselves extremely fortunate to have Joshua as our partner during this trip. He made sure we saw the "Big 5", made our way through the cities, villages, countryside and parks safely and was a perfect match for our many questions with his encyclopedic knowledge of Tanzania, its people and its wildlife.
Please do not allow Brilliant's lower profile amongst Tanzania's many safari companies to dissuade you in the least from choosing them. The fact is that you will benefit from the personal and customized experience all the more for it.
Thank you Julieth and Joshua for the trip and experience of a lifetime - one we will never forget.
US
Email Rachel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely wonderful! Perfectly organized and managed from beginning to end.
We had the best time on our safari. Josh was a wonderful and knowledgeable tour guide and we saw so many animals! We celebrated two birthdays and an engagement on our safari and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Brilliant Safaris organized for our lodges to celebrate our birthdays and we felt so welcomed with individualized cakes and flowers. Josh himself organized a private dinner underneath the stars at our tented lodge in the Serengeti the evening of our engagement and we can’t thank him or Brilliant Safaris enough for making our day even more special. The entire trip was planned perfectly with great communication from start to finish, and we absolutely recommend them!
US
Email Courtney | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant Adventures is absolutely amazing and I would recommend them to anyone and everyone!
Brilliant Adventures and Safaris made our safari experience absolutely incredible from start to finish. Lightness was amazing to work with to coordinate and plan the entire trip. She made everything so easy and helped to customize our itinerary to exactly what we wanted to do, and she was always extremely responsive. Lightness is amazing at her job, is so professional and made booking this big trip so smooth and easy.
Joshua was our safari guide and he is amazing! He's so nice and extremely knowledgable on all of the animals, parks and knew the answer to every question we asked. You could tell that he really cares and is very passionate about the animals. He shared his knowledge of the animals, the history of the parks, the culture and more. You cannot possibly have a better safari guide than Joshua!
The level of attention to detail by Brilliant Adventures and Safaris is clear every step of the way. They care immensely about your safety and you can feel that from before you go and the entire time you're there. Beginning with the detailed itinerary and know before you go documentation, I felt very secure and prepared planning this trip. The safari vehicles that Brilliant Adventures uses is definitely the best. We saw a lot of other safari vehicles and did not see any that were quite like ours. We had 4 people and there were 4 seats with a ton of room to stretch out and walk/jump around when you got excited about all the animals. The roof came completely off and the windows folded all the way down so you really had full exposure and unblocked views from the landscape and the animals. All of the lodging accommodations that were organized for us were top notch, everything was clean, the staff were all insanely welcoming and nice, and the food and service were amazing! Our friends celebrated their birthdays and got engaged on this trip and Brilliant Adventures went above and beyond to make it special for them! We danced in the Serengeti and ate cake and then ate more cake the next day and more cake the day after that! Lightness got a bouquet of roses for my friend's birthday and you could tell they really cared about us and our experience.
The Serengeti is beyond your imagination. It was incredible to experience the vast and endless landscape and Joshua had an eagle eye for spotting all the cats! We saw all of the species of animals we hoped to see and up close! We even saw a pride of lions hunt right in front of us, it was so crazy and awesome to see. Joshua knew the area so well and knew exactly where to go for us to get up close experiences with the animals.
Bottom line, Brilliant Adventures is by far the best safari company in Tanzania, you will get the most value for your money, the best experience and the best people. I cannot say enough great things about them and if you are booking a safari to Tanzania I highly recommend Brilliant Adventures and Safaris!
US
Email Eric | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant is organized, friendly and really cares about delivering an amazing safari experience
I used Brilliant for my first time visiting Africa and they did an amazing job of helping organize an unforgettable experience. Before arriving they provided a great amount of information on what to expect and how to properly prepare ahead of time. It was this type of attention to detail that really made everything run smoothly.
Our guide, Joshua, was incredibly knowledgeable answering all of the questions that we had and able to position us perfectly to have close-up encounters with the animals including the opportunity to see a pride of lions hunt a group of warthogs and a rare sighting of two rhinos in the Ngorongoro Crater.
Overall I have only great things to say about my experience and am grateful to Brilliant for executing on such a flawless Safari.
US
Email Natasha | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Attentive and responsive
I’ve never taken a safari but knew I wanted to go but was torn how to decide on a company.
I turned to safari booking.com. After reading reviews I selected Brilliant Safaris. Jane was so helpful I sent emails upon emails of questions/concerns she was responsive and detailed. Our group of 4 decided on 11 nights Tanzania/Zanzibar. On arrival to the airport everything was as described our guide Bony met us and the following day Jane met us at the hotel. She reviewed the weeks activity then took us on a tour of their office.
The safari was awesome! Bony was knowledgeable about the animals/birds/history.
He was flexible as some mornings a later start was needed.
The safari vehicle was comfortable for the 4 of us. The company provided drinks and snacks.
Our lunches on safari were made fresh daily.
It was an amazing experience Jane and Bony took care of all our needs.
While in Zanzibar another company handles that part but Jane continued to reach out.
CA
Email Sarah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A most memorable experience!
Our experience with Brilliant Adventures and Safari was exceptional. Julieth was our agent and she answered all our questions and was super attentive to our needs. We were SO lucky to have Joshua as a driver for our safari experience. He was so professional, safe, and extremely kind with us. He made all the difference. I will ask for him personally if I return!! Thank you so much for the experience, very very memorable.
CZ
Email Vincent & Kristyna | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant & highly reliant local tour operator that goes above and beyond
We chose Brilliant Safaris thanks to their excellent communications and flexibility in adjusting the program to our schedule and preferences. We enjoyed meeting the staff once we landed in Tanzania. Everyone is very friendly and helpful and the team are very focused on hearing feedback. Additionally, in our experience they regularly went above and beyond to make our stay as enjoyable and comfortable as possible.
Our driver Joshua was just as nice, professional and friendly as the rest of the staff we met. He was an excellent driver (it doesn't go without saying in local road and traffic conditions) and a fun companion on long safari days. He was an excellent guide through the parks (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro) we visited, helped us spot so many animals that we would have never otherwise seen. He would always accompany the animal encounters with explanations and stories, which made our experience even more well rounded.
Another reason we'd recommend Brilliant Safaris is that their cars are adjusted to only have 4 seats in them, which allows for extra comfort during the long drives, which made all the difference to us. They are also equipped with a stocked up fridge with cold water and drinks, as well as a basket of local treats for in between meals. This is a very nice touch.
As for accommodation, we opted for the "Mid Range" and were pleasantly surprised by the level of comfort and hospitality in all the camps and hotels we stayed in. We almost cannot imagine what "Luxury" options look like if this was Mid Range, but we appreciate this is subjective. Nonetheless, the camps and lodges inside the parks were so lovely to stay in. All of the local staff go the extra mile for you to feel happy and comfortable, carrying our bags, always having a smile and not afraid to chat. Without a doubt, waking up and hearing the wildlife around us was one of our highlights.
When it comes to food, we never had any issues, the quality was agreeable and quantity was in true Tanzanian style plentiful.
It was amazing to see that Brilliant Safaris were available any time of the day - from a very early airport pick up to a very late departure. They were also extremely flexible in customising our experience and accommodating our needs.
Overall, we'd highly recommend travelling with Brilliant Safaris, they are trustworthy, knowledgeable, friendly and professional.
Brilliant Safaris do exactly as they say , totally brilliant !
We have just returned from the most wonderful safari experience with Brilliant. The attention to detail, care & planning was second to none. Our safari guide Eugene was amazing, ask for him ! He planned everything to make sure we got the maximum enjoyment from our 7 day tour even taking us up to the north Serengeti border to see the wildebeest migration. A once in a lifetime opportunity. Everything was designed to give us the most out of our time there. All accommodation was excellent, in particular our 2 days in the Serengeti at Into the Wild Camp. The food was excellent and all the staff at every camp and lodge were unfailingly kind. The safari vehicles are generous, comfortable and well equipped. As the roof folds back completely you can stand up and get a totally uninterrupted view 360. The cold beers & snacks on board were appreciated, especially by my sons! .
It’s often tricky to judge how to book holidays like this but you will be in very safe hands with Brilliant. Julieth met us at the beginning and end of our safari and even checked in with us 1/2 way through to make sure the company were fulfilling our wishes. Brilliant is locally owned and operated and I think this makes all the difference. They are experts and so knowledgable.Thank you Brilliant, we will be recommending you to everyone !