MEET THE TEAM: SARAH IHLENFELDT

Sarah Ihlenfeldt is quickly making a name for herself as a safari planning specialist, racking up not only excellent reviews for her professionalism and expertise but also a growing group of loyal clients who have had exceptional experiences with her.

She joined the Biggestleaf team in 2024. After graduating college, where she earned a distinction in Financial Management for her Bachelor of Commerce degree, she joined Schramm Equestrian in Pennsylvania, USA, indulging her love of horses and honing her personal service skills to high-end clients.

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Next came time with African Horse Safaris, a specialist travel agency based out of Hampshire in the UK and Minnesota in the USA. She was the top-performing employee here, designing horseback-riding safari itineraries for clients across North Africa (Egypt and Morocco), East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) and Southern Africa (Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia).

During this time, she was able to explore Africa, bringing her clients first-hand knowledge and on-the-ground advice so that is so invaluable to ensuring that your vacation is a good fit for you.

Since being welcomed into the Biggestleaf fold, Sarah continues to travel to sought-after destinations like Etosha, the Victoria Falls and Hwange. She regularly attends industry conferences to stay on top of new developments as well as training on new properties and destinations. As an agency, we are frequently invited to tour new hotels in Cape Town and the Winelands, and Sarah is always keen to personally see what will (and won’t!) work for her clients.

I actually found my way into travel quite unexpectedly. After studying finance, I took a gap year overseas and when I returned to South Africa, I became involved in horse safaris, which was my introduction to the tourism industry. I’ve always loved the bush and being surrounded by nature, but at the time I never imagined I would eventually combine those interests into a career. Now I get to work in an industry I’m genuinely passionate about every day.

I love helping people experience places that have meant a lot to me personally. I’m incredibly passionate about Africa and feel fortunate to be able to share the wildlife, landscapes and experiences that make it such a special destination. It’s always rewarding hearing from clients when they’ve returned from a trip and knowing it lived up to what they were hoping for.

Travel is constantly evolving, which means there’s always something new to learn. I especially enjoy the planning side of things. Putting together an itinerary is a bit like solving a puzzle, where every flight, lodge and experience needs to work together. It’s satisfying seeing all those pieces come together into a seamless trip.

Technology has transformed the way we work, giving us access to more information and making communication much faster. Clients are also far more informed than they used to be, which means the role of a travel advisor has shifted from simply booking trips to providing expertise, insight and trusted recommendations.

Africa isn’t a destination you tick off a list. Every country, region and even season offers a completely different experience. Logistics can be more complex than in other parts of the world, and the quality of your guides, camps and local knowledge can have a huge impact on a trip. It’s also one of the few places where nature still feels genuinely wild.

Technology helps streamline planning, communication and access to information. However, it can never replace firsthand experience, destination knowledge and strong supplier relationships. In African travel especially, local expertise remains incredibly valuable.

Personal experience and trusted advice. I’ve travelled extensively throughout Africa and have visited many of the destinations and properties I recommend. I can help clients avoid common mistakes, tailor trips to their interests and provide support before, during and after travel. Most importantly, I take the time to understand what each client wants from a trip and build an itinerary around that.

• Trying to fit too much into one trip.
• Choosing based purely on price rather than overall value.
• Not considering seasonality.
• Underestimating travel times between destinations.
• Not making use of advice from people who know the destination well.

I’d love to return to Botswana for a third time: it’s one of my favourite places I’ve visited anywhere in Africa. I would love to spend a few days in the Okavango Delta and from there, I’d head into the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in search of one of the few animals that has still managed to evade me- the brown hyena. To finish, I’d spend a few nights in Mauritius, enjoying the beaches and slowing the pace a little before heading home.