Hiking and Trekking with Llamas

My husband and I often chuckle when we see comments about people wishing to sell a "trained pack llama". As far as we are concerned, virtually all llamas will pack. It takes about 5 minutes to train most llamas to carry a pack.

On the other hand, an experienced pack llama is really worth a great deal of money. This is the llama that knows that when he is carrying a pack, he is considerably wider, and he shouldn't plan on going between those two trees that are pretty close together. Clue: Some training packs for llamas have the bottoms and sides made of ballistic nylon..... you know, the stuff that stops bullets!

I have been on the trail with horses that have gotten me into trouble... In contrast, I have been on the trail with llamas that have gotten me out of the trouble I have gotten myself into. Their intelligence on the trail is wonderful and a joy. Their calmness will help you negotiate the most amazing obstacles.

We once had a situation on the trail when one of the two llamas we had with us, The Sultan of Swing, stepped into a leaf covered large hole between two rocks, and fell so that his chest was resting on the rocks, with his hind legs still on the top of the rocks. He was fully packed. A very short distance in front of him a huge rock shelf spread out 2.5' high and 6' across. I was in a panic, but my husband had me lead the other llama further up the trail. We then took the packs off Sultan's pack saddle. During the whole time I was doing this, Sultan remained calmly where he was. Then Tom just stood on that rock shelf and asked Sultan to jump on the shelf with him. There was a tense silence and then Sultan just surged up out of that hole and somehow also managed to leap up onto the rock shelf. It was pretty spectacular. Of course, at the time, I was just relieved.

On another occasion, I nearly fell over during a river crossing, but my llama Pumpernickel leapt in next to me, and instead of rushing past (the normal mode for llama river crossing), he stopped next to me. I lurched over and grabbed the pack saddle to steady myself. Then he waited until I was ready to walk on and just walked beside me through the water. At the next crossing, instead of waiting for me to walk into the river, he stepped right into the river with me and walked right next to me so I could steady myself. Pumpernickel (who was our first llama) was a really impressive pack llama.

Why use pack llamas instead of carrying a pack yourself?

  • They're usually more fun, and a lot more useful, than many human companions.
  • You're older now, and your back has gone out, but you would still enjoy wilderness experiences
  • You'd like to take pack animals into the wilds, but you want to do so without tearing up the trails
  • You want to have a companion with you whose observations of his world will enhance yours.
  • Black and brown bears often avoid camps with llamas.
  • You want an absolutely unique experience in the wilds.
  • You want to experience one of the most luxurious pack experiences, ever. (We pack in ice cream in the summer....)

Do you have to have a llama yourself to pack with one?

No, because there are many packing services available to you, mostly in the Western USA, but there are some in the East. See our trekking page for folks who will take you out llama trekking.

Transporting llamas to the trailhead

If you have a llama, how hard will it be to transport it? Well, llamas prefer to lie down to travel, so they can be transported in a vehicle as small as a Dodge Caravan (even a short body one). (Of course, that's with ALL the seats out except for the driver and one passenger seat.) However, people use Blazer type vehicles, regular sized vans, pickup trucks (and even trailers).

Buying llama pack equipment

There are good halters for packing (designed for long term wearing), tie out stakes, and both "soft" and "hard" packs. Tom and I prefer the hard packs, as they are more versatile (they can be used as saddles for kids, and can carry nifty woven baskets for PR, etc.). See our llama equipment page for information about places to check out this kind of equipment.

How much weight can llamas carry?

This varies with terrain and the kind of weight being carried, but in general, well conditioned llamas can carry up to a third of their body weight. (And llamas weigh from 300 to 450 pounds.)

What kinds of llamas do people use for packing?

Normally, only male llamas are used for packing. This is because female llamas are usually pregnant, are more valuable, and also less docile than male llamas. While some pack llamas are geldings, is is just as easy to pack with ungelded male llamas. In fact, we were advised that if you planned on a commercial pack operation, having ungelded llamas worked better, because since the more competitive nature of these males causes them to chase each other around the pasture from time to time, they keep themselves in good condition, and don't need to be "tuned up" at the start of packing season.

Note for East Coast Hikers

There are thousands of miles of trails for hiking, but many less experienced hikers seem only to have heard of the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail is absolutely forbidden for any pack stock (including dogs carrying packs), so llamas are not welcome on this trail. This should not be a problem for anyone with a llama, as there are so many other trails for them to use. On the other hand, we ask llama owners not to violate this rule and not to request exceptions. There's just no need for it, and this is the only trail in the country that is protected in quite this way. Let's leave it that way.

Pack Certification Trials

There's a growing "pack certification trial" movement, to ensure that llamas being sold or demonstrated as pack llamas, are genuinely so.