Want to take a hike with a llama? Stay at an Airbnb where alpacas graze in the yard? Take a yoga class with llamas or alpacas — or mingle with them over wine?
It’s now easier than ever to find in-person experiences with these huggable, fan-favorite animals.
Llamas and alpacas are both part of the camelid family — which, of course, includes camels — but the two species are very different. Llamas, which are bred to carry heavy loads, are about the height of a small horse and tend to be more social with people. Alpacas, which are bred for their fiber, are about a third smaller than llamas and more standoffish.
Both species are used as therapy animals, show animals and pets. And increasingly, they’ve become a feature of agritourism. For example, a one-hour tour at Buck Hollow Llamas in Birdsboro, Pa., costs $20 a person and involves plenty of hands-on time. “First they get a little education, and then they get to go in with the herd, take pictures and see the babies,” said Carol Reigh, the farm owner, of her guests.
Spitting? Not to worry. The animals at these farms are accustomed to people and don’t normally spit at them unless provoked.
The Alpaca Owners Association publishes a list of farms that welcome visitors, and there are tourist-friendly farms around the country that can be found online. Advance reservations are recommended. Here are a few popular options.
Hyde Park, N.Y.
Clover Brooke Farm
About 90 miles north of Manhattan, this farm offers a long menu of activities involving its more than 30 llamas and alpacas, including hikes, yoga, summer camp and fiber art classes. There are also two Airbnb apartments in a renovated barn where guests can sip coffee on the deck and watch the animals. Prices vary by experience, but a 45-minute farm tour is $15.
“We’ve been doing this for eight years, and I have people who come back every single year and ask for the same animal,” said Andrea Parent-Tibbetts, who bought the farm in 2016. The most requested is Biscotti, known as the “kissing llama” because “he always comes up to you and kisses your cheek,” she said.
Shueyville, Iowa
Prairie Patch Farm
One of the more prominent llama farms on social media, Prairie Patch is the brainchild of Kahle Atherton, who left her job as a music therapist and started offering llama hikes. After she began selling the experience through Airbnb, “it just blew up,” she said.
With 10 llamas and one alpaca, Prairie Patch offers a long list of experiences, including a “selfies and snuggles” farm visit ($85 for five people with five llamas for an hour). Visitors can also book an overnight stay at her farmhouse. “I call it Iowa’s only ‘llamacation,’” Ms. Atherton said.
Her llamas also do weddings and can be booked for “llama-grams,” when the animals show up in festive attire at the location of your choice. Can’t make it to Iowa? Try booking a virtual session during which llamas dressed in party hats crash your next Zoom meeting.
Sonora, Calif.
Llamas of Circle Home
The llamas here, about 130 miles east of the University of California, Berkeley, are trained therapy animals that regularly visit stressed-out college students at exam time. They are also available for other social encounters.
The owner, George Caldwell, offers a 90-minute llama experience that involves brushing the llamas, feeding them and leading them on a short walk. Visitors first meet the 11 “legacy” llamas, which are retired from therapy and particularly docile, and then mingle with the herd of 11 active-duty llamas that Caldwell calls his “academy.”
Roy, Wash.
Topstall Farm
This farm offers immersive, one-mile treks that involve food for the humans and the animals. The farm owner, Marla Albitz, a former software developer, eschews some activities (no weddings, no yoga) and takes her cues from her pets: If any of her four alpacas and 13 llamas indicates that it’s not in the mood, it stays in the barn.
At $90 for two hours, this hike is for people who appreciate nature. Visitors are given a brief orientation, and “within 20 minutes I hand them a lead, and they are walking on a beautiful Pacific Coast trail with a llama on a slack line by their shoulder,” Ms. Albitz said.
East Bend, N.C.
Divine Llama Vineyards
Blending his passion for wine with his love of llamas “turned out to be a very unique formula,” said Michael West, an owner of Divine Llama Vineyards. “Our visitors come for both reasons,” he added.
The winery makes 16 wines from 11 grape varietals, and patrons of the tasting room can meet the 70 or so llamas, wine glass in hand. The farm also offers treks, at $60 per person, with each participant leading a llama on a scenic hike that ends in the vineyard.
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