I think this might be one of the best Christmas gifts I’ve gotten in a looong time… and I get some amazing presents each year.
We went llama trekking with The Wandering Llamas LLC an hour outside of Knoxville, TN. It’s $50 per person and you get two hours of llama trekking fun with one of the ten llamas that Sandy, the Llama Mama, has on her farm.
We met Flash, Gandalf, Jambo, Buck, Pippin and Chocolate Moose.
You arrive at a nearby farm where the trails for trekking are and you’re introduced to the llamas. Flash is the dominant male of the group and he was who I trekked with. As you can see, our relationship was a little hesitant at first, but quickly our love affair grew and it was very hard to say goodbye at the end.
You walk at a reasonable pace and take frequent breaks. You bring your water and the llamas that are pack trained carry them for you. There are different trails to take that Sandy chooses based on the group’s hiking experience and the weather. Overall, the pace is relaxed and there are tons of places to get great pictures with your llamas and of the views, although the views are better in the spring and fall (we visited just after Christmas in 2019).
You also get to feed the llamas cookies. You can do it the traditional way, but why do that when you can give a llama a cookie “mouth to mouth!?”
You also get pictures taken by Sandy which are sent to you after the trek.
Here’s a short video of our experience that I took on our trek:
Also, Jambo has his own Facebook page if you need more llama in your life before or after the trek.
Finally, if you love the animal experiences (like I do) it’s a fantastic time to get some really fun photographs. I highly recommend a visit with The Wandering Llamas if you find yourself near Knoxville, TN. It’s worth every penny for the llama hugs, kisses and snacks.
THANK YOU so much for posting this!!! Please come back soon!
Enjoyed the llama stories and photos! There is a Hampton Inn at the Caryville, TN exit, about 45 minutes N. of Knoxville on I-40 that has llamas. The hotel owner has a llama rescue and the llamas are in a fenced area in the back of the hotel, quite a large area that is very steep so the llamas keep the grass trimmed. I guess these are llamas that people got as pets and then discovered that they were too much work or perhaps not as cuddly as they had hoped. These llamas are not interested in being petted or getting close enough to humans to eat cookies but its fun to see them.
We first stayed there a few years ago and didn’t know about the llamas, as we were carrying things from the car, my husband remarked, “There is a llama over there looking at us.”