_Vogue'_s Llama Travel Guide: Where You Can Trek, Taste Wine, Picnic, Camp, and Weave with Llamas Around the World
With their regal, shaggy bearing and sardonic grins, llamas have captivated mankind since 100 A.D., when the Moche of northern Peru first crafted ceramic llama vessels in effigy—nearly 2,000 years before the rise of Llama Del Rey. Pair them with a chiseled jaw and plush pajamas, and even Menswear Dog can’t compete for fashion’s favorite animal. But don’t take our word for it. Here are seven llama-themed escapes for some serious face time with our four-legged friends—pajamas (and jawline) not included.
Photo: Allison Brown1/7Trek with Llamas at Woodmansee Farms Llamas
Tully, New YorkThree miles west of the village of Tully, on the edge of a wide valley, lies Woodmansee Farms, home to a herd of 23 chic llamas. There, longtime llama enthusiasts John and Dawn Bishop lead guided llama treks across acres of white pines and hemlocks, zigzagging up and down Onondaga Creek. Join the Bishops for a two-to-three hour hike, where you’ll lead a fuzzy brown camelid past steep ravines and waterfalls in the mid-morning sun. After an hour of walking, reach into your llama’s pack for a crisp apple—and don’t forget to share. From $30 per person.
Photo: Courtesy of Divine Llama Vineyards2/7Wine-Taste with Llamas at Divine Llama Vineyards
East Bend, North CarolinaDivine Llama’s vintners have dedicated five acres of their property to chardonel and merlot grapes, and 20 acres to fenced pastures for more than 40 llamas. Tour their rolling fields to meet and greet the llamas and their miniature horse companions. Generous pours of traminette and cabernet franc, or a red wine blend named for a prizewinning dam, are in the tasting room, while llama treks through the surrounding woods naturally include a creekside glass (or two) of Divine Llama wines, paired with a slice of quiche. Local cottages like the Belle House Bed and Breakfast are conveniently located.
Photo: Courtesy of Dayboro Cottages3/7Picnic with Llamas at Dayboro Cottages and Llama Walks
Dayboro, Queensland, AustraliaLess than an hour north from the seaside city of Brisbane, Ross and Diane North built five cottages, perched above Dayboro Valley. Each cottage has glass doors that open up to a private balcony overlooking the valley, but Dayboro’s llama enclosures are, of course, the real draw. Feed the llamas or simply watch them graze, followed by an hour-long llama walk through 85 acres of bushland and rainforest. Guided treks include afternoon tea in the garden, or you can take a llama for a solo stroll through the valley with a picnic lunch in tow. From $180 per night; llama walks from $35 per person.
Photo: Courtesy of Lakeland Llama Treks4/7Wander the Moors with Llamas at Lakeland Llama Treks
Penrith, Cumbria, EnglandThe natural beauty of Cumbria’s Lake District—its mountains, lakes, and moors—is fittingly explored with a llama companion, as Lakeland Llama Treks has learned over the past two years. From Penrith’s Llama Karma Kafe, explore the Eden Valley’s rolling countryside on a half-day trek with an alfresco picnic lunch. Daylong treks include cake and coffee for the adults (juice and biscuits for the kids) and a short tutorial on llama grooming (slick, comb, shear). Back in Penrith, the Llama’s Pyjamas B&B can sleep six in its Barn Owl Cottage, a glass-walled outfit with a wood-burning stove and a woodland garden out back. From $419.
Photo: Courtesy of Inkaterra La Casona5/7Learn to Weave with Llamas at Awanacancha
Cusco, PeruHere in Cusco, the onetime capital of the Incan empire, llamas have long been revered (see Urcuchillay, the Incan deity). Steps from the city’s main square and the San Blas artist district, Inkaterra La Casona is a boutique hotel that pays tribute to Cusco’s ancient roots through its Incan-inspired architecture, particularly its central stone courtyard. Inkaterra’s easy day trips include one to Awanacancha, a llama and alpaca farm where Peruvian weavers live and work. The center works to preserve the art of traditional Andean textiles, and visitors can learn a lot about those historic weaving and dyeing techniques in one day, plus the proper way to shear llama wool. From $486.
Photo: Courtesy of Las Casitas del Colca6/7Take a Selfie with Llamas in the Colca Valley
Arequipa, PeruOn the left bank of the Colca River, Las Casitas del Colca has 20 brick cottages with private terraces for unhindered views of the surrounding mountains and volcanoes. Picnics in the flower fields, sourced from the hotel’s organic gardens, are de rigueur, while five Peruvian paso horses wait in the stables. Saddle up and ride to one of the five neighboring Calera hot springs, or head to the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest and most verdant canyons in the world. There, just above the pre-Incan stepped terraces, local vendors in traditional dress can be found selling wool blankets and ponchos alongside their llamas. Snag a selfie for a small fee, and make sure to get the Andean Valley in the background. Price upon request.
Photo: Courtesy of Spruce Ridge Llamas7/7Go Camping with Llamas at Spruce Ridge Llamas
Salida, ColoradoSince 1993, Spruce Ridge Llamas has been leading overnight llama pack trips through fifteen of the Rockies’ fourteeners—that is, peaks that reach more than 14,000 feet. From a ranch 150 miles south of Denver, take a guided eight-mile hike along Spruce Creek trail through aspen and lodgepole pine forests, pitching your tent at night to cook a hobo dinner (meat, potatoes, carrots, and onions wrapped in foil) over an open fire. After breaking your fast on biscuits and gravy with hot chocolate, follow your llama to the ponderosa-covered hill, which slopes toward the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Spruce Ridge’s 1,000-square-foot cabin, surrounded by aspens and firs, is available for rent as well. From $339 per person.
