Less than a month ago we were already hiking with alpacas on the Moselle and were completely enthusiastic about it. That is why we did not miss the time to go for a walk with these sugar-sweetened animals here in Bayerisch-Schwaben.
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The Lama and alpaca farm “Sajama Lama”
From the monastery Roggenburg we drove in the morning to Schönenberg/Jettingen-Scheppach in the district of Günzburg, because here we were arranged with Family Rauch, the owner of the Lama and Alpaca farm Sajama Lama. “Sajama” is by the way the name of the highest mountain of Bolivia and has given the farm its name, because the real home of the lamas and alpacas are the plateaus of South America.
The passion for the animals began with a hike with llamas. The owners were immediately fascinated by these animals, so they bought 2 llamas afterwards – Pepe and Carlos. Over the course of four years, it became a herd of 10 llamas and 13 alpacas, which now belong to the farm. In the meantime, a wide variety of tours are offered here: from guided couples, group and family hikes to children’s birthdayparties and company outings to performances at weddings. Hiking with alpacas is a very special adventure, so the tours are always quite well booked.
Feeding the Lamas and Alpacas
At the beginning of our hike we first looked at a small presentation, which was supplemented with interesting information about the animals. She also told us what are current “Dos and Don’ts” (also due to Corona). For example, we were not allowed to pet the animals, because this is a requirement within the framework of corona-related hygiene measures. After the video we went straight to the pasture, which is very quietly located on the outskirts of the village and from which one has a wonderful view over the Mindeltal. The animals are kept on generous areas, so that they have enough spout/free space.
In order to get to know the llamas and alpacas a little more, we went into the enclosure and were greeted with joy. Since we had got some treats for the little guys, the shyness of the animals was not great. If you have stopped quietly, they come to us by themselves due to their curious character and have sought the contact or the treat. That was quite nice, because we were able to look at the animals in peace and quickly realized that each has its own character.
Our hike with the alpacas
After we finished feeding, we were asked us if we would rather go for a walk with llamas or alpacas. The choice was quickly made on alpacas, as they are slightly smaller than llamas and for us also looked cleaner. So we got an alpaca on everyone’s hand and we were able to start. Since in the current season there are especially many horse brakes on the road, which can also sting the alpacas violently, our 3 alpacas of Doris were sprayed again with a special protection to keep the horse brakes a little different from the animals.
For about 1.5 hours we went across meadows, fields and forest paths to a beautiful feeding meadow, where we made a small stop and then started the way back from here. All three alpacas have been with us all the time, and here again you have noticed the individual characteristics of each animal. One wanted to eat some grass every 10 m, the other ran straight ahead and the third was annoyed with the others from time to time.
The star of the group was definitely Angelo. The little man knows how to wrap everyone around his finger with his charm: big brown cuddly eyes, a sweet pussiehairstyle and a real poser when it comes to photos. We were right there and away and could have taken hundreds of photos of him ❤
When we were back at the enclosure, we could watch the alpacas and llamas for a while and take some souvenir photos. What a great experience!