Day Hikes - “Take a Llama to Lunch!”™

Join Wild Earth Llama Adventures for a special day of hiking and exploring in New Mexico’s pristine wilderness areas, near Taos and Santa Fe. Our signature day hike offers a taste of the wilderness for those who would like to spend the day hiking with llamas in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains or Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.

On the trail, our gentle, sure-footed llamas carry the gear, while experienced naturalist guides share their knowledge of local ecology and geology; native flora and fauna; edible and medicinal plants; wilderness skills; and New Mexico history and folklore.

After an inspiring hike at a relaxed pace, your guide will prepare a sumptuous feast for you in a scenic wilderness location. Our llamas pack in all the fresh ingredients to make a magnificent gourmet lunch; complete with garden salads and vegetable spreads, hearty sandwiches on fresh baked breads, natural sodas, delicious desserts to tempt your sweet tooth, and some of the most spectacular scenery in the Southwest. 

(All ages and fitness levels accommodated / Private trips available)

Mountains or Desert?

Northern New Mexico is where the High Desert meets the Southern Rocky Mountains. One of the amazing things about the Taos and Santa Fe area is the ability to hike and explore totally different wilderness environments, depending on the time of year. This unique blend of mountain and desert ecologies allow us to offer our llama trekking day hikes almost year round!

Day Hikes in the Rio Grande Gorge

(Spring and Fall)

Llama Trekking Day Hikes in the Rioo Grande Gorge

Join us as we explore the iconic and otherworldly desert landscapes of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument and the Rio Grande Gorge.

Often called the “Grand Canyon of New Mexico”, the Rio Grande Gorge is an 800’ deep volcanic rift in the middle of the high desert plateau, with the Rio Grande running wild and untamed at the bottom of the canyon. Depending on the group, there are options to hike along the rim, or for the more adventurous, a descent into the Rio Grande Gorge. 

Highlights of our Rio Grande del Norte Day Hikes include 360º panoramic views, lunch along the Rio Grande, freshwater springs, bighorn sheep sightings, and visits to ancient petroglyph sites.

Llama Trekking Day Hikes in Taos and Santa Fe New Mexico

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Taos and Santa Fe Day Hikes
Featured
“Take a Llama to Lunch!”™ Day Hikes
“Take a Llama to Lunch!”™ Day Hikes

Our signature day hike offers a unique way to explore the outdoors for all ages and fitness levels.

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Multi Day Wilderness Trips
Multi Day Wilderness Trips

Custom designed multi-day wilderness adventures in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Rio Grande Gorge.

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Family Wilderness Adventures
Family Wilderness Adventures

Special wilderness adventures for families with children, designed to help kids fall in love with nature.

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Custom Wilderness Experiences
Custom Wilderness Experiences

Weddings, corporate teambuilding, youth trips, wilderness retreats, photography trips, and special wilderness events.

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What is Llama Trekking?

Llama trekking is hiking and camping in the New Mexico wilderness, with a wooly hiking companion. With their soft leather padded feet, llamas are the perfect low impact pack animal, leaving less of a footprint in fragile wilderness environments. Hike with a llama, and you’ll see why these majestic animals have found a new home in the Southern Rocky Mountains and High Desert of New Mexico.

Wild Earth Llama Adventures Featured On:

Llama Trekking in New Mexico

On the trail, our team of gentle and sure-footed llamas carry the gear, leaving your body, mind, and spirit unburdened to enjoy the beauty and wonder of Northern New Mexico's pristine and unspoiled wilderness landscapes. Our staff of experienced naturalist guides enrich your llama trekking wilderness adventure with an extensive knowledge of local ecology, geology, wilderness skills, and New Mexico history and folklore.

Our team of rescued llamas comes from unwanted and abandoned situations, from all over the Southwest. One of the special things about our llama trekking adventures is the unique opportunity to hike with one of our rescued and rehabilitated  llamas, hear their stories, and fall in love with their curious and amusing personalities.

Gourmet meals are served on all of our wilderness trips. Our llamas pack in a full backcountry kitchen; including plenty of fresh ingredients to prepare healthy and delicious meals in a scenic wilderness environment. Please inform us of any dietary restrictions or preferences, and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Where We Trek

Learn more about the areas we explore

From Wheeler Peak to the Rio Grande Gorge, we explore New Mexico’s breathtaking mountain and desert wilderness landscapes together.

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How We Help

Llama Rescue in New Mexico

We currently provide homes and care for nearly 30 rescued llamas at our llama rescue ranch in northern New Mexico.

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How We Give Back

Protecting Our Public Lands

Wild Earth Llama Adventures is committed to protecting the special places we explore. We are part of a diverse conservation coalition that has helped to protect nearly a million acres of public wild lands in New Mexico.

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What Our Guests Are Saying

  • "Stuart is an excellent guide and knows all facets of the trip."

    “This trip was just the adults without kids. Even though we are now retired, it was still memorable and not too taxing since the llamas do the heavy lifting. The gorge is just as gorgeous in the fall as it was in the spring. The petroglyphs were still awe inspiring to us even on the second sighting. Thank you Stuart for sharing your experience, and having some more wildlife visitors stop to visit!”

    — Dave Z

  • "Loved the llama hike!"

    “My sister and I did the “Take a llama to lunch” hike. We were lucky enough to be the only clients that day. We had so much fun with the llama’s and Stuart was so personable and knowledgeable about the area, the flora, fauna, etc. Lunch was great also! We felt like we bonded with our llama’s and were sad to leave them 😁. We would highly recommend this adventure. It would be great for families with young children also!”

    — Pickleballnut

  • "One of the most enjoyable and unique things I’ve done. "

    “Each Llama had their own unique personality which made it super fun to get to know each of them. Stuart is passionate about his rescue Llamas as well as an expert in nature. He was so kind, fun, and educational. He prepared lunch for us in a beautiful meadow, and it was not your average meal. Very gourmet and delicious! I would highly recommend this experience!

    — lovethebeach90

  • "Beautiful hike to the Rio Grande with my llama Denali."

    “Excellent experience. Our guide, who owns the business, was very friendly and knowledgeable and went to extra efforts to make sure everyone, of mixed physical capabilities, was going to be safe and happy on our one day hike down and back in the Rio Grande gorge. The llamas were sweet and easy to handle and carried all our food, drinks and supplies for us so we could focus on experiencing the nature and vistas.”

    — Robert T

  • "Wild Earth Llama Adventures rocks!"

    “I went on a two-day/one-night trek with them, and I was thoroughly impressed. The llamas were gentle and sweet, Stuart cooked great food, and the views of the lake where we camped were spectacular. I'm so glad I was able to make this adventure happen. I think it was a great value for the cost, and I highly recommend the experience!

    — Elizabeth A

Ranked in the Top 10% of Activities Worldwide

New Mexico Public Lands Partners:

Wild Earth Llama Adventures operates in a unique partnership with the USFS, BLM, and regional wilderness advocacy groups to promote conservation and stewardship of our public wild lands.

New Mexico Travel and Tourism Partners:

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