Alpaca trekking in Sweden – does that sound odd? Well, this is the story of how we ended up with a bunch of students from all over the world, taking a break from their masters and find something fun to do. Add an Alpaca to that and you have the recipe for some great fun. Hear all about it in this article!

Alpaca Trekking at hultet in Sweden

We have seen a lot of alpacas but that was in Peru and not in Sweden. However, we had heard that there were a couple of places that had alpacas in Sweden. In fact, I met a farmer two years ago while freelancing for a newspaper. He had them for the wool and for meat. I asked him if he allowed people to come and cuddle with them but he said that there were other places that had that. It stuck with me!

Now we have been on a real alpaca hike and it was everything I ever dreamt it would be. Well, except that my alpaca was not into cuddling at all – he wasn’t even into touching. Alpaca trekking is not a big thing in Sweden but there are several places that have them. Alpacka och Älg Ekofarm i Hultet being one of them. It’s located in southern Sweden and owned by Jacqueline Käslin. Here you can come to take a walk with these beautiful animals.

Why Alpacas?

For Jacqueline, it came naturally to have alpacas on her farm. Being from Switzerland where alpacas are common cattle, she wanted to bring that to Sweden. Said and done, today she has about 75 alpacas today and uses them for walks, wool, and meat. So why did she start with the trekking? Because the trekking part is not big in Switzerland. – I saw that the people that came to the farm wanted to get close to the alpacas and I came up with the idea of offering people to walk with them, she says and calls the animals (by bribing them with some food).

Alpaca must be one of the cutest animals in the world with their big eyes and long lashes. Add to that a super cute face and you have the recipe for success. Sure, their teeth look like someone just threw them in but that only adds to the cuteness. The only downside is that they are not pet animals. They don’t like you to pet them but if you are lucky, they will let you get close. – They know that they are cute and they know that you want to pet them, says Jacqueline, and laughs. It is also said that taking a walk with an alpaca is soothing and a great way to relieve stress.

How does the walk work?

At the Alpacka & Älfarm i Hultet, they offer two different types of trekking. One is a short walk that takes 45 minutes and the other one is longer and takes two and a half hours. On the long walk, you will stop and have some coffee and snacks and the animals will be grazing. After that, you continue the walk. The environment is like taken from a fairytale. You walk into the forest and just enjoy life. It’s allowed to let your alpaca graze however, there’s a three-second rule. Count to three while the alpaca is nibbling on the grass and then continue to walk.

You get your own alpaca for the walk. In some cases, you might have to share him or her but there are never more than two people to one alpaca. It’s easy and it’s so much fun. You will quickly notice that each animal has its own personality. We joined a group for the short walk and I believe that it would be more satisfying to do the longer walk. Then you have more time to get to know your alpaca and try to bond with it.

Our experience of the Alpaca Trekking

We have arrived and we are watching as Jacqueline is putting halters on the alpacas. We are four people so far – us and two students from Lund. They are studying human rights and are about to get their master. Today they are out because they need to get away from their studies. They are waiting for their friends to arrive. Soon they do and now we are about 10 people that will be doing the Alpaca trekking. The sounds are loud. The group is excited and everyone is taking pictures of the alpacas as they are getting ready.

– Oh my God! I can’t believe how cute they are! says one of the students as she’s trying to take a selfie with an alpaca in the background. Jacqueline comes out with all the alpacas and each of us gets one to hike with. Mine is called Donatello and he is just lovely. A guy has gotten Alladin, an alpaca that loves to lay down anywhere, everywhere, and anytime. It doesn’t take long before we all notice that each of our alpacas are different. Different more than just their color – they all have their own personality.

Walking with the alpacas

The sound is still loud. The students are taking pictures of each other and you can see how excited they all are. I’m just as excited but I try to be calm and send out some calming energy so that Donatello will trust me. – Look, Alladin is lying down eating again! someone shouts out and they all laugh. And then it’s time. It’s finally time to start our walk. Suddenly it becomes quiet. Nobody is talking anymore. We are all focused on our animals, trying to connect with them.

Jacqueline is walking first. She has taken her two dogs with her and they are running in the front. We are walking as a group and we all let the Alpacas graze some grass before we move on. It’s already calming and it has only been a couple of minutes. We are all trying to connect with our animals and some of us are successful. I can see people holding around their alpaca’s necks, taking selfies. I’m not as lucky – Donatello is not having it.

Entering the forest with a grumpy Alpaca

We enter the forest. It’s so nice with the lush forest and all the green is so impressive. Our group is walking together but we are all focused on our own cute animal. Donatello doesn’t want to be close. He walks as far away from me as the leash will allow him. I’m trying to send out positive energy but the result is fruitless. Finally, I give up and decide to just enjoy the walk with Donatello by my side.

We all end up having a great walk. Donatello on his side and me on the opposite side. Alladin keeps lying down during his walk and everyone is super happy. When we get back, we all get to take the halter off. Lo and behold, Donatello lets me help him! Finally, I have my cuddly moment, even if just for a second!

You might also like to read our article about the cranes that come to Sweden.

The Ecofarm in Hultet

The Alpacka & Älgfarm i Hultet is more than Alpacas. When you come here, there is more to do than go alpaca trekking. I believe that the alpacas are the main highlight but like I mentioned before – there’s more to do here. At the farm, you also have a really nice gift shop, some super cute ponies, roosters that make noises even if it’s not morning, and much much more.

If you want, you can book some of the other activities when you are here. And if you are happy with “just” the alpaca walk, at least be sure to check out the gift shop. This farm is really special and we recommend that you stick around for a while and get more information about the farm.

The gift shop – buy alpaca wool

Alpaca trekking in Sweden is not so big of an attraction (yet). However, wool and different clothes made out of alpaca are a big thing. At the store, you can buy not only alpaca yarn, wool, and some clothes – here you can buy “all things Sweden”. For example, here you can buy different souvenirs with moose on them.

And this store also sells meat. Here you can buy alpaca meat too. At first, I thought that it was strange that we walked with alpacas and 10 minutes later, I could buy meat from them. But at the same time, that’s hypocritical of me to think because I do eat meat and alpaca is just like a cow or a pig. But enough of that, make sure to check out the store. An awesome thing is that all the wool is named with the alpaca it came from!

Moose park – see a moose up close

At the Alpacka & Älgfarm i Hultet, Skåne they have a moose park where you are guaranteed to see a moose. The park is fenced and you walk around the fence. It costs 65 kronor (about 6 euros) for the moose trekking and this is a chance to see a moose from up close. They are really big and impressive animals. We have been to another moose park before so we didn’t feel the need to walk around the fence.

The park we went to was one where you drive your car around the park. We think that that’s better because the fence is not that big at the alpaca farm. We are sure that the mooses have a good life here too but we think that the more space they have, the better their life. As close to freedom is the way to go! And another great thing is that you are allowed to feed them – I’m in love!

Take a guided tour around the farm to see all the animals

This is a “behind the scenes” tour of the farm. It costs 350 kronor (about 30 euros) for a family and the tour takes about an hour. Here you will get to meet all the animals that are living on the farm. Here you will see alpacas (of course), goats, pigs, ponies, cows, and more. This is a great way to teach your kids more about farming and farm animals. If you live in the city – this will be a tranquil excursion to do.

We saw the ponies and they were so cute that my heart melted! And of course, if you want you can probably combine this with the alpaca trekking in Sweden and you will have a perfect day with your family or friends. I love the idea that there are several different things to do on the same farm!

Sustainability in Focus

One of our favorite parts here is the sustainability that they focus on wholeheartedly. For example, the wool that has to bad quality gets sold as fertilizer. Everything is taken care of and nothing goes to waste. I didn’t find any moose poop for sale but there might be. Yes, moose poop is a thing to be sold in Sweden as a souvenir. Strange how crap can become a treasure.

Another thing that’s great about this farm is that all the pigs are walking outside. No cages or crates here – all the pigs have great lives until the end. The farm also has a deal with the local school. They get all their food waste and feed them to the pigs. It’s a great way to reduce food waste. We love it when a company is so focused on sustainability!

Information about the Alpacka & Alg farm i Hultet

Address: Hultet 3261, Västra Torup.
Opening hours: The moose park is open from 10.00 – 17.00 between June and August. Otherwise, it’s opened upon agreement. Alpaca trekking and the guided tour of the farm are also done according to an agreement.
Website of the Alpaca trekking in Sweden.

Alpaca Trekking in Sweden

The place where we visited for our alpaca trekking in Sweden is located in Hultet, Skåne. However, there are several different places where you can experience alpaca trekking in Sweden. Here are some of them:

• Alpacas in Visingsö. This place is close to Jönköping.
• Stall Ryadal. Offers alpacatrekking in Lövestad, Skåne.
• Walk with alpacas in Södermanland. They also offer sleepovers at the farm.
• Norrängens Alpacka. Outside of Stockholm (in Norrängen)

more activities nearby

If you love animals and nature maybe birdwatching is your thing. If you do, just go outside of Åhus to see cranes perform a little dance for you.
If you like nature then kjugekull may be for you.