Llama vs Alpaca – what’s the difference anyway?

First of all, let’s get the similarities out of the way. At first glance the two animals look quite similar and for a good reason – they both belong to the camelid family, which actually makes them cousins of camels!

The main difference between llamas and alpacas is their appearance. While both animals can look similar at first glance, there are some significant differences between the two species. Firstly, llamas are generally larger animals, usually weighing in at more than twice the weight of alpacas (around 180 kg vs 68 kg). The other major differences will become apparent when you take a closer look at the two animals’ faces/heads. Llamas have long, almost banana-shaped ears and similarly long faces, while alpacas’ ears are short, with cute rounded faces – hopefully that doesn’t make our llamas any less lovable!

Llamas are more solitary compared to alpacas, who are generally more shy and prefer the safety of a herd. Llamas on the other hand, while preferring to keep to themselves, are very gentle and calm in nature, which is why they make for the best trekking companions out of the two animals. Now, llamas can get a bad reputation because of their spitting, but both animals can actually exhibit this behaviour when feeling threatened or distressed – so as long as you treat them nicely you should be ok!

To take a closer look at our llamas, you can book Llama Trekking here or call us on 028 867 48881.