How to get a Donkey

[D Lee]

Hi, I am a travel writer from Korea, and me and fellow travel writer are planning to go through El Camino from SJPDP - Santiago de Compostela this september with a Donkey. We got interested in donkeys by visiting a local donkey farm and after we tried walking several days with him, we decided to go to spain. They are adorable

We are respectively in our 20s and 60s, and still, became friends on the trail.

We are going to film a documentary movie throughout the trip including our story.

So my questions are,,

1) How / Where can we get a donkey at SJPDP ?
Both rent / buying is fine.
2) How much would it cost?
3) Will it be complicated for a foriegner to buy a donkey?

Our plans are not concrete yet so any suggestions are welcome including course changes ! Many thanks.

 

[gsilver]

A must read: Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago by Tim Moore.

 

[Opa Theo]

I can not answer any of your questions. I suggest you get a copy of Tim Moore's book TRAVELS WITH MY DONKEY; One man and His Ass on a pilgrimage to Santiago. Mr. Moore is an adventurer and his pilgrimage account is hilarious. In 2018 we saw pilgrims with donkeys of the Francis route.
Ted

 

[D Lee]

I can not answer any of your questions. I suggest you get a copy of Tim Moore's book TRAVELS WITH MY DONKEY; One man and His Ass on a pilgrimage to Santiago. Mr. Moore is an adventurer and his pilgrimage account is hilarious. In 2018 we saw pilgrims with donkeys of the Francis route.
Ted

Thanks I'll get a copy soon

 

[henrythedog]

You’ve probably walked more days with a donkey than most aspiring peregrinos, but the more time you can spend with a similar animal before setting your, the better. Some time with an experienced donkey-keeper and the ability to recognise possible issues and communicate them to a vet would also be sensible.
Are you essentially staging your journey for a future book?

 

[C clearly]

We are respectively in our 20s and 60s, and still, became friends on the trail.

Have you walked the Camino before?

You can put "donkey" into the forum Search box for more threads.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

1) How / Where can we get a donkey at SJPDP ?

Please, there are numerous threads about this particular subject already. You can find it at...

... No, just kidding.

Now my serious question:

If you buy it, will you then sell it in Santiago de Compostela, or take it with you to your home country?!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

OMG! Sorry for being so incredulous. Ivar writes:

(...) http://www.elburroperegrino.com . This is a company that rents out donkeys to pilgrims. They deliver the animal to you, take care of it each night and returns it to you each morning. (...)

There are some restrictions:
- They only have this service from Sarria to Santiago.
- You need to rent a minimum of 5 donkeys (!)
- The donkeys should not walk more than 25km per day.

The article mentions a price of about 2500 euro for a 5 day trip with 5 animals.

Sounds like the only thing that could ever convince me to walk Sarria-Santiago again...
Still doesn't say anything about buying though. I stand by my earlier comment that buying would complicate things...

 

[David]

Use Google Chrome and it should translate for you, if you don't speak French.

Donkey Hire, France, Ardeche, Stevenson

Au confins des Cévennes, en montage Ardéchoise, au pied du suc du Chapelas situé à 1150 mètres d’altitude. Nos ânes vous attendent pour vous faire partager une exceptionnelle aventure montagnarde.

www.lemasdesanes.com

 

[David]

OMG! Sorry for being so incredulous. Ivar writes:

(...) http://www.elburroperegrino.com . This is a company that rents out donkeys to pilgrims. They deliver the animal to you, take care of it each night and returns it to you each morning. (...)

There are some restrictions:
- They only have this service from Sarria to Santiago.
- You need to rent a minimum of 5 donkeys (!)
- The donkeys should not walk more than 25km per day.

The article mentions a price of about 2500 euro for a 5 day trip with 5 animals.

Sounds like the only thing that could ever convince me to walk Sarria-Santiago again...
Still doesn't say anything about buying though. I stand by my earlier comment that buying would complicate things...

A lot of money! I will do it for 2000 Euros for a week, dressed as a donkey!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

We had a recent thread about using horses on the camino.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/anyone-taken-a-horse-on-the-camino.70361

 

[mspath]

Hi, I am a travel writer from Korea, and me and fellow travel writer are planning to go through El Camino from SJPDP - Santiago de Compostela this september with a Donkey. We got interested in donkeys by visiting a local donkey farm and after we tried walking several days with him, we decided to go to spain. They are adorable

We are respectively in our 20s and 60s, and still, became friends on the trail.

We are going to film a documentary movie throughout the trip including our story.

So my questions are,,

1) How / Where can we get a donkey at SJPDP ?
Both rent / buying is fine.
2) How much would it cost?
3) Will it be complicated for a foriegner to buy a donkey?

Our plans are not concrete yet so any suggestions are welcome including course changes ! Many thanks.

D.Lee,
For renting a donkey near SJPdP see Anes de l'Arradoy at this web site >>> http://www.loisirs.fr/anes-de-l-arradoy-ispoure.html

Here are some French and English films about donkey travels. Google each title for more info.

Antoinette dans les Cévennes/2020

Voyage avec un âne dans les Cévennes/1975

Voyage avec un âne dans les Cévennes/2015

Travels with a Donkey/1978

Since some of these are available on line you could start in the Cevennes this afternoon! Bon voyage!

 

[C clearly]

Forum member @Barbara walked with a donkey a few years ago, and she is still active on the forum. Maybe she'll see this thread in the next few days, and respond. Or, the OP could try sending a private Conversation to her.

 

[konnie]

Hi, I am a travel writer from Korea, and me and fellow travel writer are planning to go through El Camino from SJPDP - Santiago de Compostela this september with a Donkey. We got interested in donkeys by visiting a local donkey farm and after we tried walking several days with him, we decided to go to spain. They are adorable

We are respectively in our 20s and 60s, and still, became friends on the trail.

We are going to film a documentary movie throughout the trip including our story.

So my questions are,,

1) How / Where can we get a donkey at SJPDP ?
Both rent / buying is fine.
2) How much would it cost?
3) Will it be complicated for a foriegner to buy a donkey?

Our plans are not concrete yet so any suggestions are welcome including course changes ! Many thanks.

Hi Lee, I walked with a donkey. I can tell you its very slow. They don't walk fast, they want to nibble at the greenery along the side of the road, you need to find a place to keep the donkey in cities. You need to buy feed for it. People want to take your picture which is fine but gets very old after a while.
I had'nt plan to walk with a donkey. The owner of a hotel I was staying (it was winter and the albergue was closed) said he had a donkey after I mentioned it would be fun to have one to walk with. This was in Villacázar de Sirga. When I got to Santiago he did'nt want it back because they are not valuable animals. I could have given her away but I walked her back to her home.

Sorry I can't answer your questions, but I wanted to tell you my experience.

Good luck and buen camino!

 

[simeon]

There is a guy on the le puy at the moment walking with two donkies.

 

[Anniesantiago]

All I can say is "Good Luck!"
Literally EVERYONE I've met with a donkey wishes they had not brought a donkey.

 

[WalkingJane]

A must read: Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago by Tim Moore.

Love that book!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

A must read: Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago by Tim Moore.

I really enjoyed the book. It was very entertaining and humorous.

 

[Sam - AU]

I really enjoyed the book. It was very entertaining and humorous.

A bit like the replies on this thread!

 

[Anamiri]

A must read: Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago by Tim Moore.

I read that on my phone whilst on Camino, - it was laugh out loud hilarious - but from all accounts taking a donkey is a lot harder than it looks.

 

[David]

I remember some years ago a northern (Norway?) couple hired a donkey. I was at Alte de Perdon doing first aid, my little camper with me, and saw them sitting on the hillside enjoying the view. The donkey was sitting down with them also enjoying the view.
They didn't know much about donkeys and felt sorry for it so after a couple of days they carried their own packs (I know! ).
One day a pilgrim was walking along and a donkey wearing an empty load saddle appeared out of some bushes and walked with him all day. When he arrived at his refugio he tied it up outside ... some time later the couple arrived - they had lost it.
I heard no news about them after that - always wondered if they got to Santiago.

 

[Kanga]

I walked half a day on the Le Puy with a couple who had two small children and two donkeys (the children were in panniers on the donkeys). They had reached the stage of accepting they could only do a maximum of about 10km a day, and were wondering what to do.

 

[mspath]

Check out this cutie
I met in Sarria a few years ago.

 

[TrvlDad1]

I’ve done the Grand Canyon on a mule and my advice is to walk it and save two asses.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I’ve done the Grand Canyon on a mule and my advice is to walk it and save two asses.

Hilarious! You just gave me my laugh of the day!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Check out this cutie
I met in Sarria a few years ago.

There is no donkey I have ever seen that was not a delightful cutie.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

There is no donkey I have ever seen that was not a delightful cutie.

Here you go then.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Here you go then.
View attachment 105911

Cartoons don't count.

 

[Albertagirl]

I remember once meeting a donkey at the front gate of a churchyard on the Frances. It seemed to be expecting someone, and its owner showed up within a minute or two to open the gate and take it away. He had clearly left the donkey in the churchyard to eat the ample grass inside the gate, as there was donkey manure everywhere. This was not the donkey's fault, but I did not see it as particularly cute.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

This is a new donkey I saw the other day on my local walk on the trail next to my house...so cute! I'm bringing him apple slices next time I walk by.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

.

there was donkey manure everywhere.

Watch where you step!

 

[Albertagirl]

Well, you see, the donkey's owner took it away in the direction that I had come from, without my stepping in anything mucky. So I continued my pilgrimage without any particular need for cleansing.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

.

Watch where you step!

There is nothing wrong with a bit of chewed grass.

When, as a child, we first moved to Aotearoa New Zealand and I still went everywhere barefooted we often went to stay on a dairy farm. In winter with frosts on the ground and ice on the puddles we used to seek out fresh cow pats to stand in because they were warm and warmed our feet up.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

There is nothing wrong with a bit of chewed grass.

When, as a child, we first moved to Aotearoa New Zealand and I still went everywhere barefooted we often went to stay on a dairy farm. In winter with frosts on the ground and ice on the puddles we used to seek out fresh cow pats to stand in because they were warm and warmed our feet up.

What great childhood memories you have!...priceless!
I would "possibly" do the same as you did...cuz I hated frostbitten feet from sledding with my boys in midwestern winters.

 

[C clearly]

I realize many of us think it is absurd to take a donkey on the Camino. However, some people think otherwise, and the OP seemingly was serious.

Can we stop hijacking this thread for our own entertainment?