Festival Llama Tours

2022 Tours are being Planned. Here's a sample

Friday and Saturday: Hiking the Double O
Sunday: Ranch Visit

Every year as winter turns to spring, the birds return to Harney Basin in SE Oregon and Burns Llama Trailblazers leads a tour to see them. The tour provides an excellent opportunity view and photograph the birds while experiencing a unique landscape. Our tour is a part of the annual Harney County Migratory Bird Festival in honor of John Scharff that is hosted by the Harney County Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. The four day festival includes many types of tours, lectures, and special activities. It is an exciting time for the local population as well as visitors who arrive from near and far. (Detailed information and registration for tours can be found at http://www.migratorybirdfestival.com)

Double 00 Llama Birding and Photography Hike
On Friday and Saturday of the festival, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge managers give Burns Llama Trailblazers special permission to escort a small group into an area normally closed to the public. This year we will be visiting hidden lakes on the famous Double O Ranch. This is the only time this area is open to the public and is very special treat. Eight of our best pack llamas accompany participants one-on-one as they enjoy the views and great birding.

The llamas are happy to be out on an easy hike after a long winter plowing through snowdrifts to stay in condition.Birds are always present. From swallows to ducks to swans and eagles, the list can often reach twenty-five species.

This is more than just a walk to see the birds. Each participant chooses a llama to be theirs for the day. They are encouraged to work with the llama as much as they like. This can include saddling and unsaddling, loading, and leading. All necessary aspects of handling the llamas are clearly demonstrated and supervised. Each llama carries his person's gear during the day. At midday we stop to take our lunch in a location well chosen for viewing and photography. Well away from roads, the hike offers excellent opportunities for these activities. It is also an exceptional change to see a desert rich in water. It is an area that has changed little in centuries. Your guides, besides helping with bird identification will describe the geological and historical features you see.

Weather can be very changeable on these outings. We can experience everything from warm sun to blowing snow in one trip. Fortunately all the locations we choose provide some cover, whether it be a rocky ridge or bank of sheltering willows. The hiking distance is about four miles over gentle terrain.

Llama Ranch Visit on the Wild Goose Meadows
Our female and baby llamas live on a ranch located in the meadow lands three miles north of Burns. Here birds and llamas mix in a tremendous spring delight. Curlews, ibises, and cranes, fly low over head, while Canada geese nest on the haystack. Snow geese by the thousands gather in the fields.

Amid the excitement, we present a three-hour tour during which you will have the opportunity to groom llamas, lead them through obstacles and go for a walk with them. If the babies have arrived, you will meet them personally and have a chance to pet and hold them. The activities provide great photographic opportunities.

During the tour we will also present you with a complete background on the care, history, breeding and uses of these fascinating animals. Collectively we have nearly sixty years of experience that covers all manner of llama activities, ranging from leading a 4H club, to training llamas to pull carts, and taking lengthy wilderness pack trips. The tour provides an excellent opportunity to answer your questions at length.