When you want to hike as a family — that is, with children — you often look for ways to keep them motivated or to make the journey easier for them. Hiking with a donkey is beneficial on many levels: it motivates younger members of the group and offers a different way to travel. Check out our tips for hiking as a family with a donkey, the benefits it brings, and which routes are best suited to this adventure.
Of course, hiking as a family with a donkey isn't something you just wing. Most of the time, you'll go through a donkey handler who will rent you a donkey for your route.
The donkey comes equipped with all the gear: a pack saddle for carrying loads, a halter and lead rope for handling, and panniers for your luggage.
The advantages of hiking with a donkey
Robert Louis Stevenson made a major contribution to the rise of travelling with a donkey through his famous book "Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes", but today hiking with a donkey has found its own popularity, offering a host of undeniable advantages.The donkey carries your luggage
As a pack animal, the donkey has been bred to carry heavy loads since time immemorial. Even if you keep some bags with you, you can load the bulkier ones onto the animal's back and spare yourself a good amount of weight to carry. This is especially handy for children, who can offload their small bags. A donkey can generally carry between 30 and 40 kg without too much difficulty — so you can walk with a truly lightweight pack!
It adapts to your pace
Contrary to popular belief, donkeys are not that difficult to get moving. They'll adapt easily to your pace (or you to theirs), and you'll be surprised by their endurance — even if they choose their rest stops as they see fit.A point of interest and motivation for children
Those who have already been on hiking with children know how hard it can be to keep them motivated and engaged. Having an animal around is a real draw for children — they'll love looking after it, feeding it, leading it along the trail, or grooming it at the end of the day. And when the little ones get tired, they can hop on its back!
How to hike as a family with a donkey?
Of course, hiking as a family with a donkey isn't something you just wing. Most of the time, you'll go through a donkey handler who will rent you a donkey for your route.
The donkey comes equipped with all the gear: a pack saddle for carrying loads, a halter and lead rope for handling, and panniers for your luggage.
Grooming and care
You will of course set off with the essential grooming kit (brushes, curry combs, hoof pick, wound-healing cream, insect repellent), and the donkey handler will explain what you need to do each day to keep your donkey in perfect physical condition.Loading the pack saddle
The donkey handler will explain how to fit the pack saddle, adjust the straps, and above all how to balance the weight on each side — otherwise watch out for bags toppling off! When packing your bags, avoid rigid suitcases and opt for flexible soft bags, such as medium-sized backpacks. Avoid placing hard or sharp objects against the donkey's sides, and put the heavy items at the bottom of the bag with the lightweight ones on top.Leading the donkey
You'll hold the donkey on a lead rope and walk ahead of it. You'll learn how to encourage it to move forward and stop it from grazing wherever it fancies — otherwise the journey could take a very long time! Donkeys are fairly cooperative but crafty, and they require a firm yet gentle authority. Bear in mind that a donkey should always be approached calmly and with confidence — they don't like to be frightened or startled. They also have an excellent memory and know the paths they walk perfectly well.
Routes for hiking with a donkey
There are countless regions where you can hike as a family with a donkey, no prior experience needed. Donkeys are generally at their best in mid-mountain and semi-hilly terrain. Here is a selection of places where you can head out hiking with your children and a donkey next summer:- The Cévennes: a must-do with a donkey, particularly along the famous Stevenson Trail. A fairly easy route with plenty of accommodation and gîtes, and a very wide choice of operators and route lengths. The region is beautiful and often sunny, offering moments of perfect solitude — the area is so unspoilt and wild!
- The Queyras: the Queyras and the Ubaye region lend themselves well to hiking with a donkey, and it is fairly easy to find a wide range of programmes of different lengths and difficulty levels. The terrain is not too challenging, and you won't have to worry about carrying your own luggage — leaving you free to soak up the magnificent scenery.
- The Ardèche: the Ardèche Gorges area benefits not only from an exceptional microclimate (over 300 sunny days a year) but also offers hikers a magical and unique destination, defined by its wild and grandiose beauty. Along the GR4, you'll find numerous accommodations that welcome you and your donkey: gîtes d'étapes, yurts, camping à la ferme, bed and breakfasts. What's more, hiking at a donkey's pace along the ancient mule tracks of the Ardèche is a real pleasure to share between young and old, with many local operators available in the area.
- The Jura: in the Hautes Combes of the Jura, at the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Jura, you'll find many donkey handlers offering their animals for hiking trips lasting from a few days to a week. You'll discover breathtaking nature and stunning viewpoints as you walk alongside your donkey, and you can introduce your children to the joys of hiking, sleeping in a tent or a gîte — and you'll undoubtedly come home with wonderful memories of your hiking adventure with a donkey in the Jura.
