The Furry Animals Lead a Scenic Hike in the Hills of South Germany
From the moment Rudi is handed to me, I sense that he is skittish and perhaps distrustful of me. He hyperventilates occasionally as his woolly nostrils flare up, and tugs at his leash as we walk alongside each other. All around us are fields of dill, pumpkin, and potatoes framed by the summer green of the peaks of Swabian Alps on the horizon. I rub his sand-coloured neck and belly, recently shorn by his minders, and that seems to put him at ease.
Sandy-brown Rudi, with dark plums for eyes and an inquisitive stare, is a three-year old alpaca who lives in a farm in Nürtingen, a town in south Germany. On this midsummer July morning on a Saturday, he is also my companion for the hour-long alpaca hike arranged by his owners at Alpakafarm Schaber.
Alpacas are curious creatures. Their long necks are held straight, giraffe-like, and their elongated eyes and upright oval ears make them look more like genetically mutated chow chow dogs. Nothing surprises you more than the sight of an alpaca ambling around in the sparsely populated woods of Germany, far from their natural habitat in South American Andes. Startled by the sight of a few of them on a weekend trek around Stuttgart, I began to enquire further, and my research led me to the picket-fenced gates of Schaber.
Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller India.
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Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Best Of The World 2023
Travel inspiration is everywhere. The question is where to go next. Here's our annual list of enlightened destinations for the year aheadplaces filled with wonder, rewarding to travellers of all ages, and supportive of local communities and ecosystems. Framed by five categories (Community, Nature, Culture, Family, Adventure), these destinations are under the radar, ahead of the curve, and ready for you to start exploring.
Α ΗΟΜΕ IN THE HILLS
Skyview by Empyrean is a onestop destination for adventure and leisure in Jammu
ENTER THE PICTURE POSTCARD
A stylish luxury hotel in Thimphu's northern outskirts is where illustrious Bhutanese and travellers alike are finding their happy place
48 Hours : Seattle Leads The Way
The jewel of the Pacific Northwest is one of America’s greenest and grooviest culture capitals
BIG BINGE: DUBAI FOR THE JET-SETTING GOURMAND
Delightful degustation menus, French brasseries with art-inspired menus and Japanese diners excelling at nostalgia—the Dubai Food Festival 2022 justified the city’s status as one of the world’s premier food capitals
CULTURE COOL - UNDER THE EMIRATI SUN
Home to one of the world’s grandest mosques, an exciting emerging arts district on Saadiyat Island and an entertainment hub promising genuine thrills, Abu Dhabi has arrived in the league of extraordinary family destinations
ONLY IN OTTAWA
ACTIVE ADVENTURES, BUZZY BREWERIES AND NEIGHBOURHOODS THRIVING WITH BARS AND BOUTIQUES— CANADA'S BIJOU CAPITAL HAS PLENTY TO DISCOVER BEYOND THE HALLS OF PARLIAMENT
OF FRENCH FINESSE
QUENELLE DE BROCHET IS A REGIONAL LEGACY DISH HAILING FROM LYON. THE OVAL, POACHED PIKE DUMPLINGS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN INVENTED BY A PASTRY CHEF TO REGULATE FISH OVERPOPULATION
Coorg: A WILD ROAST
Back in another timber den of Karnataka, native wildlife and humble stories surprise Suhas Dwarkanath as he sips on a bold cup of robusta.
DIVING INTO RAS AL KHAIMAH
THE U.A.E'S NORTHERNMOST EMIRATE IS ALL ABOUT ENJOYING NATURAL TREASURES, FROM SOARING OVER THE AL-HAJAR MOUNTAINS ON THE WORLD'S LONGEST ZIPLINE TO PERUSING PRECIOUS PEARLS BY THE SEASHORE