Photo with permission of Wanda Robijn
Walking with goats in Tàrbena.
How Euro Goat Trekkers Began
Euro Goat Trekkers began in a way we never planned.
Originally, we were looking for two young male pack goats so that we could one day walk long-distance mountain trails with them as we grew older. Pack goats need to be raised from a young age to build a bond with their owners, and they cannot carry any weight until they are fully grown — usually around three years of age.
After searching across Spain, we eventually found a small herd in the mountains of Galicia and travelled there to collect the two goats we had reserved.
When we arrived, there were seven young goats in the field — including ours. Out of curiosity we asked what would happen to the other five.
The farmer explained that they would be sent to the butcher the following week.
What would you have done?
Exactly, we brought all seven home.
At first, we simply began walking with them in the countryside around our house. The goats quickly became confident companions on the trails, and people who passed us would often stop, laugh, take photographs, and ask if they could join us for a while.
Over time, those encounters turned into something unexpected. Visitors began asking if they could book a walk with the goats.
That is how Euro Goat Trekkers began.
Walking as a
Shared Experience
Our walks bring together people from many different backgrounds, cultures, and languages. Often, groups arrive as strangers — individuals carrying their own stories, pressures, and rhythms of life.
Within minutes of walking, something changes.
The steady pace, the sound of the goats’ bells, and the beauty of the surrounding landscape begin to draw people into a shared rhythm. Conversations soften. Laughter appears. Differences — of language, age, or nationality — become a source of curiosity and connection rather than separation.
Walking side by side, rather than face to face, creates space for people to be themselves.
Meet the Goats and Don
An Evolving,
Human-Centred Project
Over the years, Euro Goat Trekkers has grown in response to what people experience and ask for.
Alongside our public walks, we now also offer:
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longer guided treks
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overnight mountain experiences
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small-group and organisational retreats
All of these grow from the same foundation: walking, listening, and creating the conditions in which people can reconnect — with nature, with one another, and with themselves.