‘Paca Pals: A Review of Yaya’s Alpaca Farm

I’m a firm believer that alpacas don’t get the recognition they deserve — always outshined by their larger cousin, llamas. Have you ever heard of a BuzzFeed article about alpacas? No, you haven’t. And let me tell you that I’ve never heard of a llama as sweet as any of the 30 alpacas I befriended at Yaya’s Alpaca Farm.

I had no idea what to expect during the 45-minute drive to the alpaca farm in Garden City, Mo. However, I knew that I was about to be surrounded by cuddly alpacas, so I didn’t think there was much of a chance of me being disappointed.

The moment I pet my first alpaca, I knew this place was something special.

I’m glad I decided to check out Yaya’s Alpaca Farm, it definitely didn’t disappoint. From “Memories Mountain,” the mini dirt mound the alpacas love to climb, to their adorable names like “Halo” and “Uncle Bob,” the farm had too many unique features to fall in love with. It was just after we pulled in that I made my first three alpaca friendships I’ll never forget.

I met Eddie, the prized alpaca of the farm with thick chocolate fur and an attitude. Then I was greeted by Einstein, their newborn alpaca with soft white fur and a smile you’ll never forget, spread ear to ear showcasing her lack of upper teeth. Lastly came Christmas, an adorable brown alpaca with splints on her front legs because of the disability she was born with.

Contrary to most zoos and farms I’ve been to, at Yaya’s we were actually encouraged to play with the animals. Farm owner Karl Blandin urged us to pet and even pick up the alpacas — although I only found myself strong enough to carry Einstein, as she weighed about 40 pounds. I got a glimpse of what having an alpaca as a pet would be while getting to feed and play with the alpacas.

Believe me when I say that alpaca fur is unlike any other animal’s — it’s softer and fluffier than even the microplush bed blankets at Target.

When we went to meet and feed the rest of the herd of alpacas, I could feel myself floating right up to heaven. I tried to feed as many as I could, worried I would annoy one and have to face being spit on aggressively or caught in the crossfire of two spitting on each other — the consequences I’d been warned of. I ended up caught between a spitting war of two alpacas both wanting the food in my hand, but even their shameless saliva couldn’t make my experience on the farm any less enjoyable.

Just be careful when opening the fence to go over to the female alpacas side of the farm — Sweet Baby James has been known to sneak into the girls side at night.

Blandin bought seven alpacas about eight years ago as a way to cope with depression — something he never imagined he would find a career in. He now gives 90-minute tours of the farm every day with his girlfriend for $8 per person, an experience well worth the cost, as well as selling some of their alpacas (if you’re looking to buy one, they start at $800 and go up to the thousands). Just one look into those alpacas’ wide eyes and I forgot all about the Pre-Calc test I had to study for when I got home.

I had always thought alpacas were cute but it wasn’t until 323 pictures later that I realized how obsessed I was becoming over these adorable and surprisingly relatable animals. Personally I relate to Kaycea, the supposed attention demanding and always hungry alpaca of the group.

I’ll never forget watching Einstein and Uncle Bob — the babies of the group — going head-to-head as they played, running around the farm with their small heads pushing against each other. Baby alpacas are a lot more fun to watch and play with than human babies, if you can’t tell.

Leaving the alpacas to go back inside was hard, but there was more to the farm than just the alpacas. The farm also has a gift shop where they sell products all made from alpaca fiber; we even tried making our own colorful wool out of the fur, although I don’t think ours looks as well done as those made by Blandin and his girlfriend.

Unfortunately, my mom has refused to buy me an alpaca from the farm as a new pet (apparently I’m not being “realistic”), but you can definitely expect to find me back at Yaya’s Alpaca Farm to visit my new wooly friends.

The farm’s main purpose however is not just to sell alpacas and give tours. Blandin and his girlfriend pride themselves in helping anyone who comes in leave with a smile on their face, and I can assure you that I left with an abnormally large one on mine.