We have built this section to help answer some common queries, and allow you to get on and have some fun!

When are you open?
Please visit the link below to view our opening hours:
https://www.pukkapacas.com/opening-hours

How do I book?
All bookings are done online. Please select which experience you would like to book and follow the booking instructions on the page. Bookings must be made at least 48 hours in advance. Weekends and school holidays are especially busy so we recommend booking a few weeks in advance. Dates for experiences are available approx 6 weeks prior to the start of each month.

It’s only letting me select 1 space?
When booking if the calendar is only letting you select 1 from the drop down menu or is saying 1 of 20 this means that there is only one space left on that experience. If you are booking for 2 or more people, even if the voucher you have is for 2 people, you need to select a time and date which will let you pick 2 or more from the drop down menu. This will ensure that you have booked the correct amount of spaces for your experience as 1 person = 1 space.

Who can do the walks?
The walks will be trekking through fields that maybe rough, bumpy or muddy. We cannot authorise wheelchairs, pushchairs or walking aids on any experience for these reasons.

All of our walks require a degree of physical fitness. You will have to be able to walk or stand unaided for between 60 and 90 minutes. If you are unable to do this we would advise that the walks would be unsuitable.

When bringing young children, adults must feel confident that their child can walk the whole distance of this experience. If they cannot, you must bring a sling or a carrier as we cannot authorise pushchairs on our experiences and cannot allow you to carry your child as you must have both hands on the rein of the alpaca at all times

Our Cria watch and meet and greet experiences require you to be standing unaided for an hour and there are no seating areas in the field.

We reserve the right to refuse you participation of the experience if we feel it is a risk to your own safety or we feel you will not be able to keep up with the group. In this instance you will lose your experience as no refund will be given.

What happens if I’m late?
Late Arrivals - For all experiences we run a strict policy with regards to latecomers. You MUST be checked in at the shop 15 minutes before your experience start time. We recommend you arrive at Charnwood Forest Alpacas 30 minutes before your experience begins to avoid disappointment as there may be queues in the shop to sign in.

All experiences start on time and it is essential that you are signed in and ready to start your experience on time. The experience starts with a health and safety briefing and it is for this reason we are unable to accept latecomers in any circumstances. We will be unable to reschedule or refund your experience after this point.

What if I have a pre-existing medical condition?
Our staff are not medically qualified and so are not in a position to assess the capacity of participants to undertake an experience. It remains your responsibility to undertake such an assessment prior to the experience.

However, we reserve the right to refuse you participation of the experience if we feel it is a risk to your own safety or we feel you will not be able to keep up with the group.

How do I change or amend my booking?
Please email smile@pukkapacas.com for all booking amendments. Please note that we require 48 hours notice with regards to the changing or cancelling of bookings. Without the required notice period, our team will not be able to make any booking amendments.

Can I bring a carer and do they need their own ticket?
We strive to make our farm and animal experiences as enjoyable as possible for both our animals and visitors. All of our experiences require a degree of physical fitness and we need to ensure all customers are aware of the requirements of the experience and can confidently complete it.

If you as an individual require special allowances or are a carer bringing someone who you feel needs special allowances, the following information should help you decide whether our animal experiences are suitable.

Unfortunately, our farm consists of rough, uneven terrain and can become muddy with adverse weather conditions. For this reason, we cannot authorise wheelchairs, pushchairs or walking aids on our experiences. Each experience begins with a health and safety briefing which all participants must be able to take on board or interpret for another individual if required. Our walks are not suitable for visually impaired, partially sighted or total sight loss (even with a carer card) due to rough terrain, close proximity and jostling of alpacas.

Our alpaca walks run in groups of 20 people and could potentially be an overwhelming experience for individuals with sensory issues, although we usually find that alpacas have a particularly calming effect. Similarly, our Cria watch group size is a maximum of 24 while our donkey walk runs in groups of 8. All animals have an element of unpredictability and could again be a potential risk for individuals with sensory issues.

The pace of an alpaca walk group is determined by our animals and we cannot wait for individuals unable to keep up with the group, alpacas are herd animals and don't like to be left behind! Therefore, we would advise against taking part in our experiences if visitors have recurring joint problems, muscle problems or other conditions which may prevent them from successfully completing the walk. Being able to confidently hold on to the animal's lead rope for the duration of the walk is also an essential requirement.

Our general policy is for carers to go free where proof can be provided (carers card, PIP/DLA letter) and when accompanying another paying individual (e.g. doesn’t apply for under 10’s on an alpaca walk). For our alpaca and donkey walks, an animal will be shared between an individual and a carer, with 2 lead ropes attached to the animal. Nevertheless, we must ensure the cared for individual can still complete the walk (with some assistance).

For our experiences that don't require walking an animal (e.g cria watch), both carer and cared for individual can interact with the animals to the best of their ability. Unfortunately carers are not permitted on our horse riding experience as an individual must confidently be able to complete the ride without carer assistance.

Where carers can go free, a space does not need to be booked for them, only for the individual under their care.
In all cases, we reserve the right to refuse participation in the experience if we feel it's a safety risk to the visitor or animals. Unfortunately we're unable to provide a refund in this situation.

If you are still uncertain about the suitability of our experiences, please don't hesitate to contact us and we can assess the situation on a more personal basis.

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