Donkey's of Santorini

[bronnie43]

Yes, you're right Langley Cruisers - our ship ship does offer shore excursions which tender to Athinios, but we prefer to explore independantly. If they let the shore excursions tender to Athinios, why not everyone else? Maybe sometime in the future...

[Langley Cruisers]

If they let the shore excursions tender to Athinios, why not everyone else? Maybe sometime in the future...

 

Yes, probably just easier to put everyone off in the same place and let them fend for themselves, especially dealing with some 2300 passengers. Some people don't do well with choices... no offense... Just adds to the confusion of a strange new port. But I absolutely hear you. :)

[waldorf]

If you walk, the donkeys will try to run over you.

 

We always walk, and the donkeys have never tried to run us over, they just walk around you.

 

The condition of the donkeys was poor in my opinion, and the few we saw who used the donkeys looked like the ones who eat too much at the buffet.

 

One passenger fell off (over the head on his donkey), and broke his wrist and two ribs.

[wassup4565]

ScorpioRose, would the donkeys prefer to spend their lives in a lush green field where kindly people pet them while feeding them apples and carrots all day long? Certainly. Would the owners be willing to feed, house and water donkeys that cost money and resources and don't earn their keep? Certainly not.

 

So what do you suggest? Shut down the donkey business? Then the donkey owners will turn their money-losing animals loose and walk away from them. How will that go for the donkeys? Could be freedom and starvation, or maybe freedom and marauding thieving wild donkeys with people hunting them down to kill them as nuisances. In no way do I see your scenario ending up with the donkeys in a lush green field, better off than they are now.

 

We should be careful of imposing our views and values on the people whose places we visit. Goodness knows, our home towns are not so perfect either.

[grayjay]

What the other posts haven't mentioned is the fact that while the donkeys used on the trails seem to be well-fed and healthy enough, their lives will nevertheless be short and extremely hard, their legs and backs strained with their workload. And indifference to animals ( donkeys, dogs etc.) is common in many countries- whenever they are deemed worthless they are shot, thrown from cliffs, drawn out to sea to drown, left along the roadside to starve or even poisoned. But - and that is the question I'd like to ask the owners of the donkeys in Santorini: How long are they able to work - do the have the time to rest , what about food and water - and how do their lives end?? Can they grow old in a shelter or are they used for meat and salami - both of which are totally acceptable or are they simply dumped like garbage?

[account4fun]

Yes, you're right Langley Cruisers - our ship ship does offer shore excursions which tender to Athinios, but we prefer to explore independantly. If they let the shore excursions tender to Athinios, why not everyone else? Maybe sometime in the future...

 

We took the shore excursion to this tender port and then continued on the ride to Oia. once we were there we left the group because we are also independent travelers. It was the best of both worlds for us.

[Iamrc]

But found this at

http://www.santorini.com/holidays/tips.html

 

 

The Donkey Sundrome

Holidays Tips, Driving in Santorini, Medical Advice & Sunbathing

Donkeys and mules in Santorini are part of the native charm of the island and can be loads of fun. During the summer the main business of the day is carting the tourists up and down the endless steep steps which connect Fira town down to the small port of Ormos, and Oia to Ammoudi harbour. They are extremely adept at negotiating the steps, but they do have a tendency to go very fast and take the bends like racing motorcycles.

One true story tells of a well built Greek lady having to use the donkeys as local transport since the cable car had done its last run. She was also carrying bags and suitcases. As the line of four legged friends were haring up the mountain side, she called out to the donkey driver " slower my man, I am going to fall off " to which the donkey driver replied " even better, one woman less in this world to plague us ".

Santorini donkeys also have a nasty habit of defecating on the pavements.

 

 

Words of Advice

Avoid arguing with a donkey or the donkey driver & watch where you step.

A point to be noted

Without the assistance of these hard working creatures, most of the Caldera as you know it today would not exist. All the w]rk of transporting contruction materials to create the homes and hotels up and down this unbelievably difficult terrain was done by our furry friends. During the winter months this practice still continues.

[Mexfolkart]

The day we were there in May it was too windy for the cable car to go up..we took the donkey..and both my husband and I petted our donkeys

the whole way up. The donkeys go to the outside of the curves as there is more room for their hooves..remember that and hold your legs accordingly.

Also, if you walk, then walk on the inside. The cable car was working going down so we took that.

Sherry

[Softtop67]

I have always done the donkeys, it is part of the trip imho. I did them for the first time over 30 years ago and recently did them with my 4 and 6 yr old, and their acrophobic screaming mother, who now loves telling everyone about the experience. Dont be discouraged and give it a shot...btw wife says up less scary than down :-)..trooper did it both ways

[24butterfly]

We too took the donkeys up ........ they were more like big mules and from what we saw were pretty darn healthy looking !!!!! There are tons of them and they were only carrying people up...... they came back down empty....... so no one donkey was working that hard.

 

It is truly an experience I will remember. I had a blast !

 

Ditto. I posted on the Review part of the Board, Eqinox, Western Med, July 2012. It was the best e-ticket ride I have ever had!

[Mgetta1]

These donkeys appeared to be mules. Large as a small horse and very strong. However, there were several ships in, and about half way up they stopped and had us get off. They were wanting to get back down to get more riders. I raised Cain and demanded my money back and threatened to go down and warn everyone not to take the donkeys. They gave me my money back, but I still had to walk the rest of the way up the steep path and I have a bad knee. The concierge on the boat had said the cable car would have a 2 hour wait. Friends on the cruise who took the cable car said it was about 30 minutes from the time they got in line until they got to the top.

 

FYI: During the day you could tell who had ridden the donkeys by their smell.