Where do llamas live? Andean distribution, elevation and habitat

Llamas (Lama glama) live primarily in the Andean mountain range of South America, with their largest historical and present-day populations concentrated across the altiplano and highlands of Bolivia and Peru, followed by northwestern Argentina, northern Chile, and smaller highland pockets in Ecuador and Colombia. Since the late twentieth century, managed herds have also been established in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Unlike the wild guanaco and vicuña, the llama is an entirely domestic species: its geographic distribution directly reflects the pastoral communities and farms that raise and care for herds. [1, 2]

Regional distribution across the Andean countries

The core range of Lama glama corresponds to the high-Andean ecological zone known as the puna and altiplano—a vast intermontane plateau stretching between the Western and Eastern cordilleras of the central Andes. Across this region, camelid pastoralism provides fibre, meat, pack transport and cultural continuity for thousands of Quechua and Aymara herding families. [1, 2]

Geographic distribution of llama husbandry in South America and introduced regions [1, 2, 4]

Country / Region	Main herding areas	Ecological setting and husbandry profile
Bolivia	Departments of Oruro, Potosí, La Paz and highland areas of Cochabamba and Tarija.	Holds the world's largest llama population; raised across dry puna and salt-flat basins between 3,600 and 4,800 m for fibre, meat and packing.
Peru	Puno, Cusco, Arequipa, Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Apurímac, Junín and Pasco.	Second largest global centre; llamas often graze alongside alpacas in communal highland territories of moist and dry puna.
Argentina	Jujuy, Salta, western Catamarca and La Rioja (Atacama Puna and high valleys).	Strong pastoral and textile tradition across the Argentine puna, with herds adapted to extreme aridity and intense solar radiation.
Chile	Arica y Parinacota (Putre, Guallatire), Tarapacá and Antofagasta regions.	Aymara and Atacameño pastoralism centred on high-altitude peat wetlands (bofedales) between 3,800 and 4,600 m, often in mixed herds. [3]
Ecuador & Colombia	Chimborazo, Cotopaxi and Bolívar (Ecuador); Nariño and Cauca (Colombia).	Smaller populations adapted to the northern Andean páramo ecosystem, with higher humidity and slightly lower elevations (2,800–4,000 m).
Outside South America	North America, United Kingdom, continental Europe, Australia and New Zealand.	Introduced populations kept on temperate farms and smallholdings for fibre, trekking, livestock guarding and companionship.

Examining distribution by ecological zone rather than national borders prevents common misunderstandings: in Peru or Chile, for instance, llamas do not naturally inhabit hot coastal deserts or lowland rainforests, but rather the mountain belts where highland tussock grasses and spring-fed wetlands occur. [1]

Elevation zones: how high do llamas live?

Zoological and agricultural references report different elevation intervals that complement one another when read in context. The University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web records a common range of 2,300 to 4,000 metres above sea level. [4] Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) documents that much traditional puna pastoralism operates year-round between 3,700 and 5,000 metres. [2]

A 2025 FAO field profile from Guallatire in northern Chile documents Aymara herders managing mixed llama and alpaca herds at roughly 4,500 metres on the slopes of Guallatire volcano. [3] This confirms that 4,000 metres is not an absolute physiological ceiling for the species.

• Inter-Andean valleys (2,300 – 3,500 m): Temperate mountain valleys where llama caravans historically traded highland salt and wool for maize, and where family herds are kept today.
• Suni and lower puna belt (3,500 – 4,100 m): Transitional highlands with Stipa ichu and Festuca grasslands where frost-hardy tubers and quinoa meet extensive grazing.
• High puna (4,100 – 5,000 m): Above the upper limit of crop cultivation, where nightly frosts prevent farming and camelid herding is the primary livelihood sustained by alpine wetlands. [2, 3]
• Lowland farms (0 – 1,500 m): Physiologically, llamas thrive at sea level provided keepers manage summer heat stress, humidity and pasture parasites. [5]

Ecology of the puna, páramo and bofedales

The traditional habitat of the llama in the central Andes is shaped by wide diurnal temperature swings—strong daytime solar radiation followed by freezing nights—low atmospheric oxygen pressure (hypobaric hypoxia) and seasonal rainfall concentrated between December and March. Three plant communities define this landscape: [1, 2]

1. High-Andean tussock grasslands (pajonales): Dominated by fibrous perennial grasses (ichu, chilligua). Thanks to its larger body frame, prehensile split upper lip and three-compartment digestive tract, the llama utilises coarse dry grasses and woody shrubs (tola) more flexibly than the smaller alpaca.
2. Bofedales (high-altitude peat wetlands): Permanently green cushion-plant marshes fed by glacial meltwater and springs. They serve as vital reservoirs of succulent forage and water throughout the dry season. [2, 3]
3. Northern páramo: In Ecuador and southern Colombia, herds graze humid montane grasslands characterised by mist, rosette plants and steadier year-round moisture. [1]

Biological adaptations to mountain climates and lowland care

To thrive above 4,000 metres, llamas possess small elliptical red blood cells and hemoglobin with high oxygen affinity, enabling efficient oxygen transport without excessive blood viscosity. Their double-coated fleece insulates against freezing mountain winds, while sparsely haired "thermal windows" along the ventral abdomen, groin and inner thighs release excess heat when the animal lies on cool ground or stands in a breeze. [4, 5]

When llamas are kept outside the Andes in temperate or warm regions, the main environmental risk is not low elevation or cold, but heat stress combined with high humidity. The Merck Veterinary Manual stresses that lowland holdings must provide open-sided ventilated shade, spring shearing before summer heat, continuous access to clean water and herd companionship, as llamas are social animals that should never be kept in isolation. [5]

Frequently asked questions about where llamas live

Are there wild llamas living free in the Andes?
There are no truly wild populations of Lama glama. Every llama is a domestic animal descended from the wild guanaco (Lama guanicoe). Free-ranging wild camelids seen in Andean or Patagonian reserves are either guanacos or vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna), as detailed in our four-camelid identification guide. [1, 4]

Can llamas live at sea level?
Yes. Although domesticated at high altitude, llamas adapt readily to sea-level atmospheric pressure. Management at low elevation focuses on preventing summer heat stress through timely shearing, shade, airflow and veterinary parasite monitoring. [5]

Which country has the most llamas in the world?
Bolivia has the world's largest llama population, followed closely by Peru. Together, the two countries account for over 85% of South America's llamas, closely tied to highland pastoral livelihoods, sustainable puna grazing and forage management. [1, 2]