If riding the donkeys/mules from the port is something you are considering, please take a few minutes to look into it before deciding.

When I visited Santorini, what I personally witnessed stayed with me... animals making repeated trips on the steep route carrying tourists and treatment that I found incredibly difficult to watch.

I have posted about this before, and I know some regular members of this subreddit have already seen my posts. But there are new people planning trips here every week and several people have told me they were grateful they learned about this before their vacation.

That is really the reason I keep bringing it up.

You don’t have to agree with me on every aspect of the issue. I just hope travelers make an informed decision rather than assuming that because something is offered as a tourist activity, there are no animal-welfare concerns surrounding it.

There are alternatives. You can take the cable car or walk the route instead.

And if you've visited Santorini recently, I would genuinely be interested in hearing what you observed...good or bad.

For anyone heading there soon: please consider admiring the donkeys, taking their picture and leaving the riding out of your trip. ❤️