Minecraft mounts: Faster travel with horses, camels & more

Fast, efficient travel is one of the most important aspects of Minecraft, and thankfully there are now plenty of brilliant mechanics to help you do just that. Besides sprinting and the Elytra, you can make use of various animals and mobs to master different terrains and cover long distances. But which of these creatures should you keep with you? And which aren’t really worth it? We compare all mounts in Minecraft and show you their pros, cons, plus practical tips for taming, equipping and steering.

Minecraft horses as mounts: speed, taming, armour

Horses are one of the best early-game ways to get around – especially if you want to be fast. You’ll mainly find them in Plains and Savanna biomes in many different coat colours. Tame them by mounting repeatedly until hearts appear. After that, you can equip a saddle and (except on donkeys/mules) also use horse armour.

Extra tips:

• Horses vary greatly in speed, jump height (up to around 5 blocks) and health. The fastest horses are significantly quicker than a sprinting player.
• Breeding with Golden Carrots or Golden Apples can produce better offspring; stats are averaged from the parents.
• Armour options: Leather (dyeable), Iron, Gold, Diamond.
• A lead lets you tether or lead your horse.

Pros:

• Very fast and reliable
• Available early in the game
• Every horse is unique (stats)
• Armour for extra protection

Cons:

• Breeding for perfect stats can take time
• Many horses have average stats
• No saddle bags/chests

Minecraft donkeys: riding with a chest and storage

Donkeys also spawn in Plains and Savanna biomes. They have long ears and sound different from horses. Once tamed, you can saddle them and attach a chest. This offers up to 15 slots – ideal for longer trips.

Pros:

• Chest with up to 15 inventory slots
• Easy to tame and handle

Cons:

• Slower than good horses
• No armour; breeding only slightly improves stats

Minecraft mules: hybrid mount with a chest

Mules can only be obtained by breeding a horse with a donkey (feed both Golden Carrots/Apples). They combine traits from both: usually faster than donkeys while still carrying a chest (15 slots). Many players overlook them – they’re hugely underrated!

Pros:

• Close to horses in speed
• Chest with 15 slots
• Handy hybrid mount

Cons:

• Breeding requires horse + donkey
• Cannot breed further (mules are sterile)
• No armour

Minecraft llamas: caravans, chests and carpets

You’ll know llamas from the Wandering Trader, but they also spawn naturally in mountain and Savanna biomes. After taming, you can equip a chest (capacity depends on strength: 3–15 slots) and customise them with carpets. You can’t steer them directly; instead, lead one with a lead and others will form a caravan.

Pros:

• Variable health and storage capacity (3–15 slots)
• Carpets for custom looks
• Caravans with multiple llamas are very practical

Cons:

• Not fast and not directly steerable
• Spit when provoked

Minecraft camels: two-seater, dash jump and desert villages

Camels (dromedaries) are found in desert villages. Thanks to the two-seat setup they’re perfect for multiplayer. They have a dash jump to bridge gaps, and their height protects you from many melee attacks. Breeding works with cactus.

Pros:

• Two players per camel
• Protection from many melee mobs thanks to seating height
• Dash across gaps and good terrain handling

Cons:

• Slower than good horses
• Occasionally lie down (short rests)
• No armour/chest

Happy Ghast (mod/plugin): flying mount for multiple players

Note: The Happy Ghast is not part of vanilla Minecraft. Such features come from mods, plugins or datapacks. Common implementation: In the Nether you find special ghasts that you rehydrate with water and equip with a harness. Depending on the mod, up to four players can ride along, and you can use leads to tow boats/players.

Pros (mod-dependent):

• Flight for rapid transport
• Multiple players at once
• Great for long distances and hauling

Cons (mod-dependent):

• Only available with a mod/plugin
• Additional recipes/configuration required

Minecraft striders: lava transport in the Nether

Striders spawn only in the Nether – perfect for travelling over lava. You can’t tame them, but you can ride them with a saddle and steer them using a Warped Fungus on a Stick. They’re fastest on lava; on land they get cold and slow down. Breeding with Warped Fungus is possible.

Pros:

• Available throughout the Nether
• Safe lava travel and easy steering with a Warped Fungus on a Stick

Cons:

• Not tameable; tends to wander off without a rider
• Only practical with a saddle and Warped Fungus on a Stick
• Takes damage from water/rain

Riding pigs in Minecraft: Carrot on a Stick and achievements

A classic from the Alpha era: With a saddle and a Carrot on a Stick you can ride and steer pigs. It’s rarely practical – but it’s good fun and useful for a Bedrock achievement (“When Pigs Fly”).

Pros:

• Funny mechanic with nostalgia factor
• Helpful for a Bedrock achievement

Cons:

• Very slow
• Hardly any practical use

Minecraft skeleton horses: thunderstorm spawns and traps

Skeleton horses are very rare. During thunderstorms, skeleton horse traps can appear: Approach them and several skeleton horsemen will spawn. Defeat them and tamed skeleton horses remain. In some editions, a horse struck by lightning becomes a skeleton horse.

Pros:

• Rare and visually unique
• Don’t burn in daylight
• Rideable; steerable with a saddle

Cons:

• No better than good horses/mules
• Cannot be bred
• No armour

Conclusion: the best mount in Minecraft, depending on the situation

Whether over rough terrain, lava, or even in the air (with mods) – Minecraft offers many ways to move comfortably and quickly. Our recommendations:

• Overworld speed: a good horse
• Utility + storage: mule (or donkey) with a chest
• Caravans/hauling: llamas
• Multiplayer + safe height: camel
• Nether/lava: strider
• Fun/achievements: pig
• Style/rarity: skeleton horse

Try the mechanics and pick the right mount for your biome and goal.

It’s even more fun with other players! Rent your own Minecraft server and ride together on a camel or soar through the skies with the Happy Ghast (mod/plugin)!