Minecraft Mounts: Faster Travel with Horses, Camels & More

Fast, efficient movement is one of the most important aspects of Minecraft, and thankfully there are now plenty of great mechanics that help you do exactly that. Besides sprinting and the Elytra, you can also use many different animals and mobs to handle varied terrain and cover long distances. But which of these animals should you keep with you? And which aren’t really worth it? We compare all mounts in Minecraft and show you the pros, cons, and practical tips for taming, equipping, and controlling.

Minecraft Horses as Mounts: Speed, Taming, Armor

Horses are one of the best early-game transport options—especially if you want to be fast. You’ll find them mainly in Plains and Savannas in many different coat colors. Tame them by mounting repeatedly until hearts appear. After that, you can put on a saddle and (except for donkeys/mules) also use horse armor.

Additional tips:

• Horses vary greatly in speed, jump height (up to about 5 blocks), and health. The fastest horses are noticeably faster than a sprinting player.
• Breeding with Golden Carrots or Golden Apples can yield better offspring; stats are averaged from the parents.
• Armor: Leather (dyeable), Iron, Gold, Diamond.
• Use a lead to tie up or guide the horse.

Pros:

• Very fast and reliable
• Available early on
• Every horse is unique (stats)
• Armor for extra protection

Cons:

• Breeding for perfect stats can take time
• Many animals have average stats
• No saddlebags/chests

Minecraft Donkeys: Riding with Chest and Inventory Space

Donkeys also spawn in Plains and Savannas. They have long ears and sound different from horses. After taming, you can saddle them and attach a chest. This provides 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 armor; breeding only slightly improves stats

Minecraft Mules: Hybrid Mount with Chest

Mules exist only through 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—yet they’re criminally underrated!

Pros:

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

Cons:

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

Minecraft Llamas: Caravans, Chests, and Carpets

You 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 style 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 a custom look
• Caravans with multiple llamas are very practical

Cons:

• Not fast and can’t be directly controlled
• Spit when provoked

Minecraft Camels: Two-Seater, Dash Jump, and Desert Villages

Camels (dromedaries) are found in Desert Villages. Thanks to the two-seater feature, they’re perfect for multiplayer. They have a dash jump to clear 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 seat height
• Dash across gaps and solid terrain handling

Cons:

• Slower than good horses
• Occasionally sit/lie down (short breaks)
• No armor/chest

Happy Ghast (Mod/Plugin): Flying Mount for Multiple Players

Note: The Happy Ghast is not part of vanilla Minecraft. Features like this come from mods, plugins, or datapacks. Common approach: 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 fast travel
• Multiple players at once
• Great for long distances and transport

Cons (mod-dependent):

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

Minecraft Strider: Lava Transport in the Nether

Striders are found only in the Nether—perfect for traveling 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 transport and easy steering with a Warped Fungus on a Stick

Cons:

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

Riding Pigs: Carrot-on-a-Stick and Achievements

A classic from the Alpha days: With a saddle and a Carrot on a Stick you can ride and steer pigs. It’s rarely practical—but it’s 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 spawn. Defeat them and tamed skeleton horses remain. In some editions, a horse struck by lightning can turn into a skeleton horse.

Pros:

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

Cons:

• Not better than good horses/mules
• No breeding possible
• No armor

Conclusion: Best Mount in Minecraft by 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/transport: 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.

Even better with friends! Rent your own Minecraft server now and ride together on a camel, or soar through the skies with the Happy Ghast (mod/plugin)!