Minecraft mounts: Faster travel with horses, camels & more

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

Minecraft horses as mounts: speed, taming, armor

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

Extra tips:

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

Pros:

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

Cons:

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

Minecraft donkeys: Riding with a chest and extra inventory

Donkeys also spawn in Plains and Savannas. They have long ears and sound different from horses. Once tamed, 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 modestly improves stats

Minecraft mules: Hybrid mount with a chest

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

Pros:

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

Cons:

• Breeding requires a horse + donkey
• No further breeding possible (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. Once tamed, you can attach a chest (capacity based on Strength: 3–15 slots) and decorate them with carpets. You can’t directly control them; instead, lead one with a lead, and others will form a caravan.

Pros:

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

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 their two-seat design they’re perfect for multiplayer. They have a dash to clear gaps, and their height protects you from many melee attacks. Breeding works with cacti.

Pros:

• Two players per camel
• Protection from many melee mobs thanks to seat height
• Dash to cross gaps and strong terrain handling

Cons:

• Slower than good horses
• Occasionally sit down (short pauses)
• 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. A common approach: in the Nether you find special ghasts you can 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/config required

Minecraft striders: Lava transport in the Nether

Striders only spawn in the Nether—perfect for traveling across 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 shiver and slow down. Breeding with Warped Fungus is possible.

Pros:

• Available throughout the Nether
• Safe lava transport and easy control with a Warped Fungus on a Stick

Cons:

• Not tamable; tends to wander off without a rider
• Only practical with 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 fun and useful for a Bedrock achievement (“When Pigs Fly”).

Pros:

• Fun mechanic with nostalgia
• Helpful for the Bedrock achievement

Cons:

• Very slow
• Barely any practical use

Minecraft skeleton horses: Thunderstorm spawns and traps

Skeleton horses are very rare. During thunderstorms, so-called skeleton horse traps can appear: approach, and several skeleton riders spawn. Defeat them and the tamed skeleton horses remain. In some editions, a horse struck by lightning can turn into a skeleton horse.

Pros:

• Rare and visually unique
• Do not burn in daylight
• Rideable; steerable with a saddle

Cons:

• No better than good horses/mules
• Cannot breed
• No armor

Conclusion: The best mount in Minecraft depends 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 + inventory: mule (or donkey) with a chest
• Caravans/transport: llamas
• Multiplayer + safe height: camel
• Nether/lava: strider
• Fun/achievements: pig
• Style/rarity: skeleton horse

Try these mechanics and pick the right mount for your biome and destination.

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)!