Donkey Dreamland expands: Amaya Isert’s six-year mission reaches a new mountain home

On Saturday 1 August, friends, collaborators, volunteers and supporters, many from Mijas, travelled west into the deep, mountainous countryside of Andalucia to celebrate one woman’s hard-fought triumph. What began as a campaign to ease the suffering of Mijas’ iconic donkey taxis has grown into a lasting legacy for the endangered Andalucian donkey.

From Mijas taxis to a sanctuary dream

Amaya Isert started small. She first campaigned for better conditions and rights for the Mijas Pueblo donkey taxis, long a symbol of the village and a popular attraction for tourists who flock to the Costa del Sol. Her efforts helped secure a safer future for those animals, with Mijas Council now taking a greater role in their welfare. At the same time, she founded Donkey Dreamland near La Cala de Mijas, a sanctuary where rescued and infirm donkeys could recover and where the public could meet them, learn their stories and support their care.

Hundreds of kind-hearted people from the local community followed her lead. Inspired by Amaya’s passion, many volunteered, fundraised, raised awareness and even adopted donkeys into safe, loving forever homes.

Over six years the sanctuary has become a shining light for animal welfare on the Costa del Sol, taking in animals rescued from abandonment, overwork or neglect, including deliveries by SEPRONA, the nature-protection arm of the Guardia Civil.

This August Amaya has achieved something even more remarkable: a true permanent home for the donkeys on 14 hectares of beautiful, safe countryside in Benarrabá, near Casares, in the Serrania de Ronda. After more than a year of determined work, the new site offers wide open pastures where the animals can roam freely. “What gives me joy is seeing the donkeys running for fun and happiness in this spectacular space,” Amaya confesses.

Supporters gather to celebrate Amaya and her success

Around 80 supporters from along the Costa del Sol made the journey to the new Donkey Dreamland on Saturday to congratulate Amaya, raise a glass and mark the occasion. The ever-modest Amaya largely stayed out of the limelight, yet she welcomed each and every guest with a warm hug. The donkeys themselves, now able to graze naturally at their own pace deep in nature, looked healthier and happier than ever.

Looking ahead: two sites, one mission

Donkey Dreamland in Mijas will continue as a vital halfway house, a place where newly rescued animals receive urgent medical attention and where local people and visitors can still spend time with the donkeys, just as they have for the past five years. The Benarrabá sanctuary will open its doors to the public once final preparations are complete. A spectacular visitors’ centre is already prepared, but Amaya is in no rush. “I’m just enjoying seeing the donkeys looking so happy at the moment,” she says.

The expansion also opens the door to new roles for the fittest animals, including helping clear forest undergrowth together with local goat herds to reduce wildfire risk, giving the donkeys both freedom and purpose in the landscape they once helped shape.

Six years after Amaya first began her mission to save the donkeys of Mijas, her vision of rescue, recovery and dignity for these gentle, intelligent animals has taken a decisive and inspiring step forward. The mountain sanctuary is not an ending but a new beginning, one built on the quiet determination of one woman and the generous support of a whole community.