Camels can often be seen in Middle Eastern countries due to the extreme conditions they can live in, where not only is camel riding a popular activity, but the camel itself has become a cultural symbol in some countries, including the UAE .
No trip to the UAE is complete without seeing and riding a camel. In fact, many tour packages offer a camel ride through the desert, which is definitely a great experience. However, this is not the only activity related to camels, there are other related activities that you can do in Dubai.
Camel racing is very popular in the UAE. Camels from all over the Middle East compete in the Marshmallow Field. Why is this game so compelling? Because these camels are made to race, they are equipped with robotic jockeys, and the camel owners put a lot of effort into it. If their camels win, they'll be rewarded with big prizes -- ranging from $700 to $1,400 -- plus prizes like a luxury SUV. At the same time, the price of their camels will be higher. The competition is held from October to March each year and starts at 6:30am. You can watch for free, but be sure to determine the exact time in advance.
The Victory Festival is Abu Dhabi's annual event and the world's only camel beauty pageant. The festival is held for fifteen days in December. More than 25,000 camels attend the festival and are judged on everything from posture, neck, size and more. Participants came from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan and Yemen, with the winner taking home more than $12 million. Other special events include camel auctions (camel auctions are worth over a few million dollars), classic car races, photo contests, and more, making this a great day trip.
A camel ride to a Bedouin camp is probably the best way to see the beautiful desert. Arrived after a 45-minute ride, after a break, you can choose to participate in activities such as local culture, music, dancing and falconry, as well as enjoy local traditional food with the golden sand dunes backing.
Al Ain Camel Market is the largest livestock trading venue in the UAE. Tourists like to come here to study the negotiation process between buyers and sellers, although most of them don't buy camels. You can find other interesting things here, the shops here sell specialty items such as blankets, ropes, jockey clothing, walking sticks, riding accessories, camel feed and camel jewelry, and you can see baby camels being born. All in all, this market can be a great place to research camels and buy souvenirs.
Have you ever eaten camel meat or drank camel milk? Although camel meat may be rare in many places, eating camels is nothing new to the Middle East. In the UAE, there are restaurants serving camel burgers, camel fragrant rice, camel kabocha (camel meat served with fragrant rice with dried fruit) and camel milkshakes.
But if you want something more refined, look no further than Abu Dhabi's posh Emirates Palace, which also has special treats: camel flakes and 24k gold camel burgers. Speaking of camel milk, you can also find it at your local Starbucks, whose Carmelkino is world famous and made from camel milk. Plus, you can buy camel milk chocolates to take home with friends and family.
