As you may have have guessed by the title, we rode camels in the desert of UAE and we learned a thing or two about this.
Riding animals anywhere is a bit of a wildcard. Domesticated animals are probably the best option here and while a Canadian might not think of camels as farm animals, there are no wild camels in this part of the world so take it at that.
Step one for riding a camel is to listen very carefully to all of the instructions before you even approach the camel. Now 9 times out of 10, you’re not going to be told anything until you’re face to face with your beast of burden so this is a bit of a moot point.
Step two for riding a camel is to watch other people first. Pay no attention to the people actually riding camels though, they are of no help. What you actually need to know is how to get on and off of your camel – riding is like sitting on a wobbly bench, it will be easy. On and off on the other hand – not so much.
Which brings us to step three – getting onto a camel. Pay attention to this part. Your camel guide will inform you of what side to approach from (in our case it was the camel’s left side). The camel should be sitting (this is not like getting on a horse). Our camels were outfitted for two riders, the person sitting in the back gets on first. The trick here is to move like a ninja – soft but fast. You want to get right onto that thing and grab onto the saddle (or whatever you call the camel riding harness) before the camel decides to stand up, but don’t land too hard otherwise it will definitely stand too early. Next comes the front rider (let’s say for example, Owen). This rider’s job is to stand back and watch just to be sure the camel doesn’t show signs of standing too early. When ready, make similar ninja moves, but have a back up plan. In Owen’s case, the camel stood up while one leg was on the way over. Fortunately Owen is very much like a ninja and managed to swing his leg just in time so as to not be thrown from the ascending beast.
Getting off the camel is much the same – move quickly and hope for the best. If you’re riding in the sandy desert, the good news is that landings are very soft if you do in fact get tossed around a bit.
Good Luck future camel riders!