Camel Trek ends at Global Village amid excitement and jubilation

The historical and cultural 12-day Camel Trek has finally concluded at the Heritage Village at Global Village safely and the 33 participants welcomed by their friends and family members while celebrations made the event more remarkable.

The participants were welcomed through traditional style to apply especially prepared henna, distribution of sweets and traditional musical performances.

The 11th edition of the Camel Trek attended by 33 participants from 17 different nationalities — citizens and residents of the UAE — completed the journey of 680 km across the desert.

The historical and cultural camel trek was led by Abdullah Hamdan Bin Dalmouk, CEO of the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center who praised the participants’ efforts, commending their commitment, cooperation, and patience. “This journey was a real test of teamwork. The participants faced many natural challenges, such as cold weather and tough terrain, which highlighted the vital role of the trainers at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center in preparing participants to adapt to these conditions and increase their endurance.

“With the increase in the number of participants, responsibilities grew, and efforts combined to tackle these difficulties. We had to extend travel hours, often arriving after nightfall.

He continued, saying: “The journey carries a message that embodies historical and cultural values. It aims to raise awareness about the importance of the rich Emirati heritage.”

Emirati citizen Khaled Yahya Al-Balushi told Gulf Today, “The journey was amazing in its details, and I am working hard to represent my country in the best possible way. I don’t consider myself just a participant, but rather responsible for presenting a picture that reflects our UAE traditions and customs in the best light, through cooperation and commitment with my colleagues in the journey, which includes many different nationalities. It was challenging but we all participants worked together as a team and endured the 12-day camel ride in extreme weather conditions crossing the different parts of the desert,” he added.

Sajal Abu Saeed, an expatriate from Palestine, said, “We started our day as camel riders from 8am and travelled throughout the days to complete 40 to 45 kilometres in extreme dry and hot weather. The 12-day journey was not easy but we were trained to bear all such hardship. We had a very strong team and trained a lot and survived all the hardship in the desert. After such a unique experience we are glad to return to the civilisation,” he said.

Alexis from China was part of the team as trainer and said, “This was my fifth participation in the Camel Trek but this time I was also a trainer and helped the participants to endeavour the journey,”

Regard the cold weather especially in the desert, she said, “Actually we hope to see cold weather conditions during nights as everyone was exhausted by sunlight throughout the day time. Most of the days we travelled 45 kilometres in a day on camel back which was not an easy task,” she added.

Dutch horse trainer Harmke Westervelt expressed her happiness at joining this year’s edition. She said: “The journey was full of challenges and self-discovery, which allowed us to experience the difficulties of life once faced by the people of the Gulf region in general.

“My experience as a horse trainer helped me during this journey, especially in forming a bond and connection with the camel that accompanied me on this long trip. It’s a unique creature with characteristics that are impossible to find in other animals.

Those who had already part of the Camel Trek in the past mentioned that the experience had helped them to bear the all the difficulties as team and the support from the organisers.

Kouther from Tunisia told Gulf Today: “We have been training for months ahead of this amazing 12-day Camel Trek to explore the desert across the country. The training process we got earlier for months was totally different what we experienced in the desert. The journey was tough but fantastic and gives us energy, harmony as well as an opportunity to see the nature by our own,” she added.