Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum meets Camel Trek participants on the road. SUPPLIED

Camel trekkers complete 12-day journey through UAE desert

Participants of the annual Camel Trek arrived at Global Village and also met Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum along the way. The riders completed their 12-day journey through the UAE desert on Saturday (January 6). They began in Abu Dhabi’s Arada area and ended their trek at the Heritage Village of Global Village, completing a journey of 557km. The 37 camel riders met Sheikh Mohammed in the Seih Al Salam area of Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve in Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed was briefed on the progress of the journey, led by Abdullah Hamdan bin Dalmook, CEO of the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center. The expedition comprised of participants representing 16 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Yemen, India, China, Australia, Mexico, Russia, Belarus and the UAE. The journey, organized by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Centre, brought together a French mother and her 10-year-old daughter in a unique experience. "I deliberately took my daughter with me on this challenging journey during the holiday season and New Year celebrations. Life in the UAE is full of luxury and beautiful things for children before adults, so I wanted my daughter to have a different experience. Through it, she can discover that life is not as easy as she lives it. I wanted her to realise how difficult the journey was that the people of the UAE have undertaken to put their country at the forefront," Mado Alexandra said. Participants had to train three times a day for two months to prepare for the camel trek. They learned how to ride a camel, travel in a convoy and survive in the desert. Their route included landmarks such as Tal Mera’b and the Qasr Al Sarab reserve area. A British skydiver and long-time UAE resident who took part in the camel trek for the second time said he considers it as another challenge. “My profession in skydiving is full of challenges and requires a lot of courage, but the camel trek experience has a different specificity that is no less challenging than skydiving. It requires compliance with the team leader's instructions and cooperation with colleagues on the trip in order to overcome the difficulties that you may face while crossing long kilometres in areas far from the city,” he said. A Mexican participant said: "It was a different and wonderful experience, it took us away from the hustle and bustle of the city and the daily routine that we live in. The truth is that the trip, despite its difficulty, was very exciting. I spent 12 days wandering the desert. I didn't expect to have all this energy and the ability to travel on camel back every day. In general, the trip is considered an achievement that I did not expect to achieve. I am very happy with this exceptional experience, which has restored a lot of peace to my soul as I have moved away from our smart devices." ICA/Expat Media
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