AL DHAFRA CAMEL FESTIVAL

I want to preface this post by saying I love camels. I don't know what it is about them but I find them intriguing, strange and cute all at the same time. There is nothing that reminds me more that I live in a desert than seeing herds of camels. So, read on if you don't mind copious amounts of camel photos!

After five years in the UAE we have searched every corner of all seven Emirates trying to find some true authentic Emirati culture. Now in theory it sounds quite easy doesn't it? but let me tell you that it's not, the UAE is a relatively "new" country to tourism and invariably when we try to find museums or festivals ultimately we have always been left disappointed. 

That is until we discovered the Al Dhafra Camel Festival. Five years ago I read an article in the paper about this festival, it was short on details so to be honest we didn't have high hopes but remained optimistic that at least a drive in the desert would be a nice change and so we went. 

After leaving the city behind, (3.5 hours from Dubai) you head into The Empty Quarter, a large expanse of desert bordering Saudia Arabia. Along the way the sand will turn from ordinary beige to a brilliant red, some of the best desert you will be treated to in the UAE. 

After driving for some time you turn off the main road, most of the signs are in Arabic so just follow all of the land cruisers and join the chaos. It's important to note there are no road rules once you get off the main road. Drive on the left, the right, wherever you want, just toot your horn and have fun!
The festival is maybe the best example of Bedouin culture in the region with people coming from all over the Middle East. With them they bring their camels, their goats, their families and other miscellaneous wares to sell, setting up camps where they will spend the next 3 weeks. One year we were lucky enough to be invited into a camp to dine with some locals and we experienced the very best of hospitable Emirati culture.

The camel is hugely important in the Middle East and are widely known as the Ships of the Desert, so the festival mainly revolves around camels and in particular the camel beauty contest. However, there are other great examples of Arab culture such falcon racing, saluki racing, animal markets and a traditional souk with woman selling all manner of items from authentic handmade baskets to plastic Chinese tat. 

But now back to the camels. With very little signage eventually you find your way to the grandstand, it is highly likely to be greeted on arrival by the friendliest of local men who love to see tourists visit their festival.  All going well they will invite you to the VIP entrance,  lead you to some seats and offer tea and water, at this stage it's lovely to take a moment and check out the surroundings. Hundreds of camels and equally as many men and boys, to an outsider it may appear that nothing is really happening but actually hundreds if not thousands of camels are being judged on their beauty. 

A local man will act as your guide and take you down to the yards so you can make friends with some of the finest specimens of camels you will ever see. You get to interact with the owners and ask any questions you want, they are extremely proud of their camel heritage and are eager to share it with interested tourists. 

It's worth while to stick around and see which ones will win. Coats are put on the winning camels and paraded around the yard while the owners throw saffron over themselves, the camels and anyone in between.

Young men will collect their prizes of beloved new Nissan Patrols and are eager to have their photo taken by anyone and everyone! 

You can easily spend a full day or longer at the festival, each day the activities are changing and you will never really know what's happening until it actually is. Happening in December it is the best time of the year to celebrate the Ships of the Desert and we look forwarded to visiting again this year!

Thanks for reading, find out in my next post the best place to stay while visiting the camel festival.

Amy