How To Ride A Camel: Tips From the Saddle

Have you ever dreamt of riding a camel? As you'll soon learn, it's not what you would expect but IT WILL make for an unforgettable adventure....

Before I rode camels in India’s Thar desert and the Sahara of Morocco, I’d only seen them ridden in movies. My daughter suggested both desert multi-day treks on those international trips. I thought, why not? As an avid horseback rider, I thought “I’ll just be higher off the ground.”

Both deserts were exceedingly hot by day so I chose to wear cotton pants, long sleeved shirts, tennis shoes with socks, sunglasses, the ugliest ever hat and applied heaps of sunscreen, often re-applied over sweaty skin during the fiery days. My good clothes were left behind since I would be sleeping in blankets, used by the masses, and sitting near a wood smoke fire in the evenings.

I wasn’t prepared for fine sand blowing up my nose, in my face, eyes and my expensive camera lens. I wasn’t prepared for my pants to ride up exposing skin to the sun and giving me that ‘high water’ look. In the photos, I did not look like the actors in the movies. I looked like a goober.

I was surprised how mesmerized I was with the camel’s feet, which are specifically suited for sand. I would lean to one side and watch the hoof splay out with weight, then contract when lifted. Over and over, every step. Magical.

I also was unprepared for how I would devour the dinner prepared by our guides on the fragrant wood fire. In the Sahara, we ate a mouthwatering, savory chicken tagine and rice. We ate with our hands which seemed so natural.

My tutorial for a first-time camel rider begins here...

But before I launch into flying limbs, camel breath, bruised backsides, and all the lessons I learned the hard way, I have a little news!

I'm excited to be moving my stories to my new home on Substack, where I'll be sharing all of my adventures, travel misadventures, healing stories, fitness inspiration, and more. The best part? They're still completely free to read.

I'd love to have you join me there and continue this camel-riding adventure. Simply click below to read the rest of the story—and if you'd like, subscribe for free so you'll never miss a new adventure.

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Copyright Karen Custer Thurston 2020

Photo Credits:  

Unsplash: Savvas Kalimeris, Frederico Guttierez, Jacob Jacobsy, Youhanna Nassif, Rachel Sarah Thurston (camel train and silhouettes)

Photo of Rachel and Karen: Rachel Sarah Thurston with the assistance of their Berber Guide (unknown) with Rachel's SLR Canon which was riddled with sand during their trip.