CROSSING THE WORLD’S LARGEST SAND DESERT ON A CAMEL IN 25 DAYS
CONTENTS
Introduction
The idea behind the caravan
My motivation to join
Last-minute preparations
Meeting the team
Learning how to ride a camel
The long journey through the desert
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Daily routine
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Rest days
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Challenges
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Media attention
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Desert sights
Arriving at the finish line
Was it worth it?
INTRODUCTION
The Rakayib Camel Caravan – a spontaneous month-long camel trek through the Empty Quarter in Saudi Arabia, the largest sand desert on Earth. 81 participants from all over the world who had no idea what to expect, guided by local Bedouins and supported by the Saudi military plus a complex network of logistics. Eight hours of camel riding almost every day. Sand, sun and a lot of muscle pain… All for one goal: crossing this vast, empty and inhospitable place in its entirety, from south to north. A raw adventure and undoubtedly one of the most formidable experiences of my life.
I feel lucky and privileged to have been part of this and I’d like to share some impressions with you on these few pages. There are countless aspects to the story, too many to present here, and I’m going to highlight just a few of them. A few anecdotes, an overview of what the caravan was like, and answers to some of the many questions I’ve been asked by friends and family when I got home.
CARAVAN ROUTE
Here’s a map of the route the camel caravan took, starting at Ubar near the Yemeni border in the south and finishing at Yabrin ca. 620 km further north, across the length of the Empty Quarter.
SUMMARY IN NUMBERS
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The Rakayib Camel Caravan |
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Dates: |
23 Feb to 18 Mar 2019 |
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Start point: |
Ubar (variant spelling: Ubbar), near Yemeni border ca. 40 km west of Al Kharkhir |
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End point: |
Yabrin (variant spelling: Yabreen, Abreen), ca. 280 km southeast of Riyadh |
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Total duration: |
25 days |
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Prep camp: |
2 days |
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Travelling on camel: |
17 days |
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Rest camps: |
6 days (includes last celebration day) |
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Total distance travelled: |
620 km |
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Average riding speed: |
5.5 km/h |
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Number of participants at start / finish: |
81 / 67 (14 drop-outs) |
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Number of nationalities represented among camel riders: |
16 |
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Number of showers I had during the caravan: |
2 |
LINKS
- Rakayib official website
- Joe’s experience as reported in US newspapers:
- Anna’s blog entry on her website annaaiko.com
- Goran’s coverage in various magazines & newspapers (in Croatian):
- Luigi & Pietro’s travel site Trip in your Shoes
IMPORTANT NOTE
In this article I recount my personal impressions of the Rakayib Camel Caravan that took place in the Empty Quarter desert of Saudi Arabia in February & March 2019. It is a collection of memories and thoughts that reflect my own personal experience. The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own and do not necessarily represent those of the organization or other participants. I went on this trip as an independent participant and have no affiliation with any person or entity involved, commercial or otherwise. While the trip was entirely free to me, I wasn’t paid for participating or for writing and publishing this article. Many others who were part of this trip published their own accounts of this journey and you can find a list of these in the links section above.