A camel ride is a wonderful activity to experience at least once in your life. That’s why I decided to bring my mom and brother for Uluru Camel Ride To Sunrise Tour when we were visiting the red rock in Australia to officially tick this activity off our travel bucket list. Staying at Ayers Rocks Resort, we booked the activity through the resort. The activity was conducted by Uluru Camel Tours – home to over 60 camels and an award-winning owner operated tour business with over 25 years of experience.

Uluru Camel Ride To Sunrise – Getting Ready For The Ride

We left our resort at 5.45am for an quick briefing on the tour itinerary, key safety and operational instructions on how to ride on the camels. If you are heading there in the winter months like us, please make sure you have dressed appropriately for the ride. Uluru may be a desert area but its winter mornings are brutal. 

When we came out of the briefing room, our camels are already connected, lined up and waiting faithfully to be allocated their passengers. We have been thoughtfully provided with extra red pullovers and a furry seat cover for additional warmth. It’s a good thing to prepare a backpack for your gear. Don’t forget to bring a bottle of water, extra food, and a small first aid kit for an emergency.

Once we have been allocated to our designated camels, our guides load everyone up and gently nudge these giants to get up on their feet. To be honest, the initial moments on the camel’s back when it lift-off can be quite intimidating. In fact, there was a lady who decided not to go through with the experience. My advice is to give it a while and the fear will slow start to go away.

Uluru Camel Ride To Sunrise – Off We Go!

Once all the participants are up on the camels, our guides aka expert cameleer hopped onto the first and last camels and led us out of the holding area into the dark desert of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. There were also a few expert cameleers on the ground right beside the camels to ensure safety and share with us information about the desert’s flora and fauna

They shared that camels are ideally suited to the hot, dry climate of Australia’s interior. They were imported in the 19th century and remained the principal means of outback transport until railways and roads were established.

Today there are an estimated 200,000 one-humped, dromedary type camels in the wild. Only a few are still used by humans, mostly for touring the desert.

As we walked towards the rising sun and the initial fear of riding on a camel wore off, you get to feel a growing sense of adventure. 

We rode high above the desert surrounds and explore this central Australian region just as the early Australian pioneers did – on a camel. It was an unforgettable journey through red dune country with Uluru and Kata Tjuta as a stunning backdrop.

That’s our camel getting his well-deserved rest once we are back at the camel farm.

Uluru Camel Ride To Sunrise – Breakfast Is Served

Breakfast was a generous spread of the local beer bread with Margarine, Vegemite (must try when you are in Australia but it is an acquired taste), Nutella, Peanut Butter and the usual jams. Not exactly sure if we were feeling famished but the warm, soft and slightly chewy beer bread tasted amazing with the spreads. We doused our meal with juices and soymilk.

There is a little souvenir store in a same room where the breakfast was held. Once we were done eating and shopping, we headed out to a small petting area where we can get upclosed to camels,

emus and kangeroos as well as smaller animals such as

goats and geeses. Glad that my mom and brother managed to catch a glimpse of Kangeroos and Emus here during their trip to Australia.

If you are ever coming to this part of Australia, Uluru Camel Ride To Sunrise experience is an activity I would highly recommend. Do note that the winter period is very much preferred as the temperature is a lot more comfortable compared to the scorching heat in the summer months. The Camel Farm is open all year round and Ayers Rock Resort free shuttle bus stops at the Camel Farm. All camel tours include free return transfers to your accommodation.