DUBAI: The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Centre announced that as many as 15 enthusiasts belonging to nine countries will participate in the 4th edition of the ‘2018 Camel Trek.’ The trek starts from the Liwa desert in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi on Jan.17.

The 2018 edition will see 15 participants from the UAE, Oman, United Kingdom, France, Algeria, Syria, Pakistan, Malaysia and Ukraine.

Organised and supervised by Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Centre, the fourth edition starting on Jan.17 will continue for 11 days culminating at the Heritage Village of Global Village in Dubai on Jan.27. The marathon expedition will cover a distance of about 500km crossing a number of deserts of the country.

Hind Bint Demaithan Al Qemzi, Director of Events Management at HHC, welcomed all participants to this yearly trip, which has become very popular among men and women. The group of five women representing France, Algeria, UK and Ukraine as well as the young men who have confirmed their participation have been training since the beginning of Dec, 2016.

“The aim of the ‘Camel Trek’ is to reflect on the civilisation of the United Arab Emirates through an integrated journey through the desert sands. It is about life in the past based on the foundations of cooperation and the distribution of tasks responsibly between individuals to work in the camp,” she said.

“The HHC will provide tents, food and other equipments necessary, by all standards. The participants will be constantly motivated to endure and persevere in the spirit of co-existing with different nationalities representing diverse cultures, while working as a team,” she added.

Hind Bint Demaithan Al Qemzi said that this year’s expedition commemorating the ‘Year of Zayed’ will start from Liwa in the Western region.

While training at Al Nakhra Farm Dubai, when some of the participants were interviewed, they said that they were overwhelmed and excited on being selected for the 2018 Camel Trek. One of the participants, Nicola, said, “2018 is a very special year in the UAE (Year of Zayed). I’m really looking forward to seeing the beauty of the UAE and also to understand how people lived here 50 years ago. What they have achieved, the challenges and the difficulties they faced.”

The 2017 ‘Camel Trek’ saw 13 enthusiastic participants from Oman, United States, Egypt, France, United Kingdom and the UAE, including five women. They were overwhelmed and amazed by the once-in-a-lifetime journey where they got an opportunity to travel back in time and experience the culture and traditions of the UAE.

Every year, the HHC appoints a group of camel riding professionals to train and prepare the participants for the ‘Camel Trek’. Since safety is paramount, the organisers at HHC are always ready with back-up vehicles. There are chances for the participants to fall ill during the trek, as they are to cover distances as long as 50 kilometres in eight hours, each day.