Every year on the tenth of January, remote Wadi Zalaga fills with camels, pickup trucks and the two big Bedouin tribes of the south. We went to see it with eight friends.
Getting there
We left Dahab by Land Cruiser on the ninth. It is a long drive on rough tracks, and our Bedouin hosts welcomed us with tents already going up and food cooking on the fire.
The market and the camp
While camp was set up we wandered the busy market, jumped into pickups and got cheerfully recruited to support one tribe or the other.
Race day
Early the next morning more than fifty camels lined up for a thirty-kilometre race, with young riders and hundreds of cheering trucks following alongside. Following the race through the clouds of dust was a sight none of us will forget.
Nawamis on the way back
After the race we stopped at the Nawamis for a Bedouin lunch among the ancient tombs, full of stories from a day like no other.
More from the day
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Zalaga Camel's Race
📅 Sat 9 Jan 2027, 7:30 AM · 2-day overnight trip Watch the Muzeina and Tarabeen Bedouin clans race 40+ camels across 30km of open desert in Wadi Zalaga, then camp under the stars…