One of the big things to do in Uluru is go for a camel ride. This is due to the fact that Uluru has 2 million feral camels running wild that were brought by colonists. They have so many camels, they even export them to the Middle East! The camels are considered feral pests so there are only a couple options for a camel. The first is to be rescued by the Camel farm to come live on the farm and put to work giving rides to tourists. The Camel farm used to host a camel cup each year where they would race the camels but it has been discontinued since covid. I had no idea camels could even run! The Camel farm typically only accepts well behaved males since they are bigger and better suited for riding. A camel can spend years on the Camel farm and then when they retire, they are moved to a retirement home where they are milked. The Camel farm staff goes on hunts and camels that are not suitable for riding are killed for their meat that is then sold to a butcher. Possibly the worst option for a feral camel is to be shot dead by the Australian government and left there to rot. The Australian government does air strikes to kill camels since they are pests and the last airstrike killed 10,000 camels. I have never felt worse for the camels; that is such a sad fate! One last option for the camels is to be sold to a buyer. Camels typically sell for $300-500 AUD which in my opinion is a pretty swell deall. Pretty sure a dog costs more so I will take a camel any day. If you are wondering what to get me as a present next, there it is. I will take a camel any day.
When we arrived at the Camel farm, the camels were all seated in a row waiting for us. They appeared to be continuously munching and munching on something and I inquired what they were eating. Camels regurgitate their food 40-60 times so every time we heard the camel behind us making an ugly sound, it was likely just the camel puking its food from 4-5 days ago. Camel breath definitely did not smell good. Their teeth were something else too. On the farm they have a diet of hay, oats, and occasional treats such as bread..
The most fun part about riding a camel is when the camel gets up and sits down. It is a bit of a rollercoaster ride as you are tossed around. Luckily, we had a firm saddle and metal bars to hold onto in front of us. The camels were all tied together in a line so that they had no chance of running off. They were all very compliant and honestly such cute creatures. My camel was named Archer and he allowed me to pet him and take pictures with him. He sure was funky looking as he kept trying to munch and munch.
One of the craziest fun facts I learned about camels was that they have camel beauty pageants primarily in the Middle East. There is a lot of money behind the beauty pageants and it takes a certain type of camel to win. Big puffy lips are preferable as is a perfectly sculpted hump and long eyelashes. The competitions have become so intense now that camels are getting disqualified for getting a hump job done or having Botox in their cheeks to make them look fuller. The things humans do to poor animals!
Our camel ride took us to a viewpoint where we could see the iconic Uluru rock from a distance. It was my last look at the city of Uluru. Sunrise had long passed and it was a bright and clear sunny day. It was still early so it wasn't too hot yet. We rode through the desert sands slowly as the camels trotted along. It was a very peaceful journey and the perfect length! I loved riding a camel and thought the animals were just so cute!
The Camel farm also had some other barn animals present and an area where the other camels were feeding. One camel had a full beard! On the farm were goats including some really cute baby ones! There were also kangaroos but they were asleep. The farm had my favorite animal - a fluffy cow! So of course I had to stop by and say hi. It was the perfect end to my Contiki tour!
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