Maralal Camel Derby

Maralal Camel Derby Hold on tight! You’re in for a bumpy ride…

It’s hard to keep track of all the exciting events and festivals that take place in Kenya each year – and, while doing some research myself, I stumbled across an annual event that you probably haven’t heard of.

The Maralal Camel Derby is an exciting competition held every August in the small hillside market town of Maralal in Samburu County. This highly competitive event has been around for over 25 years. Full of passion, colour and excitement, it’s a major draw for racers and spectators alike, bringing contestants from all over the world and hugely popular with the local people.

For those who haven’t heard of the camel derby, it is essentially a three-day event with a variety of races to suit all abilities. The most difficult is the Elite Camel, a 42 km marathon through Maralal Township and the surrounding desert areas – perhaps one best left to the more experienced riders.

Other races

In addition, there are smaller racers aimed at novices and tourists. In these races, participants are provided with a guide to help them steer their camels in the right direction. If camel racing isn’t your forte, in recent years the event has embraced a mountain bike race as well as a 10 km running race, held concurrently with the camel derby.

Local people regard the Maralal Camel Derby as a reconciliatory event, uniting pastoralist communities in northern Kenya. This is reflected in the additional events that are part of the derby. They include cultural dances in celebration of the rich culture of Samburu and neighbouring communities such as Turkana and Borana.

If you’re looking for something fun to do this coming August, I strongly advise you to pack your bags and head north to Maralal and witness the camel derby for yourself. The tour and safari company Adventure 360 is on hand to help your trip run seamlessly and to help with transport, accommodation and dining options. Just make sure you pack some padded shorts to avoid bruises!

This year’s event

This year, the event will be held on 30 August to 1 September 2019.

The competition has been around over 25 years

Credit: Adventure 360 / adventure360africa.com