Travel: Amiri Diwan Camel Parade

The Amiri Diwan Camel Parade is a must see in Doha, Qatar. It’s similar to the changing of the guards which we have here in Ottawa, Canada, or perhaps you’re familiar with it at Buckingham Palace in London. It’s fun to check out and the Souq Waqif is right around the corner.

No tickets needed, it’s totally free, and we only found out about it because the day before we happened to be driving by and Bryce saw the camel parade. The next morning I looked it up and sure enough the royal camels parade on the lawns in front of the governmental palace, the Amiri Diwan each day at 8am and 4pm.

Amiri Diwan Camel Parade

We hustled to see the camels, walking from the National Museum of Qatar quickly – it was hot, yet so worth it. The camels bob back and forth while they walk, it’s neat. And, I’m not sure what I expected, however, the rider seems to be so far back, don’t you think?!

Below are some photo highlights and two videos so you can see what I mean about the bobbing. They ride doesn’t look as smooth as a horse, yet that’s to be expected since they’re totally different animals. Their necks are so neat, too. Such an awesome experience.

Cool, eh?! In the video above it’s wild to see all the birds following them. They do this for the whole parade. We stayed for about 15 minutes, each lap is about 4-6 minutes long, so we saw 3 laps. We saw the 4pm parade and it wasn’t busy at all, so no need to worry about getting there early, there’s a lot of sidewalk to stand and see.

So, if you’re going to visit the souq, it’s well worth timing during one of the parades so you can check it out.

Thanks for stopping by and happy parade watching!