Camel Treks Australia Ethical, AnimalCentric, Eco-Tourism

Attending the Thousand Camel Festival and riding in the opening ceremony is truly an unforgettable experience—and one of the many exclusive opportunities that come travelling with me!
I’ve cherished every moment of receiving firsthand insights while observing Mongol nomads at work and at home. It’s like stepping onto a movie set: their traditional attire, the deep, resonant sounds of their language, and the intricate customs for entering a Ger, their cozy yurt-style homes.
I could share endless stories, but here’s what you need to know: there are still spots available for our upcoming Mongolia Journey! 🇲🇳 Each journey is a unique and life-expanding experience.
For all the details, visit cameltreksaustralia.com or check the link in my bio.
Join me for an experience of a lifetime!
📸 Karen Jane Ellis - Thousand Camel Festival ~ Mongolia

Behind the scenes, it’s full-on right now, with Karen either at the computer or out with the camels. First, a huge thank you to Shane & Debbie at Clayton Station for allowing us to traverse their section of the Tirari Desert and Clayton Wetlands and for taking great care of our camels.
This pic, Karen is wearing her ONUS sunnies, which she loves for their excellent face protection. The sunglasses feature a detachable nose band with a magnetic connection to the main frame—her kids and guests now call her cat woman!
For those waiting on 2025 trekking dates, they’re in the works and will be bookable very soon. Karen is also transitioning to a new online booking system to make things smoother for future guests, although the setup is taking some time.
Mongolia is confirmed and still has a few spots available, while our India trek is now fully booked! We can’t wait to share photos and footage from these incredible journeys in January and February.
If you’re waiting on an email response, please know that you’re in our system, and we appreciate your patience. Managing a unique operation like ours has its challenges, and past experiences with non-camel-trained staff have led to complications and increased costs—something we strive to avoid to ensure the best experience for our guests.
We hope everyone is doing well and will share more updates soon. The website is current & expanding, so for more immediate information please visit cameltreksaustralia.com.au 🐪
📸 Peter Jensen - Thank you Pete ❤️🙏
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Happy Birthday Paul Ellis, thanks for keeping Camel Treks Australia’s wheels turning!

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‘The Power of Connection and Energy - Love to Tove’
Working with camels for so long, with a deep intention to connect, has been a priceless journey that continues to evolve. One thing I’ve learned is that true communication is largely non-verbal. We all know the feeling—when we ask someone ‘how are you?’ and they say ‘I’m fine,’ but we can sense that it’s far from the truth.
Working with camels has taught me about the power of energetic exchange. I believe that when we shift from a purely physical approach to a more subtle, energetic way of being, profound and positive change can happen. Just as radio frequencies transmit energy, so can we.
Today, I’m sending all my love and strength to our dear friend Tove, pictured here with Queen Bindu, as today she receives complex heart surgery. If you’re reading this, please join me in sending her your love and positive energy ❤️
Thank you 🙏

This is a good vibration post!
My wish for everyone is that they could be as fortunate as us, and have a ‘Tove’ in their life.
Director of Camel Treks Australia, Karen is pictured with Tove in the Tirari Desert dunes earlier this year in winter.
The next images are Tove with her beloved camels. This wasn’t her first encounter trekking. Tove is especially connected with our Queen Bindu 🐪.
The final image includes Leanne who has done countless treks in Australia and overseas with us in both Mongolia & India. She is pictured beside Karen and Tove and by chance this was their second extended trek together.
Tove is vibrant, energetic, optimistic, intelligent, compassionate, caring, and one of the greatest lovers of life and people we have ever met.
We are excited for tomorrow as Tove receives life giving surgery and we’re sending her loving vibrations all day. You can join us and send her some of your love too.
Leave a comment and we’ll share it with her!

The two K’s and Zay.
Karen and Kathy both started their love of camels and learning about camels with Lionel Keegan. That’s many moons ago for both of them who have since owned and operated their camel focused businesses.
They share a love of being intimately connected with their camels and a rarer sense of the importance of the camels lives and their happiness. This is what creates a truly safe work environment and an animal that is a pleasure to be around for everyone.
Neither use nose pegs or chain halters.
We are often are told that it’s impossible without nose pegs. This is of course utter ignorance. When you know better … you know better!
Both have also been zoo keepers working alongside rhino, cheetah, giraffes and the big cats.
Thanks Kathy & Zay for visiting Camel Treks Australia’s crew and camels, we’ll see you both in November.
www.cameltreksaustralia.com.au 🐪

Camel Treks Australia first ventured into Mongolia with a group of enthusiastic Australian cameleers in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and we are excited to return once again in early 2025.

Karen and Edward are looking forward to capturing the essence of the Thousand Camel Festival and embarking on a journey alongside the nomads.

Mongolia Journey on Bactrian Camels, traversing a snow covered Gobi Desert. ​Covering 1.3 million square kilometres with sparse population, the Gobi hosts diverse wildlife. Much of the Gobi is entirely inaccessible except for the nom...

Queen lead camel Dinny (aka Dinnalicious) wasn’t quite sure Cameleer Karen had chosen the right path forward.
A discussion unfolded between Karen and Dinny, and they both agreed—the dune was indeed too steep to descend. The camel caravan wisely chose to continue along the ridge, seeking a gentler slope to navigate down into the interdune.
Negotiations like these are common, as both camels and humans instinctively avoid potential pitfalls. With a shared sense of self-preservation, everyone works together to find the safest route.
Chef Nicola also features in these photos, she joined the camels as often as possible.
As our trekking season comes to a close, we’re already missing the rhythm of walking and wandering with these intelligent companions. The cleanup will take weeks, and planning for the 2025 calendar is underway.
Stay tuned for more updates!
📸 Photographer: Heinrich Engelbrecht
🌐 www.cameltreksaustralia.com.au

The team is always busy facilitating guest treks, so we love it when guests send in their photos to share.
A special thank you to Laura and Anna for capturing these wonderful moments—especially the heartwarming connection between a young guest and our camels. These images show just how close and personal our guests can get with these incredible animals!
www.cameltreksaustralia.com.au 🐪

The Australian Dingo :)

‘Equivalent of Tasmanian tiger for bird watchers’ discovered in Western Australia desert Rangers and scientists thrilled as they find the largest known population of one of Australia’s rarest birds, the night parrot, living in Great Sandy desert

Congratulations to all businesses.

Crew image drop … Paul, Edward, Kale, Sol, Nicola and Karen.
It’s been a good season and we’ll treasure the next and final trek for 2024. Drum roll 🥁 we’ll be back in 2025!
In the meantime stay tuned as we catch up on image sharing, working with young camels, and adventures shared in India and Mongolia.
www.cameltreksaustralia.com.au 🐪

We’d be lost without our camp ovens. Both the cast iron and spun steel. These gems allow us to bake breads, dampers and cakes as good as any home kitchen.
Wood burning quality affects the cooking time and amount of coals we use. Repeated bakes over decades have refined the why and how of what we personally do. It’s a definite art producing good camp oven delights.
Flour based goods are only one option, as just about any dish can be prepared in these outdoor ovens. And did you know cooking in a cast iron pot is an easy way to boost your iron intake.
In these images we’ve baked a cheesy herb damper, ginger spiced pineapple cake, and a gluten free version for a celiac guest. We forgot to take pics of this week’s highlight - Nicola’s chocolate and pear cake.
Who said living in the bush couldn’t be decadent!
www.cameltreksaustralia.com.au 🐪

Desert flowers to brighten your moment.
Treks this month have been enhanced everyday as we wander Clayton Station located Off The Birdsville Track in Outback South Australia taking in a lengthy section of Clayton Creek which merges with the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park and the Tirari Desert which features salt lakes and large north-south running sand dunes.
The adjacent deserts of the area include the Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert which lies to the north while the Strzelecki Desert is to the east and the Sturt Stony Desert runs aligned with the Birdsville track to the north east.
The Tirari Desert experiences harsh conditions with high temperatures and very low rainfall (mean annual rainfall is below 125 millimetres It lies mostly east of the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre North section of the National Park.
Treks are located in a desert arid zone environment … in one of Australia’s 10 listed deserts 🏜️
As we approach our final trek for 2024 we acknowledge Shane & Debbie Oldfield for their empathy towards our camels, our tourism efforts, and our movements whilst hosting guests. Without their support none of this would be possible.
www.cameltreksaustralia.com.au 🐪

This artistic camel creation, located opposite Marree’s Oasis Café and Bistro, is well worth taking the time to appreciate.
Marree, a small town in Outback South Australia, holds rich historical significance. It was home to Australia's first mosque, built by Afghan cameleers using mud bricks. You can see a replica of the original mosque standing just behind the camel art.
Located 589 kilometres north of Adelaide, Marree sits at the junction of the Oodnadatta Track and the Birdsville Track.
The town is steeped in the resilient history of camels, Aboriginal heritage, and European settlers.
www.cameltreksaustralia.com.au 🐪

Flowers have been beautifully adorning much of Outback South Australia’s arid landscapes.
It has been an absolute treat to witness.
We hope they will continue to display their brilliance on our final two upcoming treks this month.
www.cameltreksaustralia.com.au 🌸

Varied night scenes, no filter, taken using an iPhone 12 Pro.
The magic of an Outback Australian desert night is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.
www.cameltreksaustralia.com.au 🐪