CAMEL MARKET AT BIRQASH DAY TOUR AVAILABLE ON FRIDAY & SUNDAY

The best day to visit is supposed to be Friday, when the market is most lively in the earlier parts of the morning 7am-9am. The market is open till 1pm but most of the trading happens before 11am.

This market used to earlier take place in Imbaba, but as the city expanded, the camel market was moved to the suburb of Birqash which is at the edge of the Western Desert.

Hundreds of Camels are sold here everyday. But this is definitely not a market for the Animal lover. The animals aren't in pitiable condition, but they could be treated much, much better than they currently are.

Camels from Sudan are brought into Egypt on the 40 day road via Abu Simbel to the market in Daraw. The unsold camels are then loaded into trucks and brought to Birqash after a 24 hour drive.

Camels also arrive from the rest of Egypt and sometimes from Somalia. These camels are traded for other livestock or cash and are mostly bought for farm work or consumption. Photo opportunities abound, if you can get the angles right since the camels are almost monochromatic in color.

The traders have wonderfully character faces and I would have loved to be able to take close up portraits and talk to them and listen to their stories. Then Back to your hotel in Cairo

Schedule Details

Departure Point:

Tour departs from centrally located Cairo and Giza hotels

Departure Time:

8:00am