The camel race is on!

Who says all camels do are nibble on shrubs and take tourists on slow lazy rides in desert safaris?

In Dubai, these lovable desert animals are also kicking dirt into the air and outracing one another in the ongoing Dubai Camel Racing Festival 2014.

 Happening now from September 1 to October 15, top-class racing camels mounted with robot jockeys run to the finish line at the Al Marmoun Camel Racetrack located along the Dubai-Al Ain Road.

Camel racing is one of the oldest sports in the Middle East, and is a must-see for any traveler visiting the UAE. The event is a serious business in the Gulf with racing camels costing tens of thousand of dirhams.

Admission is free to this one-of-a-kind spectacle. Join the races now, and experience one of the country's oldest tradition. For more information, visit http://www.dcrc.ae/.

Photo credit: www.dcrc.ae