DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates has opened its first official licensed camel riding school, the Arabian Desert Camel Riding Centre.

"There are other places to ride, but usually they don't offer such an in-depth experience with the animal, or that people can come repeatedly and that they can build relationships to the animals, to the camels that we have or that they can take their riding skills further from riding long distance," co-founder Linda Krockenberger said.

The Arabian Peninsula has been home to camels for thousands of years.

Camels were historically used for transport and as a source of survival.

Obaid Al-Falasi, another co-founder, said everyone who tried camel riding at the new centre "keeps coming back again."

"We found that people like this in a way that we hadn't imagined. There is a higher turnout of women than men in this field, and we are proud of that, as it exceeded our expectations."

One tourist from New Zealand decided to trial the school with her kids.

"When we got to the UAE (from New Zealand), we had never seen a camel before, so we decided to try the camel, which is different to a horse, obviously it's a lot higher, my eleven-year-old gets quite daunted by the size and it is taking her a bit longer to learn to trot," Michelle O'Malley, a student, said.

The Arabian Peninsula has been home to camels for thousands of years.

Camels were historically used for transport and as a source of survival.

Nowadays, the UAE races camels with prizes reaching thousands of dollars.