Camel Brings Abu Dhabi’s Liwa Oasis to Our Homes

Google’s commitment to map the world has given us access to the far reaches of the globe otherwise inaccessible. The internet giant takes it one step further by outfitting a camel to traverse the Liwa Oasis in Abu Dhabi with a sizable, rotating camera called a Trekker for Google Maps with Street View. According to Google spokeswoman Monica Baz, “With every environment and every location, we try to customize the capture and how we do it for that part of the environment,” she told The National newspaper. In the case of Liwa we fashioned it in a way so that it goes on a camel so that it can capture imagery in the best, most authentic and least damaging way.” As expected, the expansive desert is void of pretty much anything else save for a few other camel spottings, rolling hills of sand, and the lone shadow of Raffia the camel and his guide. Factoring in the best part of the day to capture the clearest images, the pair start their journey in the as early as 6 am to bring the world an incredible 360 view of the 62-mile scenic desert that is home to some of the world’s biggest sand dunes.