The Camel Trophy was an annual off-road competition that took place from 1980 to 2000. Sponsored by Camel Cigarettes, the event aimed to test the endurance and off-road capabilities of both the vehicles and the teams participating. Throughout the life of Camel Trophy, the complete Land Rover vehicle range was used. Range Rover, Series III, Ninety, One Ten, 127, Defender, Discovery and Freelander vehicles all appeared in the distinctive “sandglow” yellow color scheme.
The Discovery first appeared in 1990. The original 3-door 200 Tdi was modified by Land Rover Special Vehicles with a range of expedition, recovery, and safety equipment. Equipment for 1990 and all subsequent years remained similar and included roll cages, skid plates, tow hitches, and winches along with various other items. However, the underpinnings and body of the truck remained mostly stock with the most visible being the “Camel Cut” wheel arches; a small triangle cut out of the backside of the front and rear arches which allowed for better articulation with the slightly larger tires.
1990: Siberia
The 1990 Camel moved onto the forests of Eastern Siberia in the USSR. Setting out from the start at Bratsk in a southerly direction to Kob, teams then traveled through the vast Tiga Forest, via Kachug to Lake Biakal the largest freshwater lake in the world. Finally teams traveled west to the finish at Irkutsk on the Angara River. The total, just over 1,600 km, was some of the most remote country on the face of the earth.
1991: Tanzania and Burundi
In 1991, the Camel Trophy expedition ventured into the heart of Africa, with teams tackling the rugged terrain of Tanzania and Burundi. This time the 5 door Discovery was utilized as the primary vehicle. The route retraced the trail of the famous Scottish explorer Dr David Livingstone, who led a successful quest to discover the source of the Nile in the Nineteenth Century. The 1,800 km convoy route traversed some of the most dramatic and spectacular scenery in Africa, as it made its way from Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania to Bujumbura in Burundi.
1992: Guyana
The 1992 event returned to the South American jungle, this time to Guyana. The convoy began in Manaus, at this point a hub of the Camel Trophy with the 1984 and 1989 events having previously terminated there. They headed north to the Guyanese border, crossing the Takutu River into the country. They crossed the Rupununni Savannah, the Essequibo River, then rafted across the Potaro River to Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, and the end of the trip
1993: Sabah, Malaysia
The 1993 Camel Trophy took place in Sabah, Malaysia, with teams traversing through the dense jungles and rugged terrain of Borneo. For the first time in the event’s history, the route was completely circular, circumnavigating the state, starting and finishing at Kota Kinabalu, the capital city. The route was partially designed by Malaysian environmentalist and offroad legend Tengku Adlin, first riding on a special train to Tenom, then on muddy tracks through some of the oldest jungles in the world.
1994: Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile
The 1994 Camel Trophy expedition saw teams tackling the diverse landscapes of three different countries: Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile. The 2,500 km journey took the explorers down the principal river of Argentina, the Parana, through the steamy jungles and marshy savannahs of Paraguay, back into the Argentinean Chaco, and up into the Andes to a height of 5,000 metres. Crossing into Chile across salt plains and the driest desert on earth, the Atacama, the Camel Trophy convoy finished on a beach at Messionies, 120 km north of Antofagasta.
1994: part 2 La Ruta Maya
Land Rover launched the Discovery in North America in 1994. As part of the launch, LR took journalists to Guatemala and Belize to explore the truck’s capability in the jungle. Known as The La Ruta Maya, Journalists visited several Mayan sites and returned a set of fiberglass replicas of two Mayan artifacts from the Mayan temple of Caracol in Belize that were held in the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Museum. Land Rover ended up making an off road driving video out of the event.
1995: Mundo Maya, Central America
The 1995 Camel Trophy expedition explored the ancient Mayan civilization, with teams traversing through the jungles and ancient ruins of Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. Overlapping with La Ruta Maya, The event began in the Jaguar Temple of the ancient city of Lamanai, now in Belize. After two days of Special Tasks in this area, they headed through the Orange Walk District to Mexico and the Yucatan Then it was south into the remote and sparsely-populated Guatemalan province of El Peten. After a visit to the ruins of Tikal, the teams did a rafting challenge on Lake Peten Itza. Then it was into the Guatemalan Highlands, to Lago Gujia, and over the border to El Salvador to build a research station in the Montecristo National Park. After a dip back into Guatemala, they drove to the ruins of Copan in Honduras, with the toughest and most rutted roads of the trip.
1996: Kalimantan, Borneo
1996 was Camel Trophy’s final visit to Indonesia, home of several events over the history of the event. This time it would conquer the Indonesian province of Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo – their third visit here. Many of the tracks and trails in the interior had not seen any form of motorized transport for more than a decade and were in diabolical condition. The event took place in the rainy season, as Camel Trophy tended to do, and the jungle sometimes was so thick that the convoy had no choice but to divert to easier routes. This was the last Camel Trophy to adhere to the traditional formula of teams undertaking the route as a convoy
1997: Mongolia
For 1997, the Discovery’s were outfitted differently, and the format was changed. The convoy was gone, as was the determined transit-style route. The goal was not to traverse anything untraversed, but rather to explore Mongolia. Teams were given a map and an early GPS system. The teams navigated a route, punctuated by eight stops where activities were done outside the vehicles. In between each of the competition sites, time was allowed for the participants to explore the countryside, the culture and the people. The event finished in the ancient capital of Kharakorum, home of Mongolia’s largest Buddhist monastery
Unfortunately 1997 marked the final year for the Discovery Camel trophy. For 1998, which ended up being the final year involving a Land Rover vehicles, the Freelander took the helm However, the Camel Trophy expeditions provided an opportunity for Discovery to demonstrate its incredible off-road capabilities and reliability in some of the world’s most challenging environments, cementing the reputation as versatile and capable off-road vehicles.
If you want more info or want to see some amazing pictures from the events check out the links below