Camels in Minecraft 1.20: All We Know (2023)

Ride into adventure with Minecraft Camels - your desert companion!

Dylan Crosbie
Dylan Crosbie - Minecraft Expert
8 Min Read

Camels are one of the new mobs found in the Minecraft 1.20 Trails and Tales update. We were introduced to Minecraft during the Minecraft Live event on the 15th of October, 2022, and then again in Snapshots since 22w42a. They’re a new mob that allows players to mount them and get around faster – think of them as tall horses but different.

Of course, since camels have been released in experimental snapshots and haven’t been around too long, the community has tons of questions. So we conducted some tests and listened to other players to compile this guide on camels in Minecraft 1.20.

Introducing the Latest Minecraft Mob: Camels

Camels are the new desert-faring mounts that stand tall against players and mobs. In fact, camels are so tall that other mobs and players that use melee attacks won’t be able to harm you while riding the Camel.

The new animal is cute and derpy simultaneously – with attractive features and absurd jumping animations. In addition, this passive mob doesn’t require training; instead, just a saddle to ride on, which means there’s no training required.

The Camel was first introduced in Snapshot 22w42a and is available to all Minecraft players who are ready to test the new Minecraft 1.20 features.

Minecraft player standing next to camel in Minecraft
Camels are the latest mount in Minecraft 1.20

Where to Find Camels in Minecraft 1.20?

As seen during Minecraft Live and Mojang’s blog post, players will find camels around desert villages. However, you’ll only find one Camel per village, and they’re usually grazing around the village center. Their scarcity makes them less available than horses and a mount to capture when found.

The spawn rate and exact location of the Camel are subject to change as the developers work on the new Minecraft 1.20 features.

A camel in Minecraft 1.20 sitting down in a desert village.
You can find Camels near the center of desert villages.

What Do Camels Eat In Minecraft 1.20?

Considering that Camels are so rare, there’s no doubt that players will want to breed them in-game. However, to do so, we need to know what Camels eat. As stated during Minecraft Live, Camels are the first mobs to eat cacti from the desert biome.

However, it’s exciting to see what else the Camels could eat, for example, prickly pears that might show up later in the Minecraft 1.20 update.

A gif showing a Minecraft player feeding cacti to a camel.
Camels eat cacti in Minecraft 1.20.

How to Breed Camels in Minecraft 1.20

To breed Camels, and the only way to get a baby camel in survival, you’ll need to feed two adult Camels with Cactus plants. After doing so, just like any other passive mob, a baby camel with spawn.

Also, note that the only way to find two adult camels is to find two separate desert villages. As there’s one Camel per village, this might take slightly longer than expected.

Players cannot ride baby camels and must wait until they’re fully grown.

How to Ride a Camel in Minecraft 1.20

To ride a camel in Minecraft, simply right-click on the mob, and you’ll hop on. Unlike horses, the Camel won’t throw you off. However, to control where a camel walks, you’ll need to equip it with a saddle.

Camels are the only mounts that don’t need to be tamed or coaxed with food. Considering that camels can only be found in desert villages, we can say that perhaps the villagers tamed the camels for us.

There is, however, one thing to keep in mind: Camels are grumpy.

The mob will randomly sit down, even while riding. Even worse, once the Camel is sitting, it’s challenging to convince them to move again. On the other hand, camels sit, on average, two to seven seconds before getting up, so good luck.

Note: Villagers can’t mount camels without a command block.

a gif showing a Minecraft player riding a camel.
No taming needed, just use a saddle to steer a camel.

Why Choose a Camel as Your Next Mount?

So why choose a camel as your next mount? Surely they’re an odd animal to take into battle? Well, there are a few factors to consider when deciding if a camel should be your next mount:

  • Extra Safety
  • Dual Riding
  • Combat Friendly
  • Reachability

Extra Safety

Camels are tall. Very tall.

At 2.375 blocks high and 1.7 blocks wide, melee mobs have no chance of reaching you while mounted on a camel. This is particularly helpful when avoiding husks in the desert. However, watch out for skeletons, spiders (as they jump), and creepers.

Of course, Ender Men are still the bane of our existence and will still be able to reach you.

a gif showing a Minecraft player attacking a husk on a camel.
Riding a camel gives you a nice height advantage.

Dual Riding

Introducing the first dual riding mount, the Camel can be ridden by two players simultaneously. Not only does this reflect actual camels, but it allows for the fantastic mechanic of one-player steering, and, in contrast, the other player participates in combat.

Combat Friendly

That said, camels are combat friendly and are excellent in PvP servers and other multiplayer games. Besides allowing for agile combat, camels blend in with the desert environment.

Additionally, just like the mobs mentioned above, it’s likely that most players on foot won’t reach you. However, this doesn’t mean your Camel is invincible.

To heal your Camel, feed it with cacti. They’ll heal by 2 health points per block of cactus. They will also heal independently, but this is a slow process.

Reachability

Camels can simply walk over blocks that are 1.5 blocks high. This means that camels can quickly clear walls and fences without jumping. They’ll also walk over anything one block high, which is convenient.

Lastly, camels have a rechargeable book called dash. Doing so will cause the Camel to leap over several blocks – up to 12 blocks (unverified). With camels, you’ll be able to clear ravines with ease.

Keep in mind that the dash has a 2.75-second cooldown.

a gif showing a Minecraft player leaping over a pond on a camel.
Camel’s have the ability to leap over several blocks.

Final Thoughts

It’s about time that Mojang brought us a new mount – the last being the strider in the Nether Update. We’re excited to see players develop unique ways to use camels and incorporate combat styles.

It’s important to remember that camels are still in development and might have some bugs. We’ll also likely see some changes before they’re finalized.

What are your thoughts on camels in Minecraft? Let us know in the comments below.

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By Dylan Crosbie Minecraft Expert
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Dylan is an avid Open World and Strategy game fan. His favorite content to cover include Minecraft and The Sims. His gaming interests along with his journalistic background, allows him to bring the best gaming content to your screens.
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