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FAMILY TRAVEL ABOVE RIGHT, CLOCKWISE The snow speckled Atlas Mountains; The pyramids of spices in the souks are a photographer's delight; Fortunately, the cobras in the Jemaa El Fna are de-venomed. are simple but luxurious, and filled with candles, artefacts, fluffy pillows and Egyptian cotton sheets. Every night we follow the candlelit path to our private dining tent for a sumptuous three-course meal. During the day, there's mountain bike riding, desert golf, horse riding and, of course, camel riding. I sit atop Jabul, clutching onto my son Taj, while hubby and daughter Grace ride in front on Mohammad. Suddenly, our ships of the desert run aground. It seems Jabul has developed a taste for Mohammad's buttocks and nips at them repeatedly. The latter responds by sitting down – and his human cargo slides inelegantly off his back. "That camel doesn't like me," Grace protests while rubbing her bruised bottom. We laugh about it while exploring the sand dunes, to the soundtrack of clicking scarab beetles. Later, I ride to the top of a razorback ridge on a magnificent Arabian stallion. To my left are the snow-speckled Atlas Mountains; to my right, a blazing orange sun hovering on the horizon. THE HERITAGE OF HUMANITY As the sun sets on our African adventure, we return to the smoke-filled square where it all began. UNESCO has listed the Jemaa el Fna as a 'masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity'. We listen to the slave songs of the Senegalese, the stories of the soothsayers, the snake charmers and the charlatans. This is a magical and mystical place – one that our family will never forget. 46 www.travelandliving.com.au