TRAVEL BUZZ

DJEMAA EL FNA, MOROCCO While many visits to Marrakech revolve around the imposing Koutoubia mosque or Jemaa el Fna, the bustling central square filled with snake charmers and storytellers, there's plenty to do beyond these landmarks. For those willing to delve deep into the narrow streets around the square, unforgettable flavors and luxurious Moroccan indulgences. The world's most exciting town square, Djemaa el Fna reminds you you're in Africa. In the heart of the old city of Marrakech, snake-charmers, henna-painters, storytellers, date-sellers and orange juice vendors set up their stalls in the sleepy heat of the afternoon. As night falls, the vendors are joined by tribal drummers, ladyboy dancers and mobile restaurateurs selling delicious grilled meats, bread and salad as the smoke rises above their stalls 'til past midnight. Sossusvlei means "the gathering place of water" but you'll need to bring your own if you don't want to dehydrate at this, Namibia's most outstanding attraction.Climbing the dunes yields breathtaking views, including the Deadvlei, a ghostly expanse of dried, white clay punctuated by skeletons of ancient camelthorn trees. There's a wide selection of lodges around Sossusvlei, but for astronomy buffs. With an astronomer to guide the stargazing, it's easy to spend hours looking at the sky, peering at even faint objects like planetary nebulae and galaxies up to 60 million light years away.

SOSSUSVLEI, NAMIBIA

Lake Nakuru National Park is home to 1 million resident flamingos, providing one of Kenya's most unforgettable sights. This lake has become famous for the greatest bird spectacle in the world, with swathes of vibrant pink filling FLAMINGOS , KENYA the alkaline lake and the huge sky. There are two types of flamingos found in Kenya. The greater flamingo, true to their name, are bigger and taller in size. The lesser flamingos, however, have a deeper pink color on their feathers, while their beaks are a deep red with a black tip. The greater flamingo beaks are light pink with a black tip.