Where to see flamingos in Kenya
Flamingos are striking birds, dressed in pink. There are only six species left in the world, but they are seen easily by birders, usually near wet habitats, to which they adapt well.
Flamingos are found in the Caribbean, South America, the Middle East and around the Mediterranean, but one of the best places to see them in great numbers is Africa.
A flock of flamingos
With their pink plumage and long legs, flamingos do well in Africa, gathering in large flocks across the continent. Their movements depend on many things, so you cannot expect to find them at every lake or wetland, but with the right place and the right time, you can. First, the species found in Africa: there are two, the lesser and the greater flamingo.
Lesser flamingo
The lesser flamingo is the smallest of the six flamingo species, with pink plumage, bill and legs, and it is usually the brightest in colour. It has a small head and long neck, and stands less than a metre tall, the females smaller than the males. In the wild it can live 40 to 50 years.
Lesser flamingo
Its diet is highly specialised, made up mostly of diatoms and microscopic blue-green algae found in alkaline lakes, saline lagoons, salt pans and estuaries, along with some small aquatic invertebrates such as rotifers. Lesser flamingos are found mainly in eastern and southern Africa; the best places to see them are the Rift Valley lakes, southern Namibia and Botswana, along with parts of Sudan and Ethiopia.
Greater flamingo
The greater flamingo is the largest of the species. It is pale pink, with a long, slim neck and a pink, black-tipped bill that curves downwards, and a wingspan of 1.4 to 1.7 metres. In the wild it can live 30 to 40 years, favouring warm, watery places such as saline or alkaline lakes and estuaries.
Greater flamingo
Its diet is crustaceans, molluscs, crabs, insects, worms and the odd small fish, along with shoots, seeds, decaying leaves and algae, and it even takes in mud to sift out the organic matter. Greater flamingos are found across Africa, Asia and southern Europe. One easy way to tell the two apart is the bill: the lesser flamingo’s is darker, the greater’s pink.
The flamingo’s pink is not something it is born with. Chicks are a dull grey and slowly turn pink as they feed on algae and invertebrates, which carry colouring compounds called pigments. In other words, flamingos really are what they eat.
A flamingo chick
The Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is one of Africa’s great features, part of the system of rifts that runs north to south through Kenya. Kenya has many lakes, eight of them in the Rift Valley.
An aerial view of the Rift Valley
The Rift Valley holds fine lakes, scenic drives and abundant wildlife, and its soda lakes are among the best places to find flamingos. Here are some of the best spots in Kenya.
1. Lake Bogoria
Lake Bogoria, in Kenya, is known for its steaming geysers and hot springs, and it is one of the best places to see huge numbers of flamingos.
Flamingos at Lake Bogoria near a geyser
Bogoria has the largest population of lesser flamingos, many of them having moved over from Lake Nakuru, and they can be seen year-round because of their sheer numbers. The best time to see the lake turn pink is from August to October. To reach Lake Bogoria, you can join a safari from Nairobi or hire a car and drive yourself.
2. Lake Nakuru
Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley’s best-known soda lakes, and its alkaline water draws large flocks of flamingos. The birds feed on the blue-green algae and diatoms that the lake produces, along with some small aquatic creatures, and in good years they can turn its shores pink.
Flamingos at Lake Nakuru
The flamingos left Nakuru some years ago as rising water levels reduced their feeding grounds, but by 2020 they had returned and are doing well again. Numbers rise and fall with the lake’s alkalinity: when it is high, the algae are plentiful and the flamingos stay; when it drops, the algae thin out and the birds move on to other soda lakes, such as Bogoria. So there is never a guarantee of the vast flocks, since the birds follow the food, which in turn follows the rains. Alongside the flamingos, Nakuru has more than 400 other bird species, including pelicans, which nest near the shore.
Getting to Lake Nakuru
You can reach Lake Nakuru easily by road from Nairobi on a tar road. It is also reachable from other parks, such as the Masai Mara, about a six-hour drive.
The best time to plan a flamingo-watching trip to Lake Nakuru is the dry season, in January and February. Even so, there is no guarantee of large numbers, as the birds move with the rains and the algae. In the dry months, especially in drought, the flocks often move north to Lake Bogoria, where they can be seen all year.
A trip to Kenya is not complete without seeing its flamingos. We hope these places make your list on your next visit.
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