Greater and lesser flamingos go from East Africa’s Great Rift Valley to engage in one of Africa’s most incredible avian feasts. From a helicopter flight over the flamingos, these stunning birds look like pink clouds in a silver sky. Helicopter flights over the flamingos are run by Helicopter Horizons and can be organized through San Camp, Jack’s Camp, and other Botswana accommodation options in the area.
Another place to view the flamingos on a safari in Botswana is from Nata Bird Sanctuary (northeast of Sua Pan), 10km/6,2mi from the town of Nata. There is a basic campsite near the entrance to the park, and the sanctuary is open to day visitors who can gaze at the flamingos from an elevated wooden hide during wet months.
The sanctuary is run by a community trust and is home to 165 bird species recorded in the area, including pelicans, spoonbills, ostriches, and myriad ducks and small waders.
A great spectacle each year in Chobe (and all across Botswana) happens during the onset of the first rains; the rain triggers reproductive winged termites to leave their colonies in pursuit of wet earth to begin new mounds.
As they exit in their thousands, they attract birds of every plume and feather, including large raptors and vultures that congregate around mounds to snatch these sausage-bodied insects from the air. Even leopards partake in the feast, taking advantage of the rich protein source.