Where to find flamingos in the wild

There’s not a flamingo in the world that can resist the salty lakes and shallow waters of some of the most beautiful places on the planet. We’ve visited wild flamingos on the white sands of Aruba, in Kenya’s soda lakes and under Sardinia’s summer sun.

These quirky birds - oh, let’s go iconic - swim like swans, feast on shrimp, pose like ballerinas on Broadway and, despite their beauty, sound like honking car horns in a New York traffic jam. Seeing is believing, and if you want to catch a flamboyance of fluffy pink feathers on your next Kuoni holiday, these are the spots you need to bookmark.

Top places to find flamingos and best times to visit

Kenya, Lake Nakuru

Best time to spot flamingos: Lake Nakuru - July to February

Journey with us to Africa and see the wide wings and long legs of the thousands of flamingos that flock to Tanzania’s Lake Nakuru to feed on blue-green algae. So many individual flamingos grouped together here is a breathtaking display of fondant fancy-pink feathers against a backdrop of electric blue.

Tanzania, Lake Ndutu

Lake Ndutu - June to November

Seasoned safari travellers know the Serengeti is famed for its annual Great Wildebeest Migration but plenty of other kids head this way too. In June, the beaches of Lake Ndutu morph into a sea of pink thanks to a sensational migration of flamingos seduced to the soda lake on the eastern edge of the National Park.

Everglades National Park, Florida

Best time to spot flamingos: December to April

There’s been a remarkable return of flamingos to Everglades National Park's southern tip after years of absence. Conservationists believe changes in flood patterns, food sources and habitat have led them back to the Sunshine State. Include a trip to the Everglades wetlands on a Florida holiday for encounters with crocodiles, alligators, peacocks and our favourite pink waders.

Etosha National Park, Namibia (Fisher’s Pan)

Best time to spot flamingos: February to May

Namibia - dramatic, vast and ancient - is one of Africa’s driest countries. But when it does rain, water and wildlife go hand in hand, luring flamingos to Fisher’s Pan, a shallow saline lagoon in Etosha National Park. The powerful pink parade of flamingos here sometimes reaches up to a million at once.

Renaissance Island, Aruba

Best time to spot flamingos: January to May

Note: Children are only allowed on the beach between 9am and 10am.

Privately owned Renaissance Island is the standout address in Aruba where flamingos are the star attraction. No need to pack your zoom lens because the flamingos on this beach are very familiar with human company. If you want your Instagram reel to go viral, this is the place to come. We’ll book you a day pass to the island, the only way to gain access, for one of the best ‘pinch me is it real’ experiences in the Caribbean.

Cagliari, Sardinia

Best time to spot flamingos: Early June

Flamingos are as smitten with Sardinia as the Hollywood A-list are. Early June is the perfect time to come and say hello to the wild flamingos that flock to the wetlands surrounding the capital city of Cagliari. Being migratory birds, they’re enticed to Park of Molentargius’ salt pans to feed, breed and nest. Come just before sunset for a candy floss coloured landscape of feathers, waters and sky.

Kos, Marmari Beach

Best time to spot flamingos: March to May or September to November

Marmari Beach might have a super reputation for sea winds and watersports, but it’s the flamingos often seen just a little further along the coast at Alikes Salt Lake that have really caught our eye. Our feathered friends globetrot over in spring and autumn to wade in the shallow heart-shaped waters. Catching them in Kos on a sunset walk is quite the marvel.

Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, near Abu Dhabi

Best time to spot flamingos: March to May and September to November

It seems that flamingos wanted a taste of Abu Dhabi’s glitz and glam, with over 4000 settling in at Al Wathba Wetland Reserve. Their arrival, quite unexpected, has been the result of an accidental water leak that created saline lakes teeming with shrimp. The wetlands, a magical mix of sand dunes and salt lakes, are about a half hour drive outside of the city.

Fun Flamingo Facts

Baby flamingos are called flaminglets.

Flamingos get their name from the Spanish word ‘flamengo’ which means flame.

There are six species of flamingo in the world and each species varies in colour from pale pink to deep crimson.

Flamingos are literally the colour of what they eat, with their feathers turning pink and red from the algae and shrimp they consume.

Flamingos look like they have legs that bend backwards but what we often think is their knee joint is actually their ankle. Their knees are hidden in their feathers.

A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.

Flamingos have tough skin and scales on their legs ensuring they can survive in the alkaline waters they love so much and they quite happily drink water that’s close to burning point.

There’s a huge (21 foot) flamingo sculpture inside Tampa International Airport, affectionately known as Phoebe.

How to get the best flamingo sightings

Spanning Africa, the Americas and Europe, flamingos are frequently seen, particularly at our pinpointed best times to visit. As breeding birds, they feed day and night so you can try for both mornings and late afternoons. To up your chances, we recommend heading out a couple of hours before high tide when they come close to the shore. Early morning is a great time for bird watching as is an hour or so before sunset when mountains, salt pans and skies turn as pink as the flamingos themselves. Prepare yourself by reading up on migration and breeding patterns and bring your binoculars, but don’t forget to step away from the camera and enjoy the surrealness of seeing so many beautiful birds in one place.

This feature was created on 18th December 2024. The information within this feature is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of print.