20/10/2026
As the dry season reveals the river’s steep sandy banks, one of Africa’s most spectacular sights arrives in a flash of colour. Thousands of Southern Carmine Bee-eaters gather to nest — vivid pink and turquoise birds swirling above the water in huge, noisy colonies. From August to early December, they dig metre-long tunnels into the river cliffs, where both parents raise their chicks, often with a little help from others in the colony. It’s a breathtaking riot of colour, sound and movement — the kind of moment that stops even non-birders in their tracks. No wonder they’re known as the jewels of the African skies.
