Pink lakes are a rare phenomenon, but a beautiful sight to behold. Ranging in shades from bubblegum to deep rose, though scarce, they can be found in various locations around the globe.
The pink hues of these lakes generally can be attributed to microorganisms living in the water, however they vary in size, depth, and salt content. If planning to visit any of the pink lakes below, be sure to have your camera ready to capture some truly photo-worthy natural pink beauty.
Lac Rose, Senegal
Senegal‘s Lac Rose AKA Lake Retba is the only pink lake in Africa. A saline lake with a salt content of around 40%, the lake is a source of income for thousands of salt harvesters. Lac Rose’s beautiful pink hue is said to vary depending on how the sun’s rays hit it.
El Salar de Galerazamba, Colombia
About an hour northeast of Cartagena lies El Salar de Galerazamba, AKA the Pink Sea. Despite its name, the rose-colored body of water is not a sea at all. It’s actually a salt mine that derives its pinkness from algae that manufactures the beta-carotene producing the pink color.
Lake Hiller, Australia
With more than 10 pink lakes, Australia boasts the highest number of rose-colored lakes in the world. The most famous of them all is Lake Hiller.
Unlike many other pink lakes, Lake Hiller retains its uber-pink hue year round without fluctuation. The lake owes its color to its high concentration of dunaliella salina or red algae.
Laguna Colorada, Bolivia
Most pink lakes do not host much wildlife due to their high salt content, however there are a few exceptions.
Located within a nature reserve, Bolivia‘s Laguna Colorada AKA Red Lagoon is home to several species of flamingos who do not seem to mind the salinity. The flamingos are able to thrive there and blend right in with the lake’s pink shade.
Dusty Rose Lake, Canada
Canada’s Dusty Rose Lake is unique in that it does not owe its color to microorganisms. In fact, the lake is anoxic, meaning it does not contain any oxygen at all, and thus, can not sustain any organisms.
It is not 100% clear where the lake gets its pink color. However, it is difficult to access due to its remote location. It is said that the easiest way to view the Dusty Rose Lake is from above, on a flight between the British Columbian cities of Vancouver and Terrace.
Laguna Salada de Torrevieja. Spain
Laguna Salada de Torrevieja is one of the saltiest lakes in Europe. It is pink thanks to the presence of halobacteria and dunaliella salina.
Like Bolivia’s Laguna Colorada, you might spot flamingos here, but only during breeding season. When present, the birds enjoy feasting on the shrimp found in the lake.
Masazir Golu, Azerbaijan
The color of Azerbaijan’s Masazir Golu ranges from shades of pink to more of a red during the summer months.
Used for harvesting salt, the lake is government-protected and surrounded by a fence. For this reason, it isn’t much of a tourist attraction, however many people have succeeding in convincing the guard on duty to let them in to snap a few pics.
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