I can’t believe I haven’t shared photos of Las Salinas de Torrevieja or the pink salt lagoon located in Parque Natural de Las Lagunas de la Mata e Torrevieja from our Calpe 2018 holiday!
We stopped off at probably one of the nicest beaches first near Alicante, Playa de San Juan. Warm, shallow, beautiful blue and green turquoise waters. I didn’t want to leave however with the sun getting hotter, the beach busier and the afternoon shortening we debated over going to Alicante or Las Salinas de Torrevieja. P won as it’s meant to look amazing at sunset and we didn’t have long to make it for sunset (FIY I still want to go to Alicante for the old town). Inspired and amazed by the colours I went a little photosnappy…
We arrived I think an hour to 45 minutes before sunset which was plenty of time to see the water lit pink as the sunset. Located nearby is Torrevieja’s salt mine which causes one lagoon to be pink and the other lagoon green! The lagoon’s pink colour’s due to Halobacterium bacteria which lives in extremely salty water environments.
The water’s dense enough to be like the Red Sea although I’m not sure is bathing is allowed. If it is, people ignore the signs, prepared enough in advance to bring 8l or more bottles of water to rinse off with. While the sea’s salty, the marsh around isn’t so be prepared if visiting in July like we did for bug repellent (preferably natural bug repellent). Mosquitoes, midges, other bugs that like to bite were out. Be careful where you step too in the salt slush/ brown mud. Shoes will get salt damage and stink from the mud.
Sunset was amazing. We walked away from the bathers near the path entrance a little up soaking up the silence. So tranquil I heard thump swoops of wings above. Looking up I’m sure it was a small flock of flamingos crossing the lake. All along the shoreline as the lagoon’s water evaporated that day, it left the salt in small deltas, sand dunes, mini snow capped mountain like formations giving an otherworldly shimmer. As the sun set the lagoon lit up a magical shade of pink. Along the shore the pink’s more a dark murky pink shade. As the low light catches it turns more vivid with the white of the salt reflecting the rays. Almost like snow.
Even more magical was the salt illuminated by dusk and a full moon
Have you visited Las Salinas de Torrevieja or another pink lake? I’d love to visit more pink lagoons. Please share where!