Our planet is teeming with many mystical, unknown, scary and unusual beautiful places. Red and pink lakes are named after the color of their waters. Most often they have shades of red: pink, crimson, scarlet and closer to orange. Many of them are dangerous and inspire feelings of fear and horror.
Scientists say that the lakes owe their color to the microorganisms that live in their waters.
The creepy Red Lake Natron in Tanzania turns all living things into stone
In Africa, on the border with Kenya, in Tanzania there is an ominous Lake Narton. Everyone who touches him turns to stone. So far these are only careless birds.
Why do they become fossilized? It's simple: ideal alkalinity pH is from 9 to 10.5 and salt keeps the corpses in the condition that you see in the photo.
But the lake cannot be called dead - it is a haven for millions of pink flamingos. Birds come here to breed. This is an ideal habitat for them: predators avoid this lake, and blue-green algae with red pigments are good for food.
How to get to Lake Natron? From Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha 50 km. And from Arusha it is another 240 km. There are no special tours to this lake, but on the list of tours to the Oldoinyo-Lengai volcano there is an item: visiting Lake Natron. On your own, of course, it will be much more expensive. You can also see the red lake during a safari in National Park Serengeti National Park or Great Rift Valley.
Bloody Red Lagoon of Colorado in Bolivia
Another reddish lake, Laguna Colorado, is located in Bolivia, in the town of Eduardo Avaroa on the Altiplano. This is a state park with a salt lake. The color of the water is given by borax deposits and some algae.
The lake is inhabited by the same pink flamingos. Crowds of tourists from all over the world come to see these beautiful birds and the equally beautiful shallow lake.
How to get to Red Lagoon? You can get there from the towns of Tupiza or Uyuni by jeep (300 km). The place can be visited as part of the Andes tour.
Koyash mineral lake in Crimea
Koyashskoe Lake is located near the Borisovka resort, in the Opuk Bay, in the Cimmerian steppes.
To contemplate the beauty of the lake. Its rich pink color and fancy stone structures in salt crystals are worth coming to see in July-August. The water recedes and the salt comes out, settling on everything it meets on its way.
How to get there (get there)? From Feodosia, get to Borisovka and use your own transport along the dirt road. By public route from Kerch to Maryevka and then on foot 7 km.
Red salt lake Sasyk-Sivash in Crimea
And this is another lake on the Crimean peninsula, not far from the resort of Evpatoria. Lake Sasyk-Sivash has pink color due to evaporation of mineral salt. During evaporation, many carotenoid microalgae appear.
The healing properties of salt have attracted tourists for a long time. It has a high content of magnesium and potassium, bromine and calcium.
Another bizarre moment with Lake Sasyk-Sivash is the “boiling of the lake”. This miracle is understandable - it’s all due to underwater fountains (griffins).
How to get to Lake Sasyk-Sivash? You can take an electric train from Evpatoria to Saki. Then take a bus to Pribrezhnoye and walk 2 km. or by car.
The salty Chokraskoye Lake is located not far from the village of Kurortnoye on the Kerch Peninsula. It, like all the above, has the property of water turning pinkish-red. The reason for this is unicellular algae.
Tourists come here not only to look at the lake, but also to get healing mud and get treatment.
How to get there? By bus from Kerch to the village of Kurortnoye and 2 km. on foot.
Pink lakes tend to predominate in Australia. There is a large concentration of these unusual water areas. Lake Hillier is located at the very large island Middle Island in Western Australia.
How to get here? The problem is that the island is not inhabited, and you can see it from the window of an airplane. Although Australian travel companies offer trips on sea ships.
Lake Retba in Senegal
Pink Lake Retba is located near the capital of Dakar in Senegal.
Pink lake in Altai
Or rather, not one pink lake, but two. The first lake Bursol or Buturlinskoye is located in the Slavogorodsky district Altai Territory(Bursol village), 500 km. from Barnaul to the steppe. And the second is called Raspberry Lake, located 400 km away. from the capital of Altai, near the village of the same name Raspberry Lake.
These salty pink lakes are a great place to relax and prevent the treatment of many diseases. It is clear that the only industry here is salt mining. The pink color of the lakes comes from the crustaceans Artemia and nauplii.
It is better to get there by your own transport or from Branaul by bus: to Raspberry Lake - to the village of Mikhailovskoye, to Buturlinsky - to Slavgorod.
The ancient lands of the Black Continent contain many natural wonders, one of which is a fantastic lake located not far from Cape Verde. This is Retba - the most interesting attraction of Senegal and one of the most colorful places on the planet.
Colorful in the truest sense of the word! The waters of the Pink Lake, as Retba is translated from the dialect of the Wolof ethnic group, shimmer under the sultry African sun with a whole palette of pink colors - from soft crimson to carmine scarlet. The bird's eye view of the reservoir is especially bizarre - a strawberry spot framed by the emerald greenery of the jungle - a truly bewitching landscape!
Pink Lake is a bright spot on the map of Africa
This amazing body of water is located in the Western part of the African continent, just thirty kilometers from the main city of Senegal - Dakar. A narrow strip of sand dunes separates Pink Lake from the mighty waters of the Atlantic. Two-kilometer coastline Retby is a truly picturesque canvas: a string of small boats on the purple surface of the water, the finest golden sand and snow-white hills of salt pyramids. The French-speaking population of the country gave the lake another name - Lac Rose.
History of the magical lake
It may come as a surprise, but the Retba was not always a lake. The reservoir was once part of the Atlantic Ocean, a cozy lagoon separated from Big Water by a narrow channel. The ocean surf and wind washed up the sand for centuries until the channel completely disappeared, forming a salt lake with an area of no more than three square kilometers.
Why is it this color? Until the 70s of the last century, Retba did not stand out in any way among ordinary salt lakes. But the worst drought in the history of Senegal caused the lake to become significantly shallower, opening access to the deepest salt deposits at the bottom of the reservoir. In those years, an extraordinary rainbow phenomenon appeared.
The mystery of rose water
How can we explain the unusual shade of Lac Rose? Everything is very simple, there is nothing mystical or supernatural here.
The amazing purple color of the water is due to myriads of microscopic organisms - cyanobacteria of the genus Dunaliellasalina, which chose Retba as their habitat.
It is the pigmentation of these ancient living creatures that tints the lake with the delightful color of flamingos and dawn. The coral hue of the water is also influenced by the abundance of fossil deposits of minerals and chlorine on the shore. The color of the lake is very heterogeneous and can change depending on various factors: the angle of incidence of sunlight on the lake surface, cloudiness and dry weather. The brightest and most intense pink color is characteristic of the dry season in Senegal - from May to November.
One of the saltiest bodies of water in the world
Dunaliellasalina is the only form of organic life that can exist in the concentrated salt solution of Lake Retba. The salt content in Lac Rose is more than 380 grams per liter, which is one and a half times higher than the specifications Dead Sea. The increased density of water makes swimming easier and prevents drowning, however, staying in pink waters for more than ten minutes is fraught with severe burns and non-healing ulcers on the surface of the skin.
Labor-intensive salt extraction
The rich salt deposits are the main source of income for the local population. On the coast of Pink Lake lies a small village of the Wolof people, whose inhabitants are all engaged in salt mining. This is very difficult work - male miners manually, standing shoulder-deep in water, scoop salt crystals from the lake bottom. In order to protect yourself from the corrosive solution, the skin is treated with shea butter. At the bottom of the lake, workers first blindly loosen the salt, and then fill large baskets with the powder and send them on boats to the shore.
Due to the high density of water, small flat-bottomed boats can hold up to half a ton of cargo, which significantly saves time on transportation. On the shore, women and girls are involved in the work process - the collected salt is dragged to the shore, washed to remove dirt and silt and left to dry. Subsequently, the salt from the bottom of Lac Ross goes to resellers and is used mainly for preserving seafood, and in some restaurants in Europe it is served as an exotic product.
Not only local residents are employed in salt mining; men from neighboring countries continent. A modest payment of $9 for a day of hard labor is considered quite acceptable in Africa. These “guest workers” build their temporary homes from scrap materials right on the banks of the Retba. Every year, up to 25 thousand tons of salt are removed from the bottom of the pink lake, which leads to a rapid deepening of the reservoir - previously the water in Lac Rose reached only the waist, and it was possible to move along it on foot.
Interesting information for travelers
Every year, thousands of tourists come to the pink waters of Retba, wanting to see and capture with their own eyes the extraordinary miracle of nature. For those who are just about to discover Senegal and its notable places, some nuances of traveling in the vicinity of the lake will be useful:
- Pink Lake is located just an hour's drive from Dakar. It is best to go to explore the beauties of Retba as part of an organized excursion route. But you can get to the place yourself by minibus, or by renting a car. For those who want to admire the fabulous landscape at dawn or sunset, there is a network of small hotels nearby.
- Entertainment includes romantic boat rides on the pink surface of the lake, car rides along the picturesque coastline. For a small fee, tourists can get acquainted with all the intricacies of salt extraction and try their hand at this difficult task. Local residents are happy to take everyone fishing.
- During the day, the lake repeatedly changes its hue - from elusive pink and rich purple to brownish cherry with orange notes in color, so it is best to admire the magical landscape several times during the day.
- Not long ago, the final stage of the famous Paris-Dakar race took place along the coast of Lac Rose.
- Not far from the pink lake there is an interesting turtle sanctuary.
Lake Retba – fantastic natural object, which is a must-visit when traveling through the expanses of hot Africa. The mesmerizing beauty of the pink surface in the light of day and in the first rays of the awakening sun will not leave connoisseurs of beauty indifferent. Tell us about your impressions of this delightful corner.
Photo: NeilsPhotography/Flickr
Kelimutu is a volcano on the Indonesian island of Flores. With three crater lakes, each a different color, Kelimutu is a popular tourist attraction. Three lakes, in which various minerals are dissolved, change their color over several years from black to turquoise, red-brown or green. The lake in the west of the volcano is called Tivu Ata Mbupu ("Lake of the Old Men"), the other two are called Tivu Nua Muri Kooh Tai ("Lake of Boys and Girls") and Tivu Ata Polo ("Enchanted Lake"). Locals from the village of Moni, located at the foot of the volcano, believe that the souls of the dead go into these lakes and the change in their color means that they are angry.
Photo: Jose Miguel Gomez / Reuters
Caño Cristales in national park The Macarena in Colombia is called the most beautiful river in the world. Its waters are five-colored, containing shades of yellow, blue, green, black and red. Caño Cristales becomes so vibrant in the summer when numerous algae bloom. There are no fish in the river, but a person can take a dip, the water is very clean and transparent.
Photo: Max Waugh/Solent News/REX
Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is the most active geothermal region on the planet. This is where the largest is located hot spring in the USA, which was called prismatic due to the rainbow color of the waters. The brightness of the source is provided by pigmented bacteria. The banks of the reservoir are orange, and further away there are blue-green-yellow waters. The temperature near the coast is about 50 degrees, closer to the center - 70, and at depth and in the depths more than 80 degrees. Tourists come just to admire.
Photo: Ziv Koren/Polaris/East News
The hot springs in Dallol, Ethiopia, attract large numbers of tourists due to their almost fluorescent brightness. The landscapes here are simply alien.
Photo: Mark, Vicki, Ellaura and Mason / Flickr
Pink Lake, or Lake Spencer, is located in Esperance (Western Australia). It owes its color to the algae content unaliella salina (the algae is green, but produces the colored pigment carotene to protect itself from sunlight). A few years ago, Pink Lake suddenly began to turn pale, much to the chagrin of local residents and tourists. But in the last year or two, the water has regained its former bright color.
Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Salty Tuz Golu is the second largest lake in Turkey. This is both an industrial center (factories extract salt here) and a popular tourist place. Travelers enjoy wandering around the lake when the summer heat evaporates the water and the landscape takes on a quaint appearance. But before the sun burns Tuz Golu, it turns bright red due to an active algae bloom. This is where the freedom for photographers lies! But drinking water, despite the antioxidant properties of red algae, is not recommended. The lake is protected by UNESCO as it is home to the endangered flamingo in Europe.
Photo: Wikipedia
Five Flower Lake in Jiuzhaigou (China) makes you wonder: is this not computer graphics? Its color can vary and be yellow, green or bright turquoise. The depth is large (up to 40 meters), but the water is always very clear; relict trees resting at the bottom can be seen through it. It is believed that wood, entering into a chemical reaction with various minerals in the water, gives the reservoir an unusual color, but the secrets of the lake are not known for certain. Local residents are generally a little afraid of it, considering it mystical.
Photo: Chris Harris/East News
Kliluk, or Spotted Lake, is located in Canada, near the town of Osoyoos, not far from the US border. The lake's water is saturated with various minerals and has the world's highest concentration of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts), calcium and sodium, as well as silver and titanium. In the roast summer time When water evaporates, many oddly shaped spots are formed on the surface of the lake, which, depending on weather conditions, can be painted in different shades. At the same time, islands of minerals are exposed, covered with a durable crust on which you can walk. The waters of the lake have a healing effect.
Photo: Elvin 7 mil. Views/Flickr
The Japanese city of Beppu has many lakes and geysers, it is famous in the country thermal resort. But one body of water stands out from the crowd with its “hellish” character: red color, clouds of steam above the surface, high (90 degrees) water temperature - evidence of the proximity of the geyser and the magma underlying it. The lake both beckons and frightens: it is a tourist attraction, but, of course, it is not a place for swimming, so the reservoir is fenced off.
Photo: Global Look
Blue Lake in Mount Gambier (South Australia) is of volcanic origin. The average depth is 72 meters. But it is famous, of course, not for its depth, but for its color. Blue Lake supplies the town of Mount Gambier with drinking water.
Photo: Wikipedia
Rio Tinto is a river in southwestern Spain in the Andalusia region. Mining has been taking place in its upper reaches for three thousand years, which leads to high concentrations of copper and iron in the water. The high acidity of the water makes the river unsuitable for swimming and even dangerous for people, but Rio Tinto is of great interest to scientists and photographers.
Photo: Eric Pheterson/Flickr
The Great Blue Hole (that's what this place is called) appears as a round hole in the turquoise waters near Belize. The unexpectedly gloomy color for the tropics is due to the sharp difference in depth. This place is a diver's dream, and scuba diving enthusiasts come from all over the world, traveling from the capital of Belize by boat or motor boat. They want to see with their own eyes underwater caves, stalactites and stalagmites, amazing living creatures that live only at great depths.
Photo: imagebroker / Rainer F. Steussloff
We are used to imagining the Baltic Sea as steel-gray, but sometimes its harsh waves can become bright. At the beginning of summer in the Kaliningrad region, in the area Curonian Spit Pines and other plants are blooming, so the water near the shore turns canary yellow with pollen. Unfamiliar with natural features tourists may even get scared, mistaking the strange color for a chemical release. It's okay, you can safely swim.
Photo: Alexey Pavlishak / TASS
The salt lake Sasyk-Sivash in Crimea is located east of Yevpatoria. Once there was a sea here, but a sand bar formed over time turned the waters into a lake. Well, Sasyk-Sivash owes its pink-red color to the algae Dunaliella Sallina. Sea cage pink salt is mined on the lake. You can swim.
Senegal, located in West Africa, is famous for its extraordinary Pink Lake, its color reminiscent of a strawberry cocktail. Lake Retba is an amazing natural phenomenon, unique in its kind, with a truly rich pink color. It is this fact that made it one of the main attractions of Senegal. What is the secret of this miracle of nature, why does the lake have such a color, and what life stories are associated with it?
In fact, everything is quite simple, the water in Lake Retba is salty to such an extent that it is suitable for the life of only one type of microorganisms, which, in turn, give the color, which varies from pale pink to brown. The salt concentration here is many times higher than in the Dead Sea. The color intensity varies depending on the time of day, namely on the angle of incidence of the sun's rays, as well as on the weather. During drought, the pink color is most pronounced.
Pink Lake is located near the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, 30 km from the capital of Senegal - Dakar. Retba Square – 3 square kilometers.
There is an entire village located on the shore of the lake, and local residents spend their days extracting salt from the bottom of the lake and pouring it into boats. This work is very hard, but the pay for it is not bad.
Previously, Lake Retba was not a lake at all; once upon a time it was a lagoon. But year after year, the Atlantic surf brought sand, which subsequently caused the disappearance of the channel connecting the lagoon with the ocean. For many years the lake was unremarkable. But in the 70s, there was a severe drought in Senegal, the Retba became shallow, and the extraction of salt, which lay in a large layer at the bottom, became quite a profitable business.
Nowadays, people extract salt from the lake, standing shoulder-deep in the water, but about 20 years ago there was so little of it that it was possible to walk. By extracting huge amounts of salt from the bottom of the Pink Lake, people very quickly make it deeper. In some places the bottom level dropped by three or more meters.
Video: AROUND THE WORLD: Pink Lake Retba
Be sure to check out the Pink Lake, also known as Retba. The color of the water in it resembles either potassium permanganate or a strawberry cocktail. This incredible natural formation features natural water.
It is not surprising that the lake is considered one of the main ones. What is its secret?
The mystery of rose water
The water of Lake Retba is very salty. For most microorganisms, the salt level is lethal, and only one species can survive in it. It is these creatures that give the water its beautiful color. The intensity of the shade can vary from delicate pinkish to dark brown, everything is determined by the angle of incidence of the sun's rays and weather conditions. For example, during the dry season, the Pink Lake in Senegal becomes incredibly bright, attracting especially large numbers of tourists. The magical shade of the water, combined with the many boats gliding along the surface of the lake, creates a completely surreal picture.
Where is it located?
You can look at Pink Lake off the Atlantic coast. It is located near Dakar, the capital of the country.
Just thirty kilometers from the city, and you are there. It’s also not far from the westernmost point of the peninsula - twenty kilometers to the peninsula Cape Verde. The area of the amazing reservoir is small (three square kilometers), and its deepest place is three meters. There is a village on the shore, whose workers and traders are fed by the Pink Lake. Photos of this place often illustrate the work of local residents. They stand up to their necks in water and manually scoop salt from the bottom. This is very hard work, but it pays well. Therefore, flat boats cover the entire coastline every day.
Retba's story
There was once a lagoon here, connected to Atlantic Ocean. The surf brought sand from year to year, and the channel was gradually filled with it. In the 70s, a drought hit these places, after which the Retba became shallow, making salt production quite accessible.
The water is gradually returning, and workers are standing in it up to their shoulders, but just twenty years ago the level here was at most waist-deep. The depth of the lake is also increasing because people are extracting about twenty-five thousand tons of salt, gradually scooping out the bottom. Apart from microorganisms called dunaliella, which give the water a special hue with its pigment, no other organisms, fish or plants live here. The Pink Lake is even more deadly for all living things than the famous Dead Sea - there is one and a half times more salt here. It is impossible to drown here: dense water holds objects on the surface. Even boats heavily laden with loot do not sink. A boat can be filled in three hours of hard work, and each worker must repeat this operation three times a day. To prevent salt of such concentration from corroding the skin, workers rub themselves with special oil from the fruits of the tallow tree. Otherwise, painful ulcers will appear on the skin within half an hour. So it’s better to watch the lake from the outside.
