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 pond was once part of Atlantic Ocean, a cozy lagoon separated from the Big Water by a narrow canal. 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 saturated pink color typical for 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 is a fantastic natural site that you 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.
If you look at Lake Retba or Lac Rose (translated as “Pink Lake”), in the African city of Senegal from above, you might think that this is some kind of strawberry milkshake that you just want to taste , but in reality this is a salt lake, which is far from a sweet cocktail.
The question may arise - how can a lake have such a color? And all because the water contains large quantities of a single-celled microscopic algae - Dunaliella salina, which gives Lake Retba its pink color. Apart from this bacterium, there are no living creatures in the reservoir, all because it is very saturated with salt, and no microorganisms survive in it. It is dangerous even for a person to remain in such a solution for a long time, since the concentrated saline solution can corrode the skin. The salt content is about 380 grams per liter, which is one and a half times higher than in the Dead Sea! A person will definitely not drown in such a lake.
The lake once had access to the ocean, but over time the passage was filled with sand, therefore, without access to the ocean, it began to dry up from the 70s and became so salty that it became impossible to drink and therefore the residents who lived near it, moved to other places. But on this moment People still live near it, these people are from the Wolof tribe, of whom there are about 3,000 people and who work in this place, they extract salt from Lake Retba and sell it. From available, improvised materials, they created homes for themselves here - huts, in which they spent the night. Although their earnings are not very high - about 9 dollars a day, for an African republic this is a fairly good income. Extracting salt from this lake is not an easy task, you need to spend the whole day in salt water, which can corrode the skin, but to protect themselves, they rub themselves with oil obtained from the fruit of the tallow tree, which protects their skin for a while.
Salt has been extracted from the bottom of Lake Retba (Lac Rose) for several years, since 1970, and every year it becomes deeper, which makes it more difficult for workers to extract it. More than 25,000 tons of salt are mined here every year. The extraction process itself is as follows: first, the salt at the bottom is loosened and then blindly collected into baskets, then the collected salt is loaded into boats, which, due to the high concentration of salt in the water, can withstand a lot of weight, and this is up to 500 kilograms, and the worker does not need to swim often to the shore to unload. Then the women, often young, collect this salt again in basins, wash and clean it, and then take it to their piles of collected salt. Each family has its own, where it is left to dry until resellers buy it.
Senegal, a state in West Africa on the Atlantic Ocean, if not for the lack of infrastructure, could become one of the most popular tourist destinations peace. Here, perhaps, there is everything that a real traveler might like - long sandy beaches, wonderful climate, colonial cities such as Saint-Louis with characteristic colorful boats on the ocean. There are also objects included in the list World Heritage UNESCO, such as Goree Island, the largest center of the slave trade in Africa. And near the capital of the country, Dakar, in a relaxed atmosphere is one of the unique natural wonders in the world - Lake Retba, also known as Pink Lake due to its unusual color.
This very Lake Retba is located about 20 km from the capital and from the westernmost point of Africa - Cape Verde, and it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean only by a narrow strip of dunes. The water turns an unusual pink color throughout Senegal's dry season, which lasts from November to May, with the color changing depending on the angle of the sun.
The unusual color of the lake, which is reflected in its name, is associated with the presence of cyanobacteria in the water, which produce a special pigment. Affects the shade and the presence of minerals on the shores of the lake, mainly chlorine and minerals.
A body of water covering an area of 3 square kilometers, is also characterized by high salinity, this allows people to float easily on the water, just like in the case of the Dead Sea. The salt content in a liter of water here is estimated at 380-400 grams!
It is not surprising that the extraction of salt from the Pink Lake has become one of the main activities local residents who spend several hours a day there. To protect their skin from the harmful effects of water, they lubricate their bodies with a special local shea butter. Once the silt is removed from the bottom, it is washed and dried, resulting in many distinctive salt mounds visible on the shore.
Lake Retba brings double income to the people of Senegal - firstly, it is the extraction and sale of salt, and secondly, thanks to its pink color, it quickly became a popular attraction that attracts tourists from all over the world.
An interesting fact is that one of the main stages of the famous Paris-Dakar rally, which is now held in Argentina, used to take place along the coast of the Pink Lake.
There are many attractions in Crimea. The most famous of them are: the Grand Canyon, Mount Ai-Petri and bird home. However, there are others on this peninsula that are very interesting, but, unfortunately, few Famous places. The Pink Lake also falls into the category of such attractions. In Crimea it is the saltiest.
Where is it located?
This interesting tourist attraction is located on the territory of Cape Opuk, approximately 30 km from Kerch. Once upon a time there was a military training ground in this place. But not so long ago Opuksky was created here nature reserve. The area of this reserve is not too large. But at the same time, a huge number of different kinds of rare birds live on its territory. Opuk was removed from the command of the military training ground in 1998. At the moment, it includes not only this cape itself, but also part of the coastal territory, as well as outcrops standing in the sea, called “Ship Rocks” for their unusual shape.
The Pink Lake itself in Crimea is located on Opuk in close proximity to the Black Sea. This body of water is separated from it only by a not too wide sandy embankment.
A little history
Story ( bcnjhbz) near the Pink Lake in Crimea is quite interesting. It belongs to the group of volcanic ones. That is, it was formed a very, very long time ago. In fact, even today its bottom is a dormant volcano. Not so long ago, Pink Lake was part of the Black Sea. However, later the surf brought a lot of sand here. Because of this, an embankment-lintel was formed.
Short description
So, we found out where Pink Lake is in Crimea. It is located near Kerch. Its official name is Koyashskoye. This unusual body of water is quite large in size. Its total area is about 5 hectares. The lake reaches 4 km in length and 2 km in width. You will not be able to swim in this reservoir. Its depth in spring reaches only 1 meter. By autumn, the lake dries up completely. This reservoir is actually very salty. Therefore, practically no living creatures are found in it. The salt concentration in it reaches 350 grams per liter. This is definitely a lot. Koyashskoye is the saltiest body of water on the Crimean peninsula.
The mud in this lake is healing. They are mined and supplied for the treatment of vacationers to local sanatoriums. You won't be able to swim in this lake. However, you can smear yourself with mud on the shore. There is enough water to wash them off.
Why pink?
The main feature of this reservoir that attracts tourists to it is, of course, not its shallow depth or high salt content. Of course, it was not for nothing that the lake was called pink. The water in it really has this color. This body of water looks especially beautiful at sunset. In fact, the name Koyashskoye itself translates as “the lake in which the sun hides.”
In spring, the water in this reservoir has an ugly brown-brown dirty color. However, already in June, with an increase in air temperature, its shade begins to change rapidly. This is primarily due to the vital activity of algae breeding in the lake Dunaliella Salina.The beta-carotene it produces gives the water a delicate, juicy pink hue.
When is the best time to go?
In spring, the water in Lake Koyashsky is not very beautiful. But you can admire the surroundings of this reservoir in April-May. At this time, a huge number of tulips bloom along the shores of the lake. They almost cover the local hills with a carpet.
In order toappreciate beautyhimselfPink lake in Crimea, it’s worth coming here in mid-late summer. It is during this period that algae develop most actively, and the water acquires a truly beautiful shade.
Closer to autumn, the lake, as already mentioned, dries up. But even at this time it looks quite impressive. The fact is that the beta-carotene contained in its water turns salt pink.
Later, in the fall, due to rains, the lake begins to fill with water again. At this time of year, the layer in its bowl is not too large - about 2 cm. But because of it, the lake looks like a huge clear mirror. Tourists walking along the pond at this time of year feel like they are floating in the air due to the reflecting clouds.
How to get to Pink Lake in Crimea?
Get to this unusual natural object on the peninsula you can follow the Feodosia-Kerch highway. At the sign "Marfovo-Marevka",not reaching about 20 km to the city,you need to turn towards the Black Sea. The road ahead will not be very good. You should be prepared for this. Having reached the village of Maryevka, you need to turn straight towards the coast onto a country road. It may not be possible to drive through it in a regular car, as it is heavily rutted. Some part of the journey will most likely have to be covered on foot. But get to the cape by jeepThe dough will turn out without any problems.
Opuk Nature Reserve
Where is the Pink Lake in Crimea located specifically -It's clear. But it’s still not worth going on an excursion to see him spontaneously.Illegal entry into the reserve territoryat Cape Opukprohibited. In order to get into the reserve, you needat firstobtain a pass by first submitting an application to its administration. Hereshouldindicate the purpose of the visit, the number of people wishing to see the cape and their age.You don't need to travel anywhere to apply. Do itYou can, for example, via the Internet. The reserve has its own VKontakte group.
Other Pink Lakes of Crimea
Koyashskoye actually looks very beautiful. However, there are also others in Crimea salt lakes same nice color. In this case, the effect is caused by the same algae. Lakes such as Krasnoi and Staroye, for example, have a pink tint on the peninsula.
Both bodies of water are located on the territoryKrasnoperekopsk City Councilin the west of the peninsula. These lakes also look very impressive.
Why is the water pink?
This question comes to mind first; it is asked by almost every traveler who has visited this anomalous place. But the answer has not yet been found. Unlike other colored lakes in the world, such as Retba in Senegal and the saltwater bodies of San Francisco Bay, the origin of Lake Hillier's pink color has not been definitively proven.
At first it was thought that the color was the result of paint created by Dunaliella and Halobacteria organisms living in salty bodies of water. Another hypothesis says that the pink color is due to red halophilic bacteria. It was assumed that the reason for the pink color of the water was a combination of a certain salinity of the water and specific microorganisms. But tests conducted in 1950 did not confirm these assumptions. In subsequent years, a number of studies were also carried out, but the mystery of Lake Hillier remained unsolved, seriously exciting the minds of scientists.
Lake location
Lake Hillier is located at the very edge of the Middle Island, separated from the ocean only by a small strip of eucalyptus trees surrounding the reservoir on all sides. The evergreen trees provide a wonderful contrast to the landscape, looking particularly vibrant against the pink lake backdrop.
As for the size of the lake, it cannot be said that it is large. Its width is about 600 meters. Thanks to its oval shape, the lake is often compared to a fairy-tale cake with delicious pink icing.
History of Pink Lake
The first mention of Lake Hillier dates back to 1802. British navigator and hydrographer Matthew Flinders stopped on Sredniy Island and noticed unusual lake on the way to Sydney.
In the years 1820-1840, seal hunters and whalers stopped on the island, and at the beginning of the 20th century, salt began to be extracted from rose water. But the resource quickly dried up, and after 6 years salt production was stopped. Since then, the lake has not been used for industrial purposes.
The Legend of Lake Hiller
This one has mysterious place has its own, very beautiful legend, explaining the pink color of the water. It is known to few sailors and rare travelers.
In the 17th century, in the waters surrounding the island, the ship was caught in a strong storm and sank. The only surviving sailor was thrown onto uninhabited lands. The fight against the elements greatly injured him. Due to broken limbs, every movement brought pain to the sailor, and getting food became torture. A few weeks later, maddened by pain, loneliness and hopelessness, he exclaimed: “I will sell my soul to the devil if this nightmare stops!” Then a man came out from the shadow of a nearby tree with two jugs in his hands: one contained blood, and the other milk. He slowly walked to the small internal lake of the island and said: “Blood will help you forget what pain is. Milk will relieve you of hunger. All you have to do is plunge into these waters.” After this, the stranger poured the contents of the jugs into the lake, causing it to change color. The sailor, who thought he was crazy, slowly walked into a suspicious rose water and dived, and when he emerged, the strange stranger was nowhere to be found. To the traveler’s surprise, there was no trace left of the fractures and the feeling of hunger. Later, pirates landed on this island and took the poor sailor prisoner. Subsequently, the filibusters were alerted by the fact that the prisoner did not feel pain and did not need food. Considering this a bad sign, the superstitious pirates threw the sailor overboard, not believing in his mystical story of healing. By the way, what original name Lake “Hiller” is absolutely consonant in pronunciation English word“Healer”, which translates as “Healer”.
