In the heart of the Alicante region is a huge pink lagoon with an area of 1,400 hectares, which is part of the Lagunas de la Mata and Torrevieja National Park. This phenomenon of natural origin, unique in Spain, is produced by a bacterium that releases a pinkish pigment in waters with a high salt concentration: in the case of a pink lagoon 350 grams per liter of water, a form very similar to that in the Dead Sea.
It is not only breathtaking: it is also the most productive salt lake on our continent, because 800,000 tonnes of salt are extracted every year from it, exported to northern Europe and the United States for industrial purposes – from melting salt to the road, dishwasher salt – but also for food – for the production of, for example salted fish.
It is this excess of salt that is the originator of the pink fuchsia that characterizes this lagoon, like others like Lake Hillier or Hutt Lagoon in Australia; the pink Las Coloradas (Mexico); Lake Dusty Rose of Canada, Azerbaijan Lake Masazirgol or Pink Lake of Senegal.
It is in waters with high saline concentration that halobacteria and reddish microalgae with carotenoid pigments appear, from which they feed brine prawns, tiny invertebrate crustaceans and pink water crustaceans, flamingos and gulls. Yes, almost everything here is pink.
The bad news is that although it may seem attractive, it is forbidden to bathe in it, although the photos on Instagram seem to be saying differently. For environmental reasons, bathing is not allowed to guarantee the quality of the lagoon ecosystems, but also for safety reasons.
Salt extraction is done using submerged agricultural machinery, called “backwashing”, and then collected by barges, which is a danger to bathers who omit the norm, so the best bath you can give after in the Mediterranean.
In order to capture this extraordinary view, we invite you to any of the hiking or cycling routes that we recommend you to see, in addition to flamingos, wintering birds, such as herons or fishing eagles.
It is worth remembering that 52% of the municipality of Torrevieja is protected and that this wetland, from which salt is obtained, was declared a natural park in 1992.