I'm sure there are many pink lakes in the world, but not so many close to me. That's why this is on my bucket list, a beautiful pink lake actually in our neighbours!!So, this is located in the Natural Park of Las Lagunas de La Mata e Torrevieja (Alicante province), and you can find here the salt exploration of the region. If you're lucky and get there in the breeding flamingo season, you'll see plenty of them :) I don't know when is it, but I know that breeding and nest building may depend on rainfall and its effect on food supply.
The color of the water is made by some bacteria that live there (halobacteria). They can live in extreme environments like this (the salinity of this water is huge, ok?). This halobacteria has a protein in its skin, the bacteriorodopsina, that is actually red/pink, and that's why the lagoon has this beautiful color. On the other hand, it's a land of other creatures like the unicellular seaweed Dunaliella Salina and other crustaceans, that help for that coloration. Other creatures eat the original colored bacteria, and then they turn into that color too!
How to visit:
It's important to tell you that it's strictly forbidden to bath in the lagoon, a way to preserve the ecosystem.Since you're here, you can go to the La Mata lagoon, a salt water lagoon in the same natural park. It's also beautiful, but without the pink color. To a more cultural trip and to know the story of the lagoon, you can visit the lagoon tourism center opened Monday-Friday 9am-2pm and weekends and holidays 9am-1pm.
The best way to get there is probably by car, but you have to reach the urban civilization of El Hondo. But if you don't have that chance just try to find some kind of tour that works for you :)
