Do you love strawberry milkshake so much that you wish you could just swim in it? Here’s your chance.
Hidden away on the tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is a surreal place with pink lakes surrounded by salt dunes known as ‘Las Coloradas’. The unusually colored lagoons appear utterly bizarre, as if someone had tipped in a load of pink dye while no one was looking.
…So Why Exactly is the Lake Pink?
The color comes from a dye that is created by bacteria, a certain Dunaliella salina. Once the lake water reaches a certain salinity level and the temperature rises high enough, the reddish pigment begins to accumulate in these micro-algae. As the water evaporates, these organisms become more concentrated, glaring pink in the bright Mexican sunlight.
Pink lakes are very rare wonders around the world. Some of the most famous include Ukraine’s Lake Koyashskoe, Tanzania’s Lake Natron, and Senegal’s Lake Retba. Australia boasts two famous pink lakes, Lake Hillier and Hutt Lagoon. If you were to compare all of these pink lakes, you would find one interesting factor in common: they’re all salt lakes.
This incredible natural phenomenon provides livelihood to the locals, as the huge piles of salt surrounding the lagunas is actually shipped to kitchens all over the country.
Las Coloradas is also the name of the close by tiny fishing village, and the whole area is a part of the Río Lagartos Reserve, a protected space residence to cute animals like flamingos, crocodiles, sea turtles and sea birds.
That’s crazy beautiful mother nature right there.
The pictures taken in this area all look like they’ve been photoshopped, but the water really is a vibrant bubble gum pink. This lake is just naturally and breathtakingly beautiful.
Where is Las Coloradas Pink Lake located?
Getting to Las Coloradas requires a three hour drive from Cancun. Along the way you can stop in Valladolid, a small but pretty, pastel-colored colonial city. As you head north from Valladolid, the drive through the Yucatán countryside becomes more interesting and scenic, especially after Tizimin.
Once you reach the coast, you can stop to see the beaches, where you will see nothing but dunes, sea and miles of pristine coastal landscapes. The second stop along the road is the salt factory, surrounded by huge mountains of salt gleaming in the sun. After the mountains, drive a bit further to find the pink salt pools and the fishing village.
Keep in mind that this is privately owned salt mining factory, and the village has about 1,000 inhabitants who usually work in fishing and with salt. Las Coloradas (the village) has no actual lodging choices or tourist infrastructure, and most vacationers keep within the close by city of Rio Lagartos or Valladolid.
You can also simply go for a day-trip with a rental car from Cancun, like I did. Just Pack a picnic lunch. And a bottle of Rosè.
Can You Swim In It?
No, you cannot swim in Las Coloradas. There was once a separated small section where tourists could step in but this isn’t the case anymore. Touching the water is now prohibited to maintain the integrity of the salt production process and protect the unique ecosystems.
However, I think it’s still worth a detour if you’re visiting the eastern part of Yucatan.
