Senegal's Pink Lake: Back to pink after green turn
The Pink Lake, located 35 kilometres from the capital Dakar and known as "Retba" in the local language Volof, has turned pink again.
- Life
- Published Date: 03:41 | 08 July 2025
- Modified Date: 03:50 | 08 July 2025
The lake, which is one of the saltiest lakes in the world and turns into pink tones thanks to the algae named "Dunaliella salina", has an important place in terms of both tourism and the economy of the region.
The lake, which was also used as the finish point of the iconic Paris-Dakar Rally for many years, is one of the first natural beauties that come to mind when Senegal is mentioned.
The pink lake also stands out with its salt production, which is an important resource for the Senegalese economy.
In the lake where approximately 60 thousand tonnes of salt is extracted annually, 3 thousand people make a living from this business.
Salt production in the lake, which has a maximum depth of 3 metres, takes place from November to June, which is considered as the dry season.
The pink colour of the lake is caused by the proliferation of the salt-loving (halophilic) green algae Dunaliella salina.
This microscopic algae produces a red pigment to protect itself and adapt to the salty environment, thus turning the lake pink.
As the salinity in the lake, which contains about 400 grams of salt per litre, decreases, the algae in question becomes unable to produce pigment and the lake begins to turn green.