You must have seen or been to many lakes, whose waters shimmer in different shades of turquoise blues and emerald greens, but can you believe that there are lakes that are cotton candy pink! Unbelievable, you say? You are wrong.
The pink lakes of Las Coloradas exist and are hidden away in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula that boasts of a colorful panorama. Little wonder, the Spanish named a small fishing village Las Coloradas that in Spanish means ‘the red’. It has a population of just a thousand people.
Image Via: CityExpressIt is near this village, towards the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, that numerous bright pink lakes are located, giving a surreal aura to the whole landscape. These lakes form a part of the Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, a 150,000-acre protected wetlands area that has a prep onderance of animals and birds, such as crocodiles, sea turtles, jaguars, flamingos and various species of sea birds.
Image Via: The Travel BlogWhen you drive up from Playa del Carmen, you come upon these unusual lakes, that appear lit brightly in pink. Little wonder these lakes immediately become the focus of your attention.
Why is Las Coloradas pink?
It may surprise you to know that these pink lakes are man-made, though not artificially flooded with pink water! Actually, these lakes are infested with red-colored algae, plankton and brine shrimps that subsist and thrive in the salty environment of the lakes. The natural shallow lakes in this region were used in ancient times by Mayans for procuring salt through evaporation of water. Since then, this region’s main industry has been salt production.
