The picture-perfect, welcoming white beaches of Lake Retba in Senegal are not what they seem to be. Lake Retba's white beaches are largely composed of pure salt, and the lake is so salty that it rivals the notoriously salty Dead Sea. Its moniker, Lac Rose, suggests its gorgeous pink tint during the dry season is hinted at by its moniker, Lac Rose. The salinity of its waters contributes to constant color changes throughout the year.
The Dunaliella algae is the same source of the pink color as other pink bodies of water worldwide. In some seasons of the year, the lake may even seem blood red due to a mixture of minerals, algae, and strong sun.
The lake serves as a gathering place for salt miners, who must cover themselves in shea butter to shield their skin from the extreme salinity after spending entire days extracting salt from the lake bottom.
