Galerazamba

Salt has been produced here by solar evaporation for a long time - seawater is let into shallow ponds and left to concentrate as it dries, and the salt is harvested from the beds. The colour is a by-product: as salinity rises past a certain point, Dunaliella salina, an alga that produces carotenoid pigments, dominates the water along with halophilic bacteria, and the ponds turn pink to deep red. The intensity depends on salinity, temperature and how far through the cycle a given pond is, so some are pink, others grey-green, and the same pond changes over weeks - a visit can find them at full colour or almost none. The village is small and the works are industrial. There is a viewing point and a museum on the salt.

Highlights

• Evaporation ponds in stages - some pink, some not, at any given time.
• Colour from an alga and salt-loving bacteria - as salinity rises.
• A working salt operation - industrial, not a park.
• A small museum on salt - beside the viewing area.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, when concentration is highest. Half a day.

Things to know

The pink is not guaranteed - it depends where each pond is in its cycle, and visitors are regularly disappointed. There is no shade and the heat and glare are severe. Facilities are minimal. It is a working industrial site.

Nearby

Volcan del Totumo is south; Cartagena is beyond.

Key facts