Lac Rose

Lake Retba, universally called Lac Rose, sits behind a dune belt north of Dakar and owes its colour to salt-loving algae that flush the water pink when salinity and sunlight are high - a strawberry-milk shade at its strongest, in the middle of a dry, bright day. Harvesters work the lake as they have for decades, poling flat boats out, breaking salt from the bed by hand and hauling it ashore in baskets, their skin protected by shea butter against the brine. Dunes run from the shore toward the Atlantic, and the lake was for years the finish line of the original Paris-Dakar rally.

What you actually see

• The pink water - strongest in dry-season midday sun.
• Salt harvesters - the flat boats and hand-cut salt piles on the shore.
• The dune belt - sand running between the lake and the ocean.
• Floating in the brine - salinity high enough to float easily.

When to go

The colour is strongest in the dry season, roughly November to June, and at midday when the sun is high - it fades toward grey after rains and under cloud. Early or late in the day the pink is much weaker, which surprises visitors arriving at sunrise for photographs.

Honest expectations

The pink is real but variable and has been weaker in recent years, with flooding in some seasons diluting the lake substantially - check recent reports rather than relying on older photographs. Guides, boat rides and salt-lifting demonstrations come with persistent selling. The brine stings cuts and eyes; rinse afterwards. It is a working salt operation, and the harvesters are labourers, not performers - ask before photographing.

Nearby

Dakar, the beaches at Toubab Dialaw and the Bandia wildlife reserve.