Pink Lakes of Las Coloradas in Yucatan is usually a genuine location with pink water. A photo from this place also became my most shared and well known photo on Instagram, so it comes as no surprise that numerous readers and followers are asking me questions about it. Here’s a simple compendium of all the things you need to know when visiting Las Coloradas that some refer to pink lakes, other people to pink lagoons.
Las Coloradas suggests ‘blush red’ in Spanish. It’s in fact the name of a tiny village, that specializes in salt production and fishing. The spot is actually a aspect Rio Lagartos Biosphere, protected All-natural Reserve with lots of birds, crocodiles, flamingos as well as other species. Regardless of where you are coming from, it’ll probably take you about 5-6 hours round trip just to get there. Is it in fact worth your time…?
How to Arrange a Trip to Las Coloradas Pink Lakes
I’m not going to lie. When I very first visited Las Coloradas I ended up coming back very disappointed. I took a tour that promised to take me to find out pink lakes, a river filled with crocodiles and ruins of Ek Balam. On the other hand, I ended up seeing a compact body of water that looked much more yellow than pink, no crocodiles or flamingos, and I didn’t realize how did a lot of people claim to view bright pink lakes. The trip was a significant fail.
When I came back to Las Coloradas and Rio Lagartos for the second time within a rental vehicle, my husband and I found our strategy to the actual pink lakes. Right here are my ideas on tips on how to arrange your trip in order to not get disappointed.
What to do in Las Coloradas?
There’s not a great deal to do at pink lakes apart from admiring their beauty. Las Coloradas is a extremely tiny town, so you will not discover any tourist attractions like souvenir shops, cafes etc. At the least, not however, but judging in the crowds storming the place it could happen soon.
In fact, there’s only one nearby restaurant there and a few really standard corner retailers. It’s also essential to mention that pink lakes are not technically a tourist attraction per se. It’s a operating salt factory that became renowned for the pink color in the water that locals don’t wish to turn into a tourist attraction like it occurred to Salinas de Maras in Peru.
If you are heading to Las Coloradas, I suggest you also take a boat tour around the nearby biosphere of Rio Lagartos. In an effort to do so, just stroll down the key road by the water of Rio Lagartos town (located about 30 minutes from Las Coloradas), where the boats are kept. You will be approached by numerous boat owners offering to take you in to the reserve.
Boat tours coast about 900 MXN per boat (not per particular person) and they’ll take you to find out birds, horseshoe crabs, a lot of flamingos, and crocodiles. You’ll have an opportunity to bathe in salt water and take a mudbath. Apparently, a mud bath is quite very good for the skin and the exact same mud costs quite a bit if purchased inside a fancy box.
My individual tip could be to go see the lakes AND take a boat tour. The boat tour is totally worth it, but you won’t see the pink lakes up close from it.
Why Are Las Coloradas Pink? Is the Pink Water Organic?
I’d say that the place is 50% organic and 50% manmade.
Back inside the Mayan occasions, salty ocean water from mangroves was flooding to manmade lagoons and evaporating inside the sun, leaving natural sea salt behind. Since the lagoons are so shallow and salty, the red algae and plankton are brine shrimp are concentrated and consequently, their pink colour tends to make the water pink.
The manmade explanation for this pink water would be the concentration of your microorganisms. This is also why the flamingos in the area are pinker than most flamingos mainly because they consume far more from the brine shrimp that makes them pink (sadly, humans cannot get pink from eating it). I wonder if flamingo poop is pink too…
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