Lake Salinas, Salt lake in Arequipa Region, Peru

Lake Salinas is a shallow salt pan at 4,300 m in the Arequipa Region, within the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve. It covers up to 6,182 hectares but shrinks in the dry season to a salt crust. The volcanoes Pichu Pichu and Ubinas dominate the surrounding landscape.

The area received protected status in 1979 when the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve was established to preserve natural resources and wildlife in this highland zone. This early conservation effort marked recognition of the region's ecological importance.

The lake supports local livelihoods: residents graze alpacas and llamas and work at a sodium borate mine, and they also extract salt (sodium chloride) that is sold to the mine itself. The Quechua name Kachiqucha refers to the salt water.

The lake sits about three hours from Arequipa city by vehicle, requiring passage through Chiguata village to reach it. Morning departures work better for observing wildlife, so plan accordingly if animals are your main interest.

The lake's brine holds boron, chlorine, magnesium, sodium and potassium sulphates, strontium and lithium, and salinity reaches 40 g per litre. A mining centre extracts sodium borates, hiring local residents as temporary workers, who also sell salt to the mine. In the dry season the water can vanish entirely, leaving a salt crust.