Laguna Colorada, Salt lake in Eduardo Abaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, Bolivia
Laguna Colorada is a salt lake located in the Eduardo Abaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve near Uyuni at approximately 4,270 meters elevation. The water is dotted with white mineral islands and colored red by algae that thrives in these high-altitude conditions.
Laguna Colorada was listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 1990, within the Los Lípez site. On 13 July 2009 the designation grew from 513.18 to 14,277.17 km² to take in the surrounding high Andean endorheic, hypersaline and brackish lakes and their bofedales. The lake lies in the Eduardo Abaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, in San Pablo de Lípez municipality, Sud Lípez province, Potosí department.
The name comes from the red colour of the water, produced by red sediments and pigments of algae; the Spanish word colorada means red. The lake is the main nesting centre for James's flamingos, which gather in groups of up to 25,000 birds. Unregulated tourism is altering the behaviour of the flamingos during their breeding season.
Laguna Colorada lies at 4,278 m, with average temperatures of 8.9 °C, mean minima of −8.9 °C and absolute minima of −17 °C; annual precipitation is only 75 mm. Access is only by jeep excursions from Uyuni, Tupiza or San Pedro de Atacama. The 35 km shoreline and shallow 35 cm depth mean you view the lake from its gravelly shore.
The red color comes from millions of microscopic organisms and a specific algae type that thrive under the intense UV light at this elevation. These tiny creatures create one of the world's most unusual lakes with its distinctive red hue.
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