Lake Retba

This body of water in Tivaouane Peulh-Niaga shifts between pale pink and deep magenta depending on the light. The shallow basin sits nestled between sand dunes and is surrounded by a sandy shoreline where wooden boats and salt mounds line up side by side.

The water body was an ordinary freshwater lake until the 1970s, before a long drought period changed its character fundamentally. Rising salinity made mineral extraction possible and transformed the location into a major workplace.

The name Retba means pink lake in the local Wolof language and describes exactly what visitors see. Workers wade through the water daily, load salt into pirogues and stack it on the shore in white pyramids.

A visit is possible year-round, though the color appears most intense between November and June. Walking along the shore gives insight into salt extraction, and the high salt level allows effortless floating in the water.

Microscopic algae of the species Dunaliella salina give the water its unusual color by producing red pigments under sunlight. The salt concentration exceeds that of the Dead Sea and reaches levels found in only a few water bodies worldwide.