Lac Rose
Some 35 km north-east of Dakar, Lake Retba owes its pink colour to an alga, Dunaliella salina, and its salt content reaches up to 40%. It was the last stage of the Paris–Dakar rally.
Key facts
Before you go.
- Starting point
- Dakar, 35 km to the south-westLake Retba (Wikipedia)
- GPS coordinates
- 14.83834, -17.24482Lake Retba (Wikipedia)
- Best season
- Dry season, November to May; the colour is often strongest from late January to early MarchLake Retba (Wikipedia)
Good to know
Three things to remember.
In the rainy season, June to October, the colour is much less visible.
Lake Retba (Wikipedia)Salt is still harvested by hand, in the lake itself.
Lac Rose (Wikipédia)Flooding in September 2022 made the lake lose its colour for a while.
Lake Retba (Wikipedia)
Plan the trip
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Keep exploring
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Sources · 2 pages consulted, with the exact sentence used
- Lake Retba (Wikipedia)
Lake Retba, also known as Lac Rose […] some 35 km (22 mi) north-east of the capital, Dakar. It is named for its pink waters caused by Dunaliella salina algae and is known for its high salt content, up to 40% in some areas. Its colour is usually particularly strong from late January to early March, during the dry season. Flooding in September 2022 […] led the lake to lose its colour […] The colour is particularly visible during the dry season (from November to May) and less visible during the rainy season (June to October). (coordinates 14.83834, -17.24482)
- Lac Rose (Wikipédia)
Il doit sa renommée à la teinte originale et changeante de son eau, mais aussi au rallye Paris-Dakar dont il constituait l’ultime étape. L'extraction du sel est pratiquée dans le lac lui-même, de façon manuelle.
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