Lac Rose

Lac Rose, properly Lake Retba, is a shallow salt lake behind the dunes north east of Dakar, separated from the Atlantic by a narrow strip of sand. A salt-loving alga tints the water anything from pale lilac to deep strawberry, strongest in the dry season when the sun is high and the wind is down. Its salinity rivals the Dead Sea, so swimmers float without effort. Collectors work the lake from pirogues, breaking salt from the bed with poles and heaping it in white cones on the shore. The lake was for decades the finish line of the Dakar Rally.