Portugal: Tavira Salt Red Lakes

There are red-colored lakes in many spot around the word – Senegal, Australia, Ukraine. And a lesser known spot is in Portugal – the Tavira Salt Red Lakes. Situated within the Ria Formosa Natural Park, these geometric evaporation pools have been used to hand-harvest sea salt since the Roman and Phoenician eras. The red coloration of the lakes is a completely natural phenomenon driven by three main factors: a salt-loving microalgae that produces high amounts of carotenoids thrives in the lakes and then the tiny brine shrimp feed on the algae further concentrating the red. Flamingos feed here as well and we saw them in the air.