Pink lake Torrevieja + la Mata beach

Located in the south of the Costa Blanca, next to the city of Torrevieja (Alicante, Spain), with an area of 1400 hectares the Pink lake of Torrevieja is one of the most interesting places you can visit in Spain.

Part of a nature reserve called Las Salinas de Torrevieja, this lake has a unique characteristic of being pink in color due to the pigments present in a bacteria (Halobacterium) and a micro-algae (Dunaliella salina) that have managed to thrive in a very salty environment.

The whole ecosystem of this lake revolves around this colour, small invertebrate crustacean feeds on the algae and takes on a pinkish colour, these small crustacean are also part of the flamingos diet, which is why the plumage of these birds turns pink.

La Mata Beach is a Blue Flag beach (meaning quality and safety in Spain) that extends over 2.3 km, its beautiful golden sand is ideal for sunbathing, playing with a bucket and spade or going for long beach strolls.

As you make your way north you’ll find that the beach gets even quieter, and there’s a 14th-century watchtower at the northern limit, which served as part of a series of defences when coastal Spain was vulnerable to pirate attacks.