Laguna de Torrevieja, Alicante, Spain

© Juan Maria Coy Vergara/Getty Image

Pretty in pink. Laguna de Torrevieja, Spain

When we encounter bodies of water in nature, we naturally expect the usual hues of blue, ranging from the pale cyan shade of shallow sea shoals to the near-black navy blue of deep lakes. But pink water—where on earth could that be found? From Africa to Europe, many lakes have the particularity of having a pinkish tint. El Parque Natural de Las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja in Alicante, Spain is one of these places. The area holds two lakes: a traditional, green-coloured lake and the pink hued Torrevieja that commands our attention. The highly salinated water, which you can see naturally dotted with clusters of salt crystals, is the perfect place for the proliferation of microscopic algae that's rich in carotenes. This results in the rosy tinge that protects the algae from solar radiation. And the pink is just getting started, as the algae is eaten by tiny crustaceans—which turn pink—which in turn are eaten by flamingos, who acquire the rosy hue as well.