Lake Retba (Lac Rose)

Lake Retba, commonly called Lac Rose, is a natural saline lake in Senegal noted for its pink water colour produced by the halophilic algae Dunaliella salina and for very high salinity (reported up to around 40% in places). The pink coloration is seasonally strongest during the dry season (late January to early March). The lake has long supported salt-harvesting activities and attracted tourists because of its unusual colour and buoyant waters. In September 2022 flooding altered the lake's conditions, disrupting salt harvesting and causing the lake to lose its pink colour, negatively affecting tourism. According to the supplied sources, by 2025 the lake had regained some of its colour. The supplied research materials do not document any folkloric or paranormal traditions (such as curses or drowned souls) tied to Lake Retba; claims of supernatural activity are not present in the provided sources and therefore are not included here.