Parque Natural de las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja
Two vast salt lagoons — one bubblegum-pink, one jade-green — stretch across the southern Costa Blanca in one of Spain's most surreal natural landscapes. Flamingos, avocets and black-winged stilts wade through the shallows while a chalky salt crust glitters along the shore.
Why the water turns pink
The rose colour comes from a cocktail of halophilic microalgae and the brine shrimp Artemia salina, both of which thrive in the lagoon's extreme salinity. Light bounces off billions of tiny organisms to produce that signature millennial-pink glow, most vivid on calm mornings between June and September.
The adjacent Laguna de La Mata offers a contrasting palette of greens and blues and is ringed by a 10 km signposted trail through dunes, salt flats and Mediterranean scrub. Binoculars are essential — the reserve hosts over 200 recorded bird species.
Walking, cycling and salt harvesting
A flat, well-maintained cycle path loops around Laguna de Torrevieja, connecting the city waterfront to the salt-extraction facilities that have operated here since the 9th century. You can watch industrial harvesters pile salt into white mountains that dwarf the machinery — an oddly photogenic industrial spectacle.
The Visitor Centre on Calle Ramón Gallud in Torrevieja has free maps, bilingual panels and a small exhibition on the ecology and salt trade. Rangers run guided birdwatching walks on weekend mornings throughout spring and autumn.
Parque Natural de las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja on video
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