Lac Retba, universally called Lac Rose, sits in a shallow basin behind the dunes about an hour northeast of Dakar — a small salt lake whose water turns a startling bubblegum pink in the dry season. The colour is real, not a filter; a carotenoid produced by a halophilic alga reacts with the salt-saturated water. It is one of the most-photographed sights in Senegal.
Around the lake, hundreds of salt collectors work waist-deep from wooden pirogues, breaking up the crystallised salt on the lake floor and loading it into the boats. The salt — about 380 grams per litre, roughly Dead Sea levels — is so corrosive that the workers smear themselves in shea butter as protection. Quad bike and 4x4 tours circle the lake and the dunes between it and the ocean.