Torrevieja Pink Lake

The Torrevieja Pink Lake is the Laguna de Torrevieja, the salt lagoon known locally as the Laguna Rosa, on the edge of Torrevieja town. Swimming in it is banned, and the inside of the working salt works can only be visited with the salt company: by tourist train (about 1 hour, 10 € for adults) or on a guided walk (about 1.5 hours), both leaving from Calle Los Portalicos. For trails, bird hides and the visitor centre, head to the park’s other lagoon, La Mata, just off the N-332.

Quick facts

• Names: Laguna de Torrevieja, also called the Laguna Rosa (Pink Lake); the salt works are Las Salinas de Torrevieja.
• Protection: part of the Parque Natural de las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja, a natural park of 3,700 ha spread over Torrevieja, Guardamar del Segura, Los Montesinos and Rojales. The Torrevieja lagoon covers 1,400 ha and La Mata 700 ha.
• A working salt works: sea water is concentrated in La Mata and the salt is harvested in the Torrevieja lagoon, around half a million tonnes a year (Torrevieja tourist office).
• Swimming: banned in both lagoons.
• Getting inside the salt works: tourist train, about 1 hour, adults 10 €; or a guided walk, about 1.5 hours, adults 12 €, on Saturday mornings (checked Sept 2026).
• Visitor centre: at La Mata, just off the N-332 at km 64.5, open mornings only.
• Flamingos: they feed and rest in La Mata, with counts of up to 2,000 birds during migration.

Map and exact location

On the map: salt-industry interpretation centre by Calle Los Portalicos, 37.97915, -0.69208 · Laguna de Torrevieja, the pink lagoon · Salinas de Torrevieja, the salt works · Laguna de La Mata · natural park boundary.

Access and parking

Into the salt works and to the pink lagoon: the Torrevieja tourist office says the inside of the salt works can be seen by tourist train, and on foot or by bike only with a booking. The salt company’s train leaves from the salt-works entrance on Calle Portalicos (s/n) and takes a little over an hour, including a stop in the middle of the salt works and at the shop. It runs every day, with morning and afternoon departures whose times change through the year, so check the current timetable on the company’s page before you go. Tickets are sold on the train: adults 10 €, children aged 2 to 12 9 €, over-65s 9.50 € (Salinas de Torrevieja, tourist train, checked Sept 2026).

Guided walk: also from Calle Los Portalicos, in Spanish and English, about 1.5 hours past the salt mountains, the old industrial buildings and the pink lagoon. The current timetable has it on Saturday mornings, starting at 09:00 (meet at 08:45); adults pay 12 € and children aged 5 to 12 9 €. You must give the names of everyone booked, which the company says is required to control the impact of visitors on the birds. Bookings on +34 966 901 350 (Salinas de Torrevieja, guided visits, checked Sept 2026).

To the La Mata visitor centre: the park’s visitor centre is in the old forestry house at La Mata, reached from the N-332 Alicante–Cartagena road at km 64.5 by a paved track. The Costa Azul bus between Alicante and Cartagena stops 200 m from the information centre (Parque Natural, how to get there). The visitor centre and the salt-works entrance are in different places, so plan them as two stops.

Parking: we found no official information on parking at the salt works or at the La Mata visitor centre.

What to expect

An industrial landscape inside a natural park. The salt works are an active industrial site: the Torrevieja tourist office describes a system in which the La Mata lagoon concentrates the brine and the Torrevieja lagoon is where the salt crystallises and is harvested. After harvesting, the salt is piled into the white salt mountains, known locally as garberas, that you see from the train.

Why the water is pink: the park authority names the single-celled microalga Dunaliella salina as one of the main causes of the lagoon’s reddish-pink colour, because of its high beta-carotene content; the alga is also food for the small crustacean Artemia salina (Parque Natural, flora). The salt company adds pigmented halobacteria, which live in very salty water (Salinas de Torrevieja). How salty: sea water holds about 30 g of salt per litre; it is brought to about 120 g/l in La Mata, then moved to the Torrevieja lagoon, where salt crystallises at about 300 g/l.

La Mata, the park’s walking side: the park authority’s routes start at the La Mata information centre. The yellow walking route passes most of the park’s habitats and the La Cigüeñuela hide, where you can see birds from gulls and avocets to flamingos and black-necked grebes; keep silent at the hides. The red cycling route is 5.2 km, not technical but with one fairly hard climb, and from its highest point you see both lagoons, the pines, the Mediterranean and, on clear days, Tabarca Island. The green wine route is 1.5 km, easy, about 40 minutes, and starts about 150 m from the visitor centre. The park lists five bird hides: El Zampullín, La Cigüeñuela, El Fumarel, La Avoceta and El Chorlitejo (red route, wine route).

Guided eco-routes: Torrevieja’s tourist office runs free guided walks in the park, with limited places and booking required, including a general route and a bird-watching route; dates are published on the eco-routes page (Torrevieja tourist office, eco-routes, checked Sept 2026).

Skip it if you are hoping for a swim or a beach day: bathing is banned in both lagoons, and the pink lagoon is a working salt works that you see from a train or on a guided walk.

Practical details

• Visitor centre hours: mornings only, and closed on 1 and 6 January and 24, 25 and 31 December. The park’s two pages give different hours (weekdays from 9:00 or 9:30 to 14:00; weekends and holidays to 13:00 or 14:00), so phone +34 96 572 16 50 before a special trip.
• Groups: more than 15 people must tell the park’s interpretation centre in advance; more than 35 need an authorisation requested 15 days ahead.
• Park rules: no camping or caravans, no quad bikes or motorbikes, dogs on a lead, and no horses or bikes on the boardwalk. Stay on marked paths, keep away from the lagoon shores, and do not catch animals or pick plants.
• In the salt works: collecting salt is not allowed, nor entering restricted areas or disturbing the birds. Pets are not allowed on the tourist train.
• Photography and drones: professional photo and film shoots inside the salt works are a paid service from the salt company, with permits included (Salinas de Torrevieja, photoshoots). We found no published rule on flying drones over the park; ask the park office before you fly.
• Tourist Info Torrevieja: +34 96 570 34 33.

Accessibility and safety

Best time to visit

None of the official sources we checked names a month or season when the pink is strongest; they put the colour down to the high salinity and the microorganisms in the water. The salt company says sunset is the best time to see it, and runs a sunset visit on Fridays and Saturdays, with a start time that moves with the season (Salinas de Torrevieja, sunset visit). For flamingos, go to La Mata rather than the pink lagoon: the park counts up to 2,000 there during migration, and the salt company says flamingos find more food in La Mata because it is less salty. The visitor centre opens in the morning only, while the train runs every day with morning and afternoon departures. In summer the tourist office also runs a night route in the park, in July and August.

Nearby alternatives

• Salinas de Santa Pola, 24 km away: salt pans and lagoons with flamingos, the third wetland in the southern Alicante triangle.
• El Hondo Natural Park, 25 km away: wetland between Elche and Crevillent with bird hides and a visitor centre.
• La Manga del Mar Menor, 37 km away: the sand strip between the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean.
• For where to stay and eat nearby, see our Torrevieja town guide, Guardamar del Segura guide and Orihuela guide.
• Alannia Guardamar, about 13 km away: the nearest campsite you can book through Campcation (affiliate link).

Distances are in a straight line from the salt-works area on Calle Los Portalicos.

FAQ

Can you swim in the Torrevieja Pink Lake?

No. Bathing is banned in both lagoons of the natural park. The Torrevieja lagoon is a protected area and an active industrial salt works, and collecting salt is not allowed either.

Why is the lake in Torrevieja pink?

Because of microorganisms that live in the very salty water. The park authority names the microalga Dunaliella salina, rich in beta-carotene, as one of the main causes; the salt company also points to halobacteria.

How do you visit Las Salinas de Torrevieja?

With the salt company: the tourist train leaves every day from Calle Portalicos and takes about 1 hour (adults 10 € in September 2026), and a guided walk of about 1.5 hours runs on Saturday mornings. Walks and bike visits need a booking.

Where can I see flamingos near Torrevieja?

At the Laguna de La Mata, the park’s other lagoon, where flamingos feed and rest; up to 2,000 have been counted during migration. The La Cigüeñuela hide on the yellow walking route is one place to watch from.

Is there a visitor centre?

Yes, at La Mata, in the old forestry house off the N-332 at km 64.5. It opens in the morning only; phone +34 96 572 16 50 to check the day’s hours.

Sources and freshness

Checked 30 September 2026. Park authority (Generalitat Valenciana): Parque Natural de las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja (size, lagoons, salt system), flora (pink colour), fauna (flamingos), visitor recommendations (bathing ban, rules, groups), visitor centre, accessibility, how to get there, places of interest and the yellow, red and wine routes. Torrevieja tourist office: the natural park, Las Salinas and eco-routes. Salt company (train, walks and prices, September 2026): tourist train, guided visits, sunset visit, about the salt works and terms. Location: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos: Wikimedia Commons, licences as credited.