Planet Pink is Calling – Visiting Las Coloradas

It was a day when our planet Earth felt like planet Pink. It started with waking up in the most charming pink hotel Rosas & Xocolate in Merida, the capital of Yucatan. Sissi stepped on the gas of our beloved Nissan Sentra (rented car we used for exploring Yucatan), and already in 3 hours we found ourselves in Las Coloradas. The Pink Lagoon. Or as it is often called on Instagram – the pink beach.

Can you imagine the level of excitement when 3 pink lovers (Una, Isi and Sissi) finally got to see the lakes in 50 shades of pink and purple? It was a feast for the eyes. The moment when you realize what incredible, dreamy places our planet hides.

First of all, let me clarify – the pink water are salt lakes. While driving around, you will pass by sites for salt production.

Now how come the water is pink? It is all thanks to the plankton, red algae and brine shrimps that are highly concentrated in the salty lakes of Las Coloradas. And another pink-fun fact – flamingos are actually white birds! They become pink due to exactly these pink organisms that they feed upon.

No, it is not possible to go in or take a swim. Otherwise, with all the tourism, people would contaminate the water. This was possible a few years ago, but not anymore. Even if you are one of those rebels, that take no as “try me”, I would still advise you not to try to touch or get into the water. Not only because this has to do with respect and simply conscience about preserving natural beauty like this. But also because you should spare yourself of embarrassment and troubles with the guards, that are surveying the beach.

And now maybe you are wondering, if it makes sense to drive all the way there if you cannot “interact” with the water? In our opinion, it definitely does! And if possible you should come around noon and explore the area until sunset. You just need to see and experience this beauty with your own eyes.

Can you spy the butterfly? <3

We had several outfits that we already prepared for this location, so the match is not a coincidence. And I can warmly recommend you to do the same! This location really deserves the extra effort. And in the end, you will also be happier with the outcomes of your pictures.

Of course, as a photographer, I secretly wish we had dozens of props – balloons, massive dresses, some “picnic at the beach” stuff and a lot more, but we decided not to go that far. Functioning like a normal person can be so difficult sometimes! xD But who knows, one day, I can imagine ourselves to come back to Las Coloradas and maybe then some props loaded shooting will take place.

Toasted and albino sister. 😀 Behind the lens was our dearest Sissi. <3

My sister, my dearest model. <3

Now when it comes to practical stuff, when organizing our visit to Las Coloradas, we relied upon a truly perfect and useful travel blog post written by Marion. You have to take a look at it here, regardless if you are planning a visit or not. The photographs are really worth it!

We already had our rental car for exploring Yucatan, and we drove to the lakes on our own. I can imagine that some of you may be worried about safety, but what I can say from our experience is that we really had zero issues and not a single uncomfortable situation during our entire trip. So the same was with Las Coloradas.

Of course, I always do advise you to have some safety precautions, such as to avoid driving around much at night for example, if you are only girls on the road, as it was our situation. But in general, I plan to prepare a post about safety in Mexico, where we will share all of our tips and experiences.

Also, as Marion suggested in her post, make sure to bring enough snacks with you, especially if you plan to explore longer, since there are no shops around in this area. We always had lots of fruits with us, also drinks and salty snacks. There are many cool chips tastes in Mexico, and yes I admit, they are one of our guilty pleasures. But only while driving around!

You can get your snacks in supermarkets in Merida, or you can also buy fresh fruits, next to the road from the local sellers. We once got the best ever dragon fruit from a lady that was only selling dragon fruit from the tree in her garden! Imagine having one of those! Isi and I have never even seen the tree of that fruit live. Mexico, it is a pure food heaven.

But I know, this post is about the Pink Lagoon, so I won’t let my mental hunger distract me much!

Concerning flamingos… Shooting these beautiful birds has obviously gone wrong. I was following Marion’s tips, however I just had no luck. Ok also patience was lacking. 😀 I guess it was the best idea to wait for the sunset time, however we had to rush back to Merida and for that reason, we missed the sunset at Las Coloradas.

We have seen flamingos only in other of the lakes, which were not really pink or blue. But exactly the color you see at the unedited picture down below. My soul will always regret missing taking some fabulous pictures of the flamingos (or even better imagine Isi and flamingos in the background!), so to do justice to this location, make sure to check Marion’s post. She really made stunning pictures of the flamingos and the whole scenery at Las Coloradas.

Travel. It changes you. It changes how you see the world. How you think. It brings you new ideas. Memories of those unbelievable moments last forever.

Make a wish and truly believe that you will reach your dream destination. No one can stop you from that. Isi and I discovered the Pink Lagoon ages ago and made that screenshot. A few years after, we arrived all the way there! And the best of all – we experienced the pink beach with our favorite Mexican girl. <3

xoxo,

Una

All from the above was the Instagrammable part and here you can see the other side of Las Coloradas – salt production lines.

Last but not the least, our Nissan Sentra deserves a feature. Can you imagine that we managed to fit 3 huge suitcases in his trunk? For that, this car will always have a place in my <3. Yes, I am one of those people that attaches to cars. And other material stuff. 😀