- Address: Laguna Colorada, Sur Lípez, Departamento de Potosí, Bolivia
- Area: 60 km²
- Length: 10.7 km
- Average depth: 35 cm
- The greatest depth: 1,5 m
- Length of the coastline: 35 km
- Height above sea level: 4278 m
On the high plateaus of Bolivia there are many salt and freshwater lakes, one of which is the shallow lake of Laguna Colorado or, as it is also called, the Red Lagoon. The lake is located in the southwestern part of the Altiplano plateau on the territory of the national reserve Eduardo Avaroa .
The Laguna Colorado pond in Bolivia destroys all the usual ideas about the color of the water. Contrary to the laws of nature, the waters of the lake are not habitually blue or turquoise, but a reddish-brown hue. This gives the red lagoon a special color and mystery. Recently, more and more tourists come here. And they are attracted, above all, by a fantastic color scheme and unusually beautiful landscapes.
Natural features of the lake
The red lagoon in Bolivia occupies an area of 60 square kilometers. km, despite the fact that the average depth of the salt lake barely reaches 35 cm. There is a rich deposit of borax, a mineral, which is the raw material for boron production. Deposits of borax have a white color, which contrasts sharply with the rest of the landscape. In addition, large deposits of sodium and sulfur were found on the coasts of the reservoir. The red lagoon on all sides is picturesquely surrounded by majestic cliffs and boiling geysers.
Red Lagoon Colorado is famous throughout the world for its unconventional color of water, which depends on the time of day and air temperature. The water surface absorbs various shades of rich red, green and brownish-violet color. Changes in the color scale are explained by the presence in the lake of some species of algae that emit bright pigments, as well as deposits of sedimentary rocks in this area. Traveling through Bolivia, visit Laguna Colorado to make an exclusive photo of the red lake.
At night, it is quite cold here, and the thermometer columns often drop below zero. But in summer the air warms up very well. Summer months are considered ideal for visiting the Laguna Colorado. Due to its natural features, the red lagoon of Bolivia in 2007 claimed to be one of the new Seven Wonders of Nature. Unfortunately, before the final there were not enough votes.
Inhabitants of salt lake
This shallow lake, saturated with plankton, has become a kind of home for 200 species of migratory birds. Despite the cold weather conditions, there are about 40 thousand flamingos, among which there is a rare South American species - the pink flamingo of James. It is believed that these birds on the planet are very few, but on the coast of the Lagoon-Colorado they accumulate a huge number. Also here you can see the Chilean and Andean flamingos, but in relatively small quantities.
In addition to rare birds, on the territory of the red lagoon there are some species of mammals, for example, foxes, vicuñas, llamas, pumas, llama alpaca and chinchilla. There are also various reptiles, fish and amphibians. Tourists often come to Laguna Colorado to see the local fauna, unreal clusters of exotic flamingos and, of course, fantastic changes in the color scheme of the water.
How to get to Laguna Colorado?
You can get to the red Lagoon Colorado from the city called Tupitsa , which is located next to the Argentine border. This way is chosen mainly by tourists who travel from Argentina, because crossing the border in this place is not particularly difficult. The visa is stamped at the border crossing for about $ 6. In Tupits there are several travel agencies that organize car tours on the Altiplano plateau. Agencies necessarily include in their program a tour of the coast of Laguna Colorado.
However, the bulk of travelers choose a route from the city of Uyuni , which is north of Tupitsa. The tourism business here is much better developed, which means that the choice of travel agencies is broader. The program of travel is standard, the same as with colleagues from Tupitsa. This is a 3 or 4-day trip on an off-road vehicle on the Altiplano plateau with a mandatory trip to Laguna Colorado. Rent a jeep with a driver and a cook costs $ 600 for 4 days. It is worth noting, the distance of 300 km to the red lagoon can be overcome only by jeep.
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