Outside the ancient Thracian city of Nessebar, Bulgaria, is a picturesque pink lake: Lake Atanasovsko. Just a stone’s throw from the Black Sea, the lake is one of the few places in the world where visitors can enjoy a dip in a pink lake.
Lake Atanasovsko covers about 28 square miles, but only a small section of the lake is actually pink. Located near the Burgas Saltpans (spelled Бургаски солници in Bulgarian), the pink hue in this part of the lake is likely thanks to Dunaliella salina, a microalgae that thrives in the high-salinity environment. This alga produces red-colored carotenoids that give the water its distinctive color. The pink water and lake mud are both thought to have healing properties, and many bathers cover themselves in mud before cleaning off in the rosy waters.
In addition to its Instagram-ready pink waters, Lake Atanasovsko is a critical habitat for rare and endangered bird species. Since the lake doesn’t freeze in winter, many waterfowl, such as Dalmatian pelicans, mallards, ospreys, and white herons, wait out the cooler months here.
The lake is also Bulgaria’s largest salt producer, and workers harvest some 40,000 tons of sea salt here annually.
With its pink waters, saltpans, and rich biodiversity, Lake Atanasovsko is an unmissable, little-known gem of the Bulgarian coast.
