Nature Reserve of the La Mata and Torrevieja Lagoons
3,700 protected hectares, 2,100 of which are water spread across two salt lagoons.
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The Nature Reserve of the La Mata and Torrevieja Lagoons has two lagoons that behave very differently: the greenish La Mata lagoon, and the pink Torrevieja lagoon. It has been a protected bird area since 1989.
Why one lagoon is pink and the other isn’t
The difference is salinity. The La Mata lagoon works as a concentration lagoon: seawater starts to evaporate there, and its salinity supports algae that give it a greenish tone. The Torrevieja lagoon holds around 350 g of salt per litre, roughly ten times the salinity of the Mediterranean, and is where crystallisation and salt extraction happen.
The La Mata lagoon has much lower salinity: seawater enters at around 30 g of salt per litre and gradually concentrates through evaporation up to about 150 g/L, before being transferred to the Torrevieja lagoon for final crystallisation. That lower concentration — ten times less than the pink lagoon — is what lets a different type of algae survive, giving this lagoon its greenish tone instead of pink.
At that concentration only three organisms survive: halobacteria (purple membranes), the microalga Dunaliella salina (produces beta-carotene) and the brine shrimp Artemia salina, which feeds on both and takes on their colour. That’s why flamingos are pink: they’re born grey and get the pigment from eating Artemia salina.
The three marked routes
- Yellow route (hiking) — a roughly 16 km loop around the La Mata lagoon.
- Red route (cycling) — about 5 km, designed for bikes.
- Wine route — 1 km, about 40 minutes, through traditional vineyards.
Visitor Centre
| Monday to Friday | 9:30 - 14:00 |
| Saturdays, Sundays and holidays | 9:00 - 13:00 |
| Closed | 1 and 6 January, 24, 25 and 31 December |
| Phone | +34 96 572 16 50 |
Located in the former Casa Forestal de La Mata, about 400 m from the N-332, kilometre marker 64.5. Audio guides are available in Spanish, Valencian, English and German, along with a tactile model of the park with a Braille legend for visually impaired visitors.
Source: parquesnaturales.gva.es, official website of the Generalitat Valenciana.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Torrevieja lagoon pink?
Can you swim in the pink lagoon?
Why are flamingos pink?
Apartment in La Mata, a short walk from the entrance to the Lagoons Nature Reserve. 52 m², 4 people, easy public parking nearby.
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