Hidden Pink Lakes: 11 Secret Locations Where Nature Painted the Waters Pink

2. Lake Masazir, Azerbaijan

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One of Central Asia's best-kept secrets, Lake Masazir is tucked away in the stunning terrain of the Caucasus. During the summer, this natural salt lake changes remarkably as more evaporation concentrates its mineral composition, producing an amazing show of pink colours ranging from gentle rose to deep magenta. About 21 kilometres from Baku, the relative isolation of the lake has helped to maintain its natural beauty and cultural value. Local salt harvesters have worked these waters using age-old techniques handed down through families for ages, producing a remarkable junction of natural beauty and cultural legacy. Rich in magnesium chloride and sodium chloride, the lake's unusual chemical makeup offers the ideal habitat for halophilic bacteria that help to explain its unusual colour. Particularly between sunrise and dusk when the colours seem most vivid, the surrounding landscape—which is marked by rolling hills and semi-desert terrain—stands out sharply against the lake's pink waves.