Rose Gold
The Magic of Las Salinas
Catwalks split the salt pools into shades of pink and white,
Salt is life. I’ve always known this. It’s healing. It’s flavorful. But I never expected that a trip to the salt flats of Cabo Rojo could be such a surreal experience. The 301 road winds through Cabo Rojo on the southern tip of the island, bordered by wildlife preserves and the placid Caribbean Sea. Beyond the window, the flats glisten a snowy white. It’s a strange association for a place as sun-baked as Puerto Rico, but fitting nonetheless.
Although historically known for other resources such as sugar and coffee, salt was Puerto Rico’s first industry and an incredibly important one. The battle waged for control of the salt flats, is actually what gives the neighboring beach of “Combate” its name. But those days are long past. These days, Las Salinas are characterized by a quality of serenity, seabirds nesting on its grounds and filling the air with their songs.
We pull up to an unassuming blue gate and park the car. Tours of the flats are available, but the site is free for the public to enter. Inside catwalks criss-cross the shallow pools of evaporating salt. The pools alternate between azure blue and rose pink, catching the sky’s reflection and projecting it on a tinted surface. It’s more dreamscape than landscape, the Caribbean breeze making ripples as it passes over rosey waters. Before we leave, my partner picks up a chunk of natural salt, a little souvenir for the road.
