LandmarkBonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Salt Pans

Name: Salt Pans
Address: Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Pink salt pans and white salt mountains along the coast road in the south, where Cargill harvests salt. You'll often spot flamingos from the road.

Windmills pump seawater into the pans, where sun and wind evaporate it until, after a few months, only the salt remains. Brine shrimp and micro-organisms turn the water pink. The salt is piled into mountains along the road and loaded onto ships via the salt pier.

At the Pekelmeer, a protected wetland, there is a breeding ground for flamingos. You're not allowed in, but you can often see the birds from the road; binoculars help. The salt company's dykes and grounds are not open to the public.