If I told you that there’s a landscape near Buenos Aires that feels like Mars, you wouldn’t believe me, but it’s true. It’s in La Pampa, and walking on the pink ground makes you feel like you’re not of this planet. This Martian landscape is in La Pampa and is a pink salt flat.
Why is the water in this salt flat near Buenos Aires pink?
Welcome to the Salinas Grandes de Hidalgo, in Macachín. It’s a spectacular landscape that you can reach by car from Buenos Aires and that will surprise you, among other things, with its deep pink color.
Its color is pink because these lagoons are home to a microscopic crustacean called Artemia salina, which gives the waters a strong pink hue, contrasting with the white of the beaches.
That same crustacean is the main food source for the flamingos that live there, and it is precisely the carotene in its shell that tints these birds’ plumage pink. You can walk peacefully across that pink field, which is also a salt flat. That’s why, just a few hours from Buenos Aires, you can discover these pink salt flats and walk through a field of salt.
Las Salinas Grandes de Hidalgo: a secret of the Pampas just a few hours from Buenos Aires
The Hidalgo salt flats were already known by the end of the 17th century. Today, they have been part of the Provincial Cultural Heritage Registry since 2009 and are operated by the company Dos Anclas, the salt producer. Did you know that La Pampa produces more than 40% of the nation’s salt?
You can visit the salt flats freely and for free on your own. At the entrance, you must register and then walk through the permitted areas. Since it’s a salt flat that’s still in operation, access may vary depending on the day.
The salt flats are about 15 km from the town of Macachín, about 620 km from Buenos Aires.
📍 Salinas Grandes de Hidalgo, 15 km from Macachín, La Pampa
🚗 About 615 km from Buenos Aires via National Route 35
💰 Free admission with registration at the entrance
📞 To schedule a weekday visit: Dos Anclas factory, Provincial Route 1, Macachín exit
