The Laguna de Janubio is a large, emerald-green saltwater lagoon located at the Salinas de Janubio, the only operating commercial salt works on the island. During its heyday, the Salinas produced around 10,000 tons of sea salt per year, with the water originally being pumped into the lagoon by wind power, which has been replaced by electrically driven pumps.
The main use of salt production was in the fish industry for preservation and processing. With the invention of the refrigerator, the production decreased considerably and only reaches around 2,000 tons per annum nowadays. A small part of the production is still sold as high quality table salt and each year, during the Corpus Christi festival in June, tons of dyed salt are traditionally used in the creation of magnificent decorations in the streets and squares of the capital city of Arrecife.
Laid out in a geometric pattern, with each of the saltpans showing a different colour depending on the amount of water in it, the Salinas could be mistaken as an intentionally created, enormous piece of art – despite their obvious functional purpose.
This is a leading attraction for visitors who like to take photographs of the impressive landscape.
South of the Salinas lies a wonderful long beach with black sand, where you can find some nice specimens of olivine in the rocks. Unfortunately, swimming is not recommended here as there are many strong sea currents. The Salinas area is also known as an ideal place for the observation of all kinds of bird species, especially in spring and autumn.
