There are some two million lakes on planet Earth, ranging from ancient mountain trickles and former volcanic craters to paradisiacal lagoons. A lake can, of course, be beautiful for many reasons – its dramatic backdrop, its wildlife-rich banks or even the manmade structures that frame it. How many have you seen in real life, and which ones are on your wish list?
Read on to discover the world’s most beautiful lakes worth visiting...
Situated in the southeast of Germany’s Berchtesgadener Land district, close to the Austrian border, Lake Königssee is one of the deepest and cleanest lakes in Europe. Found within the Berchtesgaden National Park, this fjord-like lake stretches for five miles (8km) and sparkles beneath the sheer limestone rock faces of Mount Watzmann and the towering Bavarian Alps. Boat trips can take you across its sparkling green waters to the 17th century St Bartholomä Church, a tranquil pilgrimage site once owned by the kings of Bavaria.
The 24-mile-long (39km) Lake Lucerne in central Switzerland has an irregular and intriguing shape, thanks to the limestone peaks which seem to ‘reach’ into the water like arms. Yacht cruises are a great way to explore the shimmering waters and glaciated valleys that connect the lake’s four basins. The various lakeside towns, with their mountain backdrops, also make for wonderful day trips. In the colder months, this perialpine lake becomes the gateway to some excellent winter sports at Mount Pilatus, Mount Rigi and Mount Titlis.
Like something out of a fairy tale, the 16 terraced lakes that make up the Plitviče Lakes National Park in Croatia are linked by some 90 spectacular waterfalls. Connected by winding wooden walkways and surrounded by an emerald-green forest reserve, this chain of lakes imbues an almost fantastical feel. Explore this turquoise watery world on foot or via ferry and admire the cascading waters of the 256-foot-high (78m) Veliki Slap, as well as Barac and Šupljara caves.
With a unique geology, Crater Lake in Oregon is one of the most fascinating lakes in America. As the name suggests, this vast natural basin lies within a caldera in the Cascade Mountain Range, which formed after Mount Mazama erupted more than 6,000 years ago. And with depths of up to 1,949 feet (594m), this is the deepest lake in the US. Since all of the water derives from precipitation and glacial runoff, this wildlife and adventure-rich lake makes jaws drop with its awesome deep blue colour too.
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Of the 16 lakes that occupy the UK’s Lake District – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – Windermere is, arguably, the most beautiful. Covering 5.7 square miles (14.8sq km), this vast expanse of water reaches an impressive 10.5 miles (18km) in length which means there are abundant water sports opportunities. Impressive panoramas of its shimmering blue water can also be admired from the glorious bucolic countryside which Cumbria is known for.
The Italian Lakes are all a thing of beauty, but the celebrity favourite known as Lake Como often, justifiably, steals the limelight for its manicured gardens, beautiful hotels and elegant Mediterranean villas. The southern shores of this sparkling lake are around 32 miles (51km) from Milan, making it a fantastic day-trip option. But with alpine vistas, pretty towns (like Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio) and lakeside beaches, this wishbone-shaped oasis is a holiday destination in its own right.
One of Africa’s major Rift Valley lakes, Malawi never fails to amaze with its rugged beauty and sheer magnitude. At 350 miles (563km) long and up to 2,316 feet (706m) deep, it is the third largest lake in Africa and among the deepest in the world. The crystal-clear water and otherworldly rock formations of its lakeside beaches are simply idyllic. The site has been heralded by UNESCO for its unique biodiversity too. With some 700 different types of colourful cichlid fish living here, it’s a diver’s paradise.
It’s easy to see why Lake Tahoe, situated on the California-Nevada state border, is one of the USA’s most enticing. Situated high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, with an elevation of 6,224 feet (1,897m), the scenery here – bar the built-up casinos and hotels of South Lake Tahoe – is largely rugged and beautiful. In winter, this top ski destination is covered in a blanket of snow and come summer, its biscuit-hued shores rival some of the Golden State’s best oceanside beaches.
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There are endless ways to enjoy the panoramic vistas of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand's South Island. Whether it’s from the gravity-defying Stratosfare restaurant of Queenstown or the lookout point known as Devil’s Staircase, visitors are rewarded with staggering views of its pristine waters. Measuring more than 48 miles (77km) long, this S-shaped lake is the longest in New Zealand and the country’s third largest. The 7,608-foot (2,300m) Remarkables mountain range, a top ski destination, adds to its incredible beauty.
Known for its healing qualities and high salinity which gives swimmers instant buoyancy (it’s up to nine times saltier than the ocean), the Dead Sea is an extraordinary place. Bordered by Jordan, Israel and the West Bank, this inland lake (it isn't a sea, despite its name) has the lowest elevation on Earth, but due to commercial and environmental reasons, the water levels are dropping at an alarming rate making the once 50-mile-long (80km) lake shrink. Aside from microorganisms, there’s no life in the Dead Sea and its largely deserted arid shores and striking salt formations give it an otherworldly yet beautiful feel.
The second largest of Japan’s Fuji Five Lakes which surround the iconic Mount Fuji, the idyllic Lake Kawaguchi in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park is arguably the most beautiful. Known for its largely unspoilt shores and incredible flora, this UNESCO-listed lake is particularly striking during autumn and, of course, throughout the famed cherry blossom season. On a cloud-free day, this serenely still pool reflects Japan’s snow-capped sacred mountain like a giant mirror left by Mother Nature.
With depths of 814 feet (248m), Jökulsárlón, dubbed the ‘Crown Jewel of Iceland’, is the deepest lake you’ll find here. And translated as ‘Glacier’s River Lagoon’, it is also one of the most spectacular. Wowing visitors with ice formations that date back more than 1,000 years, they sparkle against the aptly named Diamond beach and often have a streaky blue and black appearance due to past volcanic activity. Between September and April, Mother Nature dazzles lucky visitors with the famed Northern Lights.
Named after the man who visualised this artificial – yet beautiful – reservoir and dam in 1959, Lake Plastiras, on mainland Greece, is a fabulous road trip destination. You’ll cover around 40 miles (64km) driving around this high-altitude lake and with the Agrafa region’s mountain slopes and emerald green forests for scenery, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was Mother Nature, not Nikolaos Plastiras, who created this stunning spot.
Straddling the borders of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the 40-mile-long (64km) Lake Constance (known as Bodensee) is a picture postcard spot. The third largest lake in Central Europe, its Unter Lake (lower lake) and Ober Lake (upper lake) are divided by the Bodan mountain ridge and its crystal-clear waters are fed by the River Rhine where the eponymous falls are found. Its many lakeside towns, like Lindau, are well worth a visit too.
Measuring over 140 miles (225km) long, Lake Kariba is the world’s largest manmade lake. Situated around halfway down the mighty Zambezi River, on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, its dam provides power to both countries. Due to the wildlife-rich area it occupies by two national parks, it has become an oasis for canoeing safaris, sailing trips and opportunities to see hippos, crocodiles, zebras and majestic African elephants. The sunsets here are glorious.
Situated in the snow-capped Andes Mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru lies the cobalt-blue Lake Titicaca, one of the most beautiful and fascinating lakes on Earth. At 12,507 feet (3,812m) above sea level, it’s the world’s highest navigable lake and was once worshipped by the ancient Inca civilisation. Today, its surrounding banks and 100-plus ‘floating villages’ made from totora reeds are populated by more than a million people, so pollution levels are a concern. Let’s hope the beauty of this natural wonder can be preserved.
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Situated within the UNESCO-listed Banff National Park, this glacial-fed lake is as scenic as it gets. Backed by the showstopping Canadian Rocky Mountains, there are myriad beautiful lakes in this region (including Lake Minnewanka and Lake Louise), however the lesser-visited Moraine Lake and imposing Valley of the Ten Peaks, is one of the most photographed spots in Canada. Fine rock particles or rock ‘flour’ beneath the lake surface are what give the lake its vivid blue appearance.
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Surrounded by lush rice fields and the snow-topped Pir Panjal mountain range, Dal Lake has an incredibly cinematic setting. Located in the Indian city of Srinagar, the capital of the Jammu and Kashmir state, it was traditionally a summer oasis that Kashmiris flocked to, and rightly so. Famed for its colourful shikara boats and vivid pink lotuses, ‘the Lake of Flowers’ has a romantic quality. Sadly, Kashmir remains a troubled state and concerns about the lake’s pollution levels are on the rise. We hope that one day, this beautiful lake makes a comeback.
With a uniquely rugged topography and home of the famed Andes Mountains, Chilean Patagonia is a jaw-dropping destination. And reflecting the striking granite peaks of the Paine Grande mountain and the Cuernos (horns) del Paine, Pehoé Lake in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile has been hailed as the region’s crown jewel. Its lucid turquoise waters cover some 8.5 square miles (22sq km) and have become a route for catamarans, carrying hikers set to navigate the striking French Valley.
Due to its candy-coloured hue, Lake Hillier has to be seen to be believed. One of the most remote of Australia’s famed ‘pink lakes’, it’s a bit tricky to visit independently but it’s not impossible. Located on the Recherche Archipelago, it’s an eight-hour drive from Perth, but those in the know claim its bubble gum hue is best seen from the sky, via a scenic flight.
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Formed some 25 million years ago, Lake Baikal is Earth’s oldest freshwater lake. Located in Russian Siberia, it’s also known for being one of the world’s cleanest and deepest, reaching up to one mile (1.6km) deep in some areas. In winter, this brilliant blue lake puts on its most mesmerising show. As temperatures plummet to below -20°C (-4°F), ice caves form at the basin and bubbles of water freeze beneath the surface. Methane also causes dark rings to form in the ice, giving it an otherworldly quality.
Like the Dead Sea, Mono Lake close to Yosemite in California is an inland sea. It’s twice as salty as any ocean and this saline soda (high alkaline) lake, which covers some 65 square miles (168sq km), has a bizarre-yet-beautiful quality, thanks to its strange tufa formations, which rise out of the water and play home to nesting ospreys. They call it an ancient lake, since it was formed more than 760,000 years ago.
Having featured in a plethora of poems and paintings, the scenic West Lake in the Chinese city of Hangzhou is like Mother Nature’s best piece of art. Covering 2.5 square miles (6.5sq km), it is steeped in myth and legend and the manmade walkways, various islands and traditional pagodas only add to its allure. A talking point of this photogenic site is the sacred Phoenix Mountain, which is said to keep a ‘watchful eye over the West Lake, protecting it from the agents of heaven’.
The millions of candy-coloured flamingos that occupy Lake Nakuru during the rainy season have become an iconic image for Kenya. One of the saline soda lakes of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, this photogenic wonder has become synonymous with these grazing pink birds and adds to the beauty of the Nakuru National Park. The wildlife isn’t limited to these pink-feathered birds however. The lake is abound with curious Euphorbia trees as well as hippos, impalas, waterbucks and some 500 other bird species.
The largest lake in Southeast Asia and one of the world’s deepest, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Indonesia, comes with some impressive stats. With a maximum length of 62 miles (100km) and a width of 19 miles (30km), it is the Earth’s largest crater lake and was formed after one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in history, some 75,000 years ago. With stunning tropical hills and several waterfalls in its surroundings – as well as a verdant island in the centre – this ocean-like basin has a rugged natural beauty.
Overlooked by three conical volcanoes known as the ‘Three Giants’, Lake Atitlán, in western Guatemala’s Sierra Madre highlands, is quite a spectacle. Formed after a volcanic eruption some 84,000 years ago, it occupies a giant caldera which reaches depths of up to 1,115 feet (340m) and is surrounded by rolling fern-covered hills and ancient Mayan towns. Known for its glistening blue-green waters, the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt once called it ‘the most beautiful lake in the world’.
In Tanjung Pandan on the island of Belitung Island lies Kaolin Lake, arguably one of the most beautiful – and unique – manmade lakes. Once used for mining kaolin, a type of clay, the cavity was later filled with rainwater to become an artificial lake. Aside from its practical use (local people use the water for showering), it has become a popular tourist attraction, due to its dreamy bright blue appearance, which is irresistible to photograph.
At 24 miles (39km) long, Scotland’s largest lake, Loch Lomond lays claim to also being one of the country’s most beautiful. Its famed ‘bonnie banks’ present a kaleidoscope of colours, from deep purples during the summer’s heather season, to orange, red and gold when the autumn foliage is out in full force. The peaks of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park provide a dramatic backdrop and you can explore more than 30 pretty islets and islands by ferry.
There are so many reasons to visit Slovenia, one of the cleanest nations in the world, but Lake Bled, located 34 miles (55km) from the capital city of Ljubljana, is certainly one of them. Flanked by the towering Julian Alps and close to the Triglav National Park, this emerald-hued expanse is known for its ‘healing’ mineral-rich waters and alpine beauty. In the centre of Lake Bled lies the striking Church of the Mother of God, perched upon Slovenia’s only natural island. It can be reached by ‘pletna’, a traditional flat-bottomed boat.