Here’s our pick of the world’s most beautiful, serene and mesmerizing lakes.
Lake Taal – Philippines
- Region: Luzon Island
- Surroundings: Volcanoes draped in rainforest
- What makes it special: A small yet highly active volcano dominates its center
Lake Como – Italy
- Region: Lombardy
- Surroundings: Snow-capped mountains
- What makes it special: Shoreline lined with grand villas
Plitvice Lakes – Croatia
- Region: National park in Lika-Senj and Karlovac counties
- Surroundings: Jagged, undulating and forested karst formations
- What makes it special: The staggering turquoise water which cascades between these 16 interconnected lakes
Lake Bled – Slovenia
- Region: Julian Alps
- Surroundings: Forest nearby and mountains in the distance
- What makes it special: The small island in its center adorned with a fairytale-looking 15th century church
Lake Atitlán – Guatemala
- Region: Western Highlands
- Surroundings: Forested volcanoes blanketed in mist
- What makes it special: Flanked by three towering volcanoes to the south
Lake Matheson – New Zealand
- Region: South Westland
- Surroundings: Forest in the shadows of New Zealand’s highest peaks, Aoraki (Mount Cook) and Mount Tasman
- What makes it special: The spectacular mountainous landscape mirrored on the perfectly still, dark organic leached water
Peyto Lake – Canada
- Region: Banff National Park, the Rockies
- Surroundings: Pine forest on the shore, vertical barren valley faces beyond
- What makes it special: The color juxtaposition between the pale grey valley rock, the lush green pines and the lake’s bright turquoise water
Diablo Lake – U.S.
- Region: Cascade Mountains, Washington state
- Surroundings: Densely forested mountains
- What makes it special: The intensely turquoise hue of the glacial water
Lake Titicaca – Bolivia/Peru
- Region: The Andes
- Surroundings: Arid high-altitude plains and snow-capped mountains
- What makes it special: The many and varied indigenous communities that have settled and evolved around its vast shoreline
Sheosar Lake – Pakistan
- Region: Deosai National Park, in Gilgit-Baltistan province
- Surroundings: High-altitude, arid plains (13,589 feet above sea-level)
- What makes it special: Tranquil, remote location
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(Main image: Izabela Russell)
