25 Stunningly Beautiful Lakes From Around The World

The highest commercially navigable lake in the world is located on the border of Peru and Bolivia at 3,811 meters. It is widely known for its artificial floating islands constructed and inhabited by the Uros people.

The first of many Canadian lakes, this photogenic lake has made appearances on the Canadian twenty dollar bill, as a preview picture for Android, as a photo in the video game The Last of Us, and the login screen of Windows 10.

Formed only recently (in 1991) after a monsoon, this crater lake is found at the top of Mt Pinatubo, an active volcano in the Philippines.

One of Alberta’s kettle lakes, Lake Annette is the perfect place for a picnic, fishing, scuba diving, or star gazing.

Located at 4,200 meters above sea level in southwest Bolivia, the Laguna Colorada gets its bright red color from the sediments and pigmented algae beneath its surface. It’s also extremely shallow with an average depth of 50 cm.

Also called the Lake of the Little Fishes, this beautiful spot is located in Banff National Park. The protected shores of this lake make for amazing hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, and canoeing.

A popular hiking destination in the Indian Peaks of Colorado, Lake Isabelle offers incredible views of the Navajo and Apache peaks.

A lake located high in the mountains, Crater Lake’s two small islands and picture perfect shore have made it one of Oregon’s favorite lakes, even making it onto the Oregon state quarter.

This woodland lake is surrounded by hiking trails, making Barclay Lake a popular place for hiking, fishing, and camping.

This limestone cave in Guangxi, China is over 180 million years old. Rediscovered in the 1940′s it has become famous the world over for the multicolored lake it houses. If you are going to travel to this amazing lake, make sure you prepare for travel in China.

This artificial lake in Greece holds up to 400 million cubic liters of fresh water and is one of the highest in Europe. Thanks to its altitude, this lake is a very popular tourist location.

The largest lake in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana offers some world renowned hiking trails and incredible views for those willing to make the hike.

This lake in Tibet is over 72 km long end to end and is surrounded by snow capped mountains. In 1996, this lake became home to the Yamdrok Hydropower Station, the largest power station in all of Tibet.

As the second deepest lake in Africa, this tropical reservoir is home to more species of fish than any other body of fresh water in the world. Because of it’s unique geology and wildlife, this lake is in a wildlife reserve on one side and a national park on the other side.

This shallow desert lake in Mono County California was formed over 760,000 years ago and has a very similar ecosystem to that of Laguna Colorada (#21).

Make sure not to visit this lake between November and June unless you want to go ice fishing! In the summer months, the limestone of the lakebed creates a fantastic turquoise color for the water.

Another one of Canada’s amazing lakes, Horseshoe Lake is surrounded by cliffs, making cliff diving a common pastime. Be careful though, this lake is freezing!

This small lake is located in Yosemite National Park between the North Dome and Half Dome, making for unbelievable views from every angle.

One of the 450,000 freshwater lakes in Norway, this glacial lake is a must-see. Remember, no matter what you do you absolutely have to visit Norway!

A stellar glacier-fed lake in the Canadian Rockies, the Peyto Lake is a sight to behold. If this list does not make you jealous of the scenery Canadians have you’re crazy!

With the Matterhorn looming in the background, Riffelsee offers an incredible mirror view of the peak. Take the Gornergratbahn mountain railway and get in all the sights on your way to this amazing lake.

Likely the most beautiful lake in Pakistan, Sheosar Lake is snow bound half of the year but surrounded by lush landscape during the spring and summer. If you find yourself in Pakistan, make sure to also visit Kaghan Valley, one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Named because its high saline content doesn’t allow for plant and animal life, the Dead Sea is the world’s deepest hypersaline lake. It has a salt concentration over 8 times that of the ocean, which makes it extremely hard to drown and very easy to float.

Found in Osoyoos, British Columbia, this 38 acre natural phenomenon has one of the world’s highest concentrations of minerals, giving it a distinctive spotted look

You may recognize this gem from our list of the 25 most amazing waterfalls in the world. Located in Croatia, Plitvice Lakes is actually 16 separate bodies of water divided into upper and lower basins by natural dams consisting of moss and algae.