Around 3/4th of our world is covered with water. And there’s plenty of H20 to be enjoyed everywhere. Ranging from mysterious oceans to immense lakes that slither through the landscapes, there are some awesome bodies of water that needs to be discovered. Coming up are 10 of the charming natural places around the world with crystal clear water.
10. Plitvice lakes national park, Croatia
Founded in 1949, Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes is the oldest national park, in southeast Europe and it is so beautiful and it’s a UNESCO world heritage site. It is huge too, and its amaze consists of 16 lakes and waterfalls covering over 70000 Acres of land. Over 1 million people head out to see this jewel of Croatia each year. The 16 lakes are interconnected and the water flows through all of them as it travels through the park. But they are separated into upper and lower clusters which are formed by the runoff from the mountains. Waters world famous colors range from blue, grey to turquoise and green. Depending on the number of minerals, and the organisms and angle of the sunlight.
And if you want to take a trip to Plitvice lakes it’s an 80-mile drive from the capital Zagreb. And it is well worth staying for a couple of days, just to see the colors change.
9. Te Waikoropupu springs, New Zealand
Formally known as “Pupu” springs, this is the largest freshwater spring in New Zealand. And the largest cold water spring in the southern hemisphere. The water is pumped up from giant Aquifers, at an unfathomable rate of 14000 liters per second. That is about 3700 gallons per second.
The reason why the water is so clear is that it spends up to 10 years being filtered by the surrounding rocks before it surges out into the pools. The waters are so clear in fact that they had attracted a fair amount of scientific attention.
In 1993 the national institute for water and atmosphere carried out optical tests on this spring and found out that the visibility is an incredible 63 meters. You’ll find this spectacular nature marvel close to the town of Takaka in the Golden Bay, at the end of a pleasant 30-minute stroll.
8. Five flower lake, China
Jiuzhaigou national park that is located on the Jiuzhaigou province of southwest China is the home to the five flower lake and its 114 sister lakes. This reserve’s multi-level waterfalls and spectacular mountain ranges attract millions of visitors every year and it is also a UNESCO world heritage. Out of the rest, the five flower lake stands out because of its multicolored waters. As you might have guessed by the name, there are at least 5 colors, visible in this lake. This lake gets its color from the calcium sediments located at its bottom, as well as the variety of algae and the colorful forest reflections reflecting from the water surface.
If you fancy a visit, October is the best time to go. As during October, the forest turns shades of red, orange, and even purple, which makes it even prettier.
7. Melissani Lake, Greece
Greece is one of the world’s most famous places for history and beauty. Melissani Lake combines the two to become one of the most fascinating natural attractions in the world. Depressingly the lake is said to be named after a heartbroken Nymph. According to the legend, Melissani took her own life in despair as her love for God pam went unanswered. The cavern is located outside 1.2 miles drive from the popular tourist destination of Sami. And its thought to be around 20000 years old. The lake was completely underground at one point but a huge earthquake opened it thousands of years of ago, and now the sunlight floods in and lights up the water, with an array of beautiful blue color.
The lake is so incredibly clear because the cave acts as an aquifer which means, that the seawater is sucked into the cave and is filtered during the process. The water is so clear that because of this, people riding boats on this lake looks like they are levitating.
6. Green Lake, Austria
Also known as the “Gruner See” got its name thanks to its green but incredibly clear water. This is a lake in Styria in the southeast of Austria, is home to the most spectacular green waters ever imaginable. It’s clean clear waters come from the snow melts of the Karst mountains. Because of the water’s origins, the lake is extremely shallow during the winter months. The water levels begin to rise as the weather warms up and snow melts. The lake used to be hugely popular with divers, who would head there to take advantage of the 50m visibility, underwater meadows, and footpaths and benches. But all water sports were banned in 2016 because the experts worried that the sediments stirred up by divers resulted in the clear waters becoming more turbid.
5. Ambergris Caye, Belize
Around 1.3 million people visit Belize each year, and Ambergris Caye the largest island is the main destination for these travelers. The key reason people flock there is to scuba dive and after taking one look at these crystal clear waters anyone can see why.
The area is also the home to the second-largest coral reef system in the world. The Hol Chan marine life reserve lies just 1.5 miles off the coast of Ambergris Caye. And it is incredible 25 miles long. Around 40000 people dive in here annually, hoping for a glimpse of sea life in the area.
If you are wondering why the seas like the sea of the Caribbean are so beautifully blue, science has the answer. The blue color is created when the sun’s rays are scattered by the water molecules. The water is lighter in the shallows because the sunlight is bouncing off the sand and reaches the surface of the water.
4. Palawan islands and Hinatuan River, Philippines
There are so many beautiful areas where crystal clear water can be found in the Philippines, so two places of this beautiful country deserves a mention in this list. It is hard to figure out which one is the best so let’s see the details of both.
First off it’s the Palawan Island. It is perhaps the best-known place in the Philippines to swim in glassy ocean waters. The Palawan archipelago sits in the sub-China Sea and the Sulu Sea. It attracts over 1 million visitors every year with its wildlife sanctuaries, reefs, and UNESCO world heritage sites. One of the major opportunities in the area is to scuba dive at the site where 12 Japanese shipwrecks from World War 2.
Hinatuan enchanted river is found in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. The river’s beautiful colors and its unexplored depths have many legends, including the one that says that fairies adding blue hues to it while nobody is watching. In reality, the clarity of the water is due to its origins in the jungles deep springs.
3. Rio Sucuri, Brazil
The Amazon might be the most famous river in Brazil, but river Sucuri is by far the most beautiful. It is located in Bonito, 4 hours from Brazil’s capital, after a short walk, visitors are rewarded with a natural aquarium rich in aquatic plants, and colorful fish. Water is so incredibly clear because it originates from Artesian wells, it then springs up from the ground to form pools. The visibility is an astonishing 18 meters or 60 feet. The Brazil government is so keen on protecting this river and because of that it is claimed to be a national park and its area is protected.
2. Flathead Lake, Montana USA
Flathead lake is the largest freshwater lake situated in the west of the US. This lake is known all over the world for its water’s clarity. A person floating on the surface of this lake appears as they are levitating because the water is so clear. The lake is the remnants of a huge inland sea called the lake Missoula which covered a lot of the region around 13000 years ago. It is 113 meters deep at its deepest point. And, it is said to be the cleanest lake of its size in the world. The reason why the water is so clear is that the water originates from the Rocky Mountains around it. Water consists of pure snow-melt.
1. Blue Lake, New Zealand
The blue lake of New Zealand alias “ROTOMAIREWENUA” holds the title as the world’s clearest lake. Located in the Nelson Lakes national park in New Zealand, Blue lake underwent scientific testing in 2011 and results showed it to be the clearest freshwater body known to man. Visibility is a whooping 262ft in this lake which makes it almost optically clear as distilled water. The spring-fed lake is so incredibly clear that the local tribe men regard it sacred. The national park is open for hiking and fishing. In the summer the higher position of the sun means more light hits the surface of the lake turning it to a vibrant shade of blue color.
Author bio:
Hi there. I’m Prasanjith, aka the DrMechanic. I’m an undergraduate specializing to become a dietitian. So I have a lot of scientific stuff to tell you about. I’m also a part-time freelance writer and I love Nature. If you are looking for some cool do it yourself home remedies navigate to my blog with the following address.