There are a lot of lakes in the world – about 117 million of them, to be precise, according to research from Uppsala University. They range from tiny tarns to inland seas, from lively and crowded to wild and remote. Some are good for simply admiring, while others beg to be paddled on, swum in, walked around or cruised across.
It’s a tough call, but here are 10 of the best:
1. Lake Maggiore, Italy & Switzerland
Best for… a touch of class
Mamma mia! How to choose between the Italian lakes? Garda is biggest. Como most glamorous. But Maggiore, less crowded than both, ticks the most boxes. It combines Italian and Swiss cultures, and Mediterranean and Alpine vibes, thanks to its mountain backdrop and unique microclimate. There are opportunities for hiking, cycling, swimming and water sports, plus visits to the exquisite gardens and palaces of the Borromean Islands. It’s easy to combine with offbeat Lake Orta, too.
How to do it
Bookings for You (01428 892192) offers villas on Lake Maggiore; Suna Paradiso (sleeps nine) costs from £650 a night. On Foot Holidays (01722 322652) offers a seven-night Maggiore and Orta walk from £1,260pp including B&B accommodation, excluding flights.
2. Lake Constance, Germany, Austria & Switzerland
Best for… cycling
Constance is a constant source of delight. On the Rhine, flanked by three countries, it’s one of central Europe’s largest lakes, and it offers cultural variety and a bewitching Alpine backdrop. Particularly satisfying is completing a circuit by bike: a largely flat, largely off-road 168-mile border-hopping cycle path loops the lake, taking in a succession of medieval towns – fairytale Meersburg, frescoed Stein am Rhein, island-set Lindau – as well as Bavarian wine villages, the Rhine Delta nature reserve, Zeppelin museums, spa resorts and chocolate shops.
How to do it
UTracks (0800 0744 135) offers an eight-day Lake Constance circuit cycle from £1,090pp including B&B accommodation, excluding flights.
3. Lake Saimaa, Finland
Best for… food
Finland is superbly soggy: It has an estimated 188,000 lakes. And Saimaa, which spills across a swathe of the country’s aptly named Lakeland region, is biggest of all. Big enough, in fact, to contain 13,000 islands. Explore this immense archipelago by ferry, steamer, fishing boat, kayak or wild swimming, look out for endangered Saimaa ringed seal and drool over the cabins at the water’s edge. Designated a European Region of Gastronomy, it’s also tasty – come to gorge on its wild berries and mushrooms, freshwater fish and locally reared meat.
How to do it
Best Served Scandinavia (0208 125 3185) offers an eight-day Lake Saimaa trip from £1,995pp including B&B accommodation, car hire and flights.
4. Lake Malawi, Malawi, Tanzania & Mozambique
Best for… snorkelling and diving
Lake Malawi is big – ninth largest in the world – and beautiful, fringed by sandy beaches and lush hills. But it’s especially renowned for its clear waters and the extraordinary biodiversity teeming within: 1,000-plus species of fish, including brightly coloured cichlids. Lake Malawi National Park, at the southern tip, was created to protect this aquatic abundance – a prime spot for diving and snorkelling. Or simply sit back and watch the sun glitter on what David Livingstone dubbed “the lake of stars”.
How to do it
Rainbow Tours (0203 773 7945) offers a 10-night Malawi Safari and Beach trip, combining the lake with Majete Wildlife Reserve, from £4,785pp including full-board accommodation and flights.
5. Tonlé Sap Lake, Cambodia
Best for… village life
The Tonlé Sap is an awesome oddity: During the rainy season, a unique quirk of hydrology causes the bulging Mekong to reverse the flow of the Tonlé Sap river, making its namesake lake expand five times in size. It’s a constantly changing ecosystem, and the lifeblood of local communities, which include floating villages, built on the water. For an immersive cultural experience, visit by boat or kayak in October or November, just after the wet, when the lake is most swollen and the villages most active.
How to do it
Bamboo Travel (020 7720 9285) offers a 16-day Land of Apsaras trip from £3,995pp including B&B accommodation and flights.
6. Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan
Best for… high drama
Issyk-Kul teeters at about 5,250ft above sea level, encircled by pine forests, sweeping beaches and semi-desert steppe, with the snow-dusted Tian Shan rising behind. Head to the quieter south shore to see mirror-like reflections of the mighty range. This vast alpine lake rarely freezes because of its high salinity; indeed, its name means “warm lake”, and in summer it can reach 25C – great for SUPing and wild swimming. Make a loop by 4WD and overnight like a Kyrgyz nomad in a lakeside yurt.
How to do it
Steppes Travel (01285 402153) offers a small-group Kyrgyzstan 4x4 self-drive from £5,995pp including B&B accommodation, excluding flights.
7. Lake Titicaca, Peru & Bolivia
Best for… indigenous culture
Glinting an almost impossible shade of blue in the thin, Andean air, 12,506-foot Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable lake – a literally breathtaking sight. It’s a significant cultural one, too: The sun god’s offspring allegedly emerged from Titicaca’s depths to found the Inca Empire. Plus the lake is dotted with islands and peninsulas that are home to indigenous communities – homestays can be arranged in the little-visited village of Luquina Chico, on the textile-weaving island of Taquile and even atop the floating reed islands of Uros.
How to do it
Journey Latin America (020 3868 6146) offers a 21-day Peru Odyssey tour from £6,230pp, including B&B accommodation and Titicaca homestay, excluding flights.
8. Lake Waikaremoana, New Zealand
Best for… hiking
Lake Waikaremoana lies within North Island’s Te Urewera, a rugged rainforest that, in 2014, became the first ecosystem to be granted the same legal rights as a person. Manuhiri (visitors) to this backcountry lake and its surrounding richly wooded hills are asked to do so with respect. The best option is to hike via the 29-mile Lake Waikaremoana Track, one of New Zealand’s official Great Walks, which starts or ends with a water taxi, part hugs the shore and tops Panekire Bluff for magical lake views.
How to do it
DOC huts cost £15pp (NZ$35) a night. Walking Legends offers a four-day Lake Waikaremoana Discovery Tour from £850pp (NZ$1,950) including full-board accommodation.
9. Maligne Lake, Canada
Best for… mountain majesty
Lake lovers are spoilt in Canada: It has over two million! Lake Louise may be better known, but Maligne, set deep within Jasper National Park and first seen by outsiders only as recently as 1907, feels genuinely wild. There’s no development on the water’s edge. Drive in along Maligne Lake Road, one of the best wildlife corridors in the Rockies, and then set off by cruise or kayak from the boat house for sacred Spirit Island and one of Canada’s most iconic views.
How to do it
Journeyscape (020 3813 7147) offers a 15-day Gems of Alberta trip from £2,900pp including B&B accommodation and car hire, excluding flights.
10. Lake Huron, Canada & USA
Best for… cruising
There are lakes, and then there are North America’s five Great Lakes, interconnected reservoirs so vast they feel like seas – perfect for multi-day cruising. Border-straddling Lake Huron stands out with its pristine deep-blue waters, less-developed shores, strong conservation focus and abundance of islands. Indeed, Huron is home to the 30,000 islands of the Georgian Bay Biosphere, the world’s largest freshwater archipelago, a playground of pink-granite outcrops, sandy beaches, dense forests and rich Anishinabek history, plus possibilities for spotting otters, moose, bald eagles and black bears.
How to do it
Viking (0800 319 6660) offers a 10-day Great Lakes Treasures cruise from £6,990pp including full-board accommodation and flights.