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They are located in distant countries. However, they are so special that they are certainly worth the trip necessary to go and admire them. These seven lakes have such unusual and bizarre colors that they look like the result of a crazy painter’s palette.
Peyto Lake, Canada
This beautiful body of water has an intensely turquoise color, due to the rocks that make up the seabed. It is located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains and takes its name from Bill Peyto, a 20th century explorer who visited this area and discovered the lake.
Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park
It is one of the largest natural pools in the world formed by hot springs. The brilliant colouring is due to the minerals dissolved in the water and its high degree of acidity, as well as the micro-organisms that live in the outermost parts of the lake. No living form inhabits the central part, which is an intense blue colour, due to the high water temperatures.
Laguna Verde, Bolivia
It is a salt lake in the south-west of the Bolivian plateau at about 4,300 meters above sea level, near the border with Chile within the National Reserve of Andean fauna Eduardo Avaroa. Its intense coloring is due to the sediments of copper minerals that deposit on the bottom.
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, California
In this nature reserve, a paradise for migratory birds, there are numerous lakes with bizarre colours, due to the salinity of the water and the intensity of evaporation. The colouring therefore varies according to the different concentrations of salt, depending on the outside temperature.
Caño Cristales, Colombia – More Colorful Lakes
The pools of water formed by the Caño Cristales river from July to November become a palette of colours, so much so that it is called “Liquid Rainbow”. The water has five different colours – yellow, green, blue, black and above all red – due to the life cycle of the endemic plants present on the bottom. When changing colour, in fact, they also make the water appear coloured.
Lagoon Colorada, Bolivia
A salt lake intensely dyed with rust, located on the Andes, in Bolivian territory. In this lagoon live numerous species of birds, including pink flamingos, different species of crustaceans and fish. It is an extraordinary natural habitat as much as the colours of the water. The red-orange colouring is due to red sediments, but also to the presence of microorganisms and the pigmentation of some algae.
Hells of Beppu, Japan
This volcanic pool of boiling, deep orange waters evokes an extraterrestrial or even infernal scenario. It is the most spectacular of a complex of seven volcanic springs. They all have a great visual impact – but with a more usual colouring.
