Ten lakes from the Alps to the Andes, ranked by the water and the setting around it, with the boat to take and the month to go for each.
We ranked these ten by the lake and its setting: the water itself, the mountains, volcanoes or towns around it, and what a visitor can do on and beside it. A pretty view alone did not make the cut; each one is worth a few days.
The lake every other is judged by: a deep Y of water between Alpine slopes, lined with villas and gardens such as Villa Carlotta and Villa del Balbianello. Base yourself in Bellagio, Varenna or Menaggio and let the public ferries do the driving.
New Zealand's longest lake, about 80 km of lightning-bolt water under the Remarkables, with Queenstown on its shore. Ride the coal-fired TSS Earnslaw, sailing since 1912, to Walter Peak, or drive the lakeside road to Glenorchy.
A caldera lake at about 1,560 m, with the volcanoes Atitlán, Tolimán and San Pedro standing over it and Maya villages around the shore. Public lanchas link Panajachel, San Pedro and Santiago; cross in the morning, before the afternoon wind raises the water.
Glacial rock flour turns the water a milky turquoise beneath Mount Victoria and its glacier. Paddle a rented canoe, then climb about 400 m to the Lake Agnes Tea House; book the Parks Canada shuttle, since the lakeshore car park fills early in summer.
The great lake of the Andes, at about 3,800 m on the Bolivia and Peru border, and widely cited as the highest navigable lake in the world. From Copacabana, boats cross to Isla del Sol and its Inca paths; stay a night, since La Paz is three and a half hours away.
A narrow Alpine lake with mountains dropping straight into it and Hallstatt's houses stacked on its western shore, part of a UNESCO-listed landscape since 1997. Arrive by train and take the Stefanie ferry across from the station, the best first view of the village.
A 134 km lake at about 4,250 m in the Changthang, its colour shifting through blues and greens as the light moves, with most of its length across the line in Chinese-administered territory. Acclimatise in Leh first, cross Chang La, and sleep at Spangmik.
A glacial lake at the heart of Argentina's oldest national park, ringed by forest and Andean peaks, with Bariloche on its southern shore. Drive the Circuito Chico for the views, then take the boat to Isla Victoria and the arrayán forest on the Quetrihué peninsula.
One of the oldest lakes in Europe, deep, clear and home to about 200 species found nowhere else, with UNESCO-listed Ohrid on its shore. Walk the cliff path to St John at Kaneo, then take a boat south to the springs at Sveti Naum.
Africa's freshwater aquarium, home to hundreds of cichlid species found nowhere else, with clear water off the beaches of Cape Maclear. Snorkel or kayak in Lake Malawi National Park, a UNESCO site since 1984, about three hours from Lilongwe.
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