Formed in volcanic craters or calderas (or less commonly, in impact craters caused by a meteorite), crater lakes showcase nature at its most spectacular. They combine vibrant blue waters, sheer cliffs, scenic islands and volcanic histories that make these natural formations some of the most visited destinations in the world.
In his 1934 travel book, Beyond the Mexique Bay, Aldous Huxley described Guatemala's Lake Atitlan as, "really, too much of a good thing." The lake, considered one of the most beautiful in the world, is surrounded by volcanoes, mountains and colorful Mayan villages. But this picturesque setting has a violent past: the Atitlancaldera was formed by a massive, explosive volcanic eruption, one of the strongest in history, about 84,000 years ago, according to Orgeon State University's Volcano World.
With the area's near-perfect climate and natural beauty, Lake Atitlan has been called one of the world's best places to retire to, according to the Huffington Post. But tourists are also flocking to this destination, one of Guatemala's most popular, for its abundance of outdoor adventure activities -- fromparagliding from Santa Catarina Palopo, kayaking around Santa Cruz La Laguna or hiking the lakeshore trails.
NEXT:Three lakes, three colors, on one volcano
One crater lake on a volcano is a natural wonder on its own, but three crater lakes at the crest of one volcano -- each a different color -- make for one spectacular sight, as trekkers to Mt.Kelimutuin Indonesia can attest.
The western lake at Kelimutu, Tiwi Ata Mbupu ("Lake of Old People") is commonly blue. Tiwu Nua Muri Kooh Tai ("Lake of Young Men and Maidens") and Tiwu Ata Polo ("Bewitched" or "Enchanted Lake"), which share a common crater wall, are commonly green- and red-colored, respectively, although lake colors vary periodically, according to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program.
Geologists believe that the lakes' colors are in constant flux due to dissolving minerals, a process that can accelerate in the rainy season, says Lonely Planet.
For the best views, Indonesia's official tourism website recommends that travelers visit Kelimutu very early in the morning, and catch the sunrise as the fog that usually blankets the volcano clears when the sun rises.
NEXT:The crown jewel of Ore. and deepest lake in the US
One of Oregon's crown jewels, Crater Lake has enchanted visitors for years. Even seasoned travelers still gasp in awe of the deep blue lake, circled by 20 miles of cliffs and fringed with hemlock, fir, and pine.Its depth of 1,943 feet makes Crater Lake the deepest lake in the United States, and the ninth deepest in the world, according to the National Park Service. Its fresh water is some of the clearest found anywhere in the world.
Located on the crest of the Cascade Mountain range and 100 miles east of the Pacific Ocean, Crater Lake lies inside a calderacreated when Mount Mazama collapsed almost 7,700 years ago after a large eruption, according to the NPS. Today, a small cone-shaped volcanic island, Wizard Island, appears on the west side of the lake. Large amounts of winter snow, averaging 524 inches, supply the lake with water.
The lake's famously intense blue color is the product of its great depth, clarity of its water, and the way solar radiation interacts with its waters, says the NPS.During summer, visitors may navigate the Rim Drive around the lake, enjoy boat tours on the lake surface, stay in the historic Crater Lake Lodge, camp at Mazama Village, or hike some of Crater Lake National Park's various trails, according to Oregon.com.
NEXT: A stunning but "hazardous" crater laker
Lake Pinatubo is the crater lake of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, and was formed after the volcano's eruption in 1991. The eruptionwas the second largest of the 20th century, exceeded only by the 1912 eruption of Mount Novarupta in Alaska, according to the New York Times. Pinatubospewed out more than 5 cubic kilometers, or 1.2 cubic miles, of magma and sent an ash cloud 35 kilometers, or 22 miles, into the air.
Today, more than 3,000 tourists a month make the trek to visit the site and to see the turquoise-colored caldera lake at the summit. And while many have dipped into the gemlike waters of Lake Pinatubo, local authorities have warned against swimming the lake, the deepest in the Philippines at 2,600 feet. In January 2013, a man drowned at the crater lake, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The country's Department of Tourism has also issued a warning that the lake may contain "hazardous substances," reported ABS-CBN News.
NEXT: Concerts have been performed at this crater lake
With its volcanic landscapes, glaciers, waterfalls, geysers and fjords, Iceland is not lacking in natural wonders. The Golden Circle, a popular tourist route in southern Iceland, is particularly filled with must-see sights. One of them is theKerið(or Kerid) volcanic crater lake, formed 3,000 years ago.
The calderaitself is is elliptic in shape, 180 ft deep, 560 ft wide, and 890 ft across, according to Nordic Adventure Travel. The lake is fairly shallow -- about 22-32 feet deep depending on rainfall and other factors --but due to minerals from the soil, it is an opaque and strikingly vivid aquamarine color. The Icelandic musicianBjork has performed concerts on a floating platform at the crater, known for its great acoustics.
In June 2013, local media reported that authorities have started charging an entrance fee for tourists to the crater.This is the first time that a fee collection has been implemented at a popular tourist spot in Iceland, according to the Reykjavik Grapevine. It is believed that the fee collection could help preserve the geological wonder better.
NEXT: Formed by the biggest volcanic eruption in the world
Set against a stunning volcanic landscape and surrounded by bush-clad mountain, Lake Taupois one of New Zealand's most popular holiday destinations. But it's more than just a large (it's New Zealand's largest freshwater lake) beautiful lake -- it has an explosive volcanic past, the effects of which are still visible today.
Lake Taupo lies in a caldera created by a supervolcanic eruption which occurred approximately 26,000 years ago. It wasthe biggest volcanic eruption the world has known in the last 70,000 years, the Oruanui eruption, according to the Auckland Museum.Twenty-four thousand years and 26 smaller eruptions later, in about 233 AD, Taupo exploded in another massive blast. This eruption was so big it darkened the skies in Europe and China.
Today, Taupo is a great lake for water-skiing, sailing and kayaking. The Maori rock carvings at Mine Bay, which can only be seen from the water, make for a great boat trip or kayaking excursion. The forests surrounding the lake also offer hiking and mountain biking, according to NewZealand.com.
NEXT: Tourists flock to fish in this crater lake
Surrounded by Italy's majestic Cimini Hills,Lake Vico is located in North Lazio at the bottom of a volcanic crater. The lake has a surface of 12.9 sq. km and a maximum depth of 158 feet, according to Global Nature Fund.
Lake Vico occupies the central caldera of Vico Volcano. A volcanic cone was built up in a series of eruptions that occurred 258,000 to 305,000 years ago. Later, the eruption of voluminous pyroclastic flows and volcanic ash caused the progressive collapse of the volcanic cone to create the caldera, in which Lake Vico now lies, by about 138,000 years ago, according toPlio-Quaternary Volcanism in Italy: Petrology, Geochemistry, Geodynamics, authored by Angelo Pecerillo.
Although it is fairly difficult to reach because of the dense vegetation, recently a tourist area was developed on the northern side of Lake Vico where visitors can swim and do some fishing (the lake is renowned for its richness of fish, pikes, perchs and eels are found there). Near the lake is the small village of Caprarola famous for its Farnese Palace, says ItalianTourism.com.
NEXT: "Flightseeing" tours are available at this lake
View of the crater lake of Mount Katmai, a volcano on the Alaska Peninsula in southern Alaska, located within Katmai National Park and Preserve. (Captain Budd Christman, NOAA Corps )
In 1912 Novarupta Volcano on the Alaska Peninsula violently erupted and rocked the area now known as Katmai National Park and Preserve.The wilderness was turned into a dynamic landscape of smoking valleys, ash-covered mountains and small holes and cracks fuming with steam and gas, according to TravelAlaska.com. And Katmai Crater Lake was formed as a result.
It's little known and seldom seen, but Katmai Crater Lake is one of the most stunning lakes of the world, famous for its beautiful blue-turquoise color, caused by glacier-ground rock flour. The lake doesn't have an outlet stream, according to National Park Service.Volcanic activity has a significant impact on its water chemistry and stream morphology.
Reaching the lake's surface is dangerous, and at least 10 deaths have been reported from escaping gases, according to LakeLubbers.com Visitors can view Katmai Crater Lake on "flightseeing tours" by float plane. Small glaciers have formed inside the rim, and the lake is estimated to be about 800 feet deep at this point. When first discovered, the lake had a horseshoe-shaped island in the center, since covered with water.
NEXT: Europe's largest crater lake
Europe's largest crater lake, Lake Nemrut is located inside the crater area of Mount Nemrut, one of the youngest volcanoes in the Eastern Anatolia, in the East of the country, according to the European Commission of Enterprise and Industry. The lake itself was formed by the eruption of Mount Nemrut.
The present-day volcanic cone contains two crater lakes, one of which is pleasantly warm, according to Rough Guides.The still waters of the Lake Nemrut are ideal for swimming and boating. On the shores of the Ilik (hot) Lake, which covers an area of 1.2 square miles,there are several hot water springs. The temperature of the lake water reaches 40 degrees Celsius in winter and 60 degrees Celsius in summer.
NEXT: Formed by the largest asteroid or comet impact on Earth
A ring-shaped lake in central Quebec, Canada, Lake Manicouagan was not formed by a volcanic eruption -- it is the result of one of the largest identified asteroid or comet impacts on Earth, according to NASA.
Lake Manicouagan is thought to have formed about 212 million years ago plus or minus 4 million years, says NASA. This happened when an approximately 3.1 mile-diameter asteroid crashed into Earth toward the end of the Triassic period. Some scientists speculate that this impact may have been responsible for the mass extinction that wiped out more than half of all living species.
The raised center of the ring, caused by the nature of the impact and its aftermath, forms an island in the center of the lake that comprises a greater surface area than the lake itself, according to Atlas Obscura.The highest point of the raised section, Mount Babel,rises 3,123 feet into the air.
MORE ON WEATHER.COM: World's Weirdest Lakes
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