As the mercury rises it’s hard not to
daydream about taking a dip in the cool, crystal-clear blue-green waters of
some imagined paradise. These photos of 10 most beautiful natural swimming
spots around the world, from a deadly pool atop 360-foot falls to a
mirage-like oasis in the desert of Arizona, will have you booking a flight or
at least searching for a cool swimming hole close to home.
Within the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi River is the Little River, which plunges into the canyon and then meanders through it for 12 miles, offering up a number of beautiful swimming holes that are popular with locals in the heat of summer. Swimmers jump off sandstone rocks into the water both at the base of the falls and an area on the canyon floor known as ‘Hippie Hole’.
2. Giola, Thassos, Greece
This is a beautiful natural lagoon with pristine water and resembles a swimming pool carved into rocks. If you are visiting Athens make sure to stop by the Island of Thassos and experience this wonderful lagoon for yourself. Check out photos for a better “view”.
3. Ik Kil, Cenote, Mexico
Located in the Eco-archeological Park Ik Kil, just 3 km from Chichén Itzá and Pisté. Called the “Sacred Blue Cenote,” it is a perfectly round well-type cenote with exuberant vegetation and waterfalls. This is another ideal place for swimming in the clear blue water. 196 feet wide and about 130 feet deep, it is an open cenote about 85 feet from the surface.
4. Havasu Falls, Supai, Arizona
This is definitely an oasis in the desert, and if you were lost enough to stumble upon it and think it were a mirage, you’d have well earned a dip in the aqua waters of Arizona’s Havasu Falls. Located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation just south of the Grand Canyon National Park, Havasu Falls is only accessible by helicopter or a ten-mile hike attended by pack mules. Havasu Creek is fed by a spring, so the water remains at a steady level and is 70 degrees year-round.
5. Ginnie Springs, Florida
Stunningly clear, refreshingly cold and full of vast underwater cave systems, Ginnie Springs is one of the most visually spectacular natural swimming spots in Florida. Found in a privately-owned park along the Santa Fe River in the town of High Springs, this collection of seven springs offers activities like tubing, snorkeling, scuba diving and cave diving. Jacques Cousteau reportedly called the water deep in the springs the clearest in the world. This spot is definitely bustling with visitors practically year-round, and it’s easy to see why.
6. Fairy Pools, Scotland
A delightful series of splash-pools and gullies in the waterfalls on Allt Coir a’ Mhadaith, Coire na Creiche, Glenbrittle, in the Cuillin hills. You will need walking boots and an afternoon to spare in order to reach these pools; but what better way to cool down on a hot day’s hike? Take your swimming suit along, you may just be in luck.
7. Tat Kuang Si Waterfall, Luang Prabang, Laos
Clear and beautifully blue-green, the waters of the Tat Kuang Si Waterfall in Luang Prabang, Laos are enticing, especially in the Laotian heat. You can either swim at the base or climb to the top and lounge in a swimming hole between tiers of the falls. The Tat Kuant Si Waterfall is located in a national park along the Mekong River.
8. Sliding Rock, Brevard, North Carolina
Every summer, there are large number of tourist in Sliding rock, where is located one of most beautiful and unique natural mountain waterfall. It is located in Pisgah National Forest Close to Asheville NC, where people came to slip and slide on this beautiful 60-foot mountain slider. Even water is pretty cold, visitors wait patiently for their turn and slide one-by-one. At the end of the slide they make splash into the big eight-foot deep pool, swim couple feet to get into shore and get back in the line for one more slide…
9. Blue Lagoon Resort in Grindavík, Iceland.
This one is a little more commercial. but spectacular nonetheless. The water’s temperature is 37-39°C / 98-102°F. The lagoon holds six million liters of geothermal seawater, which is renewed every 40 hours. Regular sampling shows that “common” bacteria do not thrive in this ecosystem, thus additional cleansers such as chlorine are not needed.
10. Devil’s Pool, Victoria Falls, Zambia
Is the Devil’s Pool the most dangerous pool in the world? Some say yes, considering that it lies on the edge of Victoria Falls – and if you accidentally went over the side, there would be a long 360-foot drop before you reached the rocky base of the falls. That doesn’t stop people from swimming there – or parents from bringing their young children to catch a glimpse of the view from the cool waters. The images are so fantastic, people tend to think they’re faked. Swimming is only possible from September to December, when the river is low enough not to sweep people right over the falls, but at least one person does die every year.
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