Shards of Turquoise Ice Jut Out of the World's Largest Lake

Lake Baikal, located in the southern part of eastern Siberia in Russia, is an incredible natural wonder of the world that one can only hope to visit at least once in their lifetime. It's not just the oldest freshwater lake on Earth, at 20 to 25 million years old, it's also one of the largest and deepest, holding an astounding one-fifth of the world's freshwater.

In the winter, for about five months or from January to May, the lake freezes over but the water is so clear that, from the surface, you can see an astounding 130 feet below you. A photographic worthy natural phenomenon occurs around a very specific time of year, March. Wind, temperature differences, frost and sun in the ice crust cause cracks and ice hummocks to form. Transparent and shining in a turquoise color, these masses of broken ice look like shards of glass rising into the sky. They are caused by the slow and unequal pressure in the main body of the packed ice as well as by the unequal structure and temperature. Now that's one for the bucket list.

Above photo by Alexey Trofimov

Photo by Valery Chernodedov

Photo via Baikal Nature

Photo via Valery Chernodedeov

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Photo by Mikki Fox

Photo via Jeffersons Opinion

Photo via Adventour

Beautiful Pink Lake

Of course there is no such thing as a lake made out of strawberry milkshake ingredients – outside of Willy Wonka’s world that is. But it’s kind of nice to dream. Lake Retba or Lac Rose gives us that fantasy, even if it is just on the surface. Situated north of the Cap Vert Peninsula in Senegal, northeast of Dakar, Lake Retba, or as the French refer to it Lac Rose, is pinker than any milkshake you’ve ever come face to straw with. And once you see it, you too will agree that a sippy straw may be in order over a boat. Experts say the lake gives off its pink hue due to cyanobacteria, a harmless halophilic bacteria found in the water. 

I’d love to say the lake is always something out of Wonka, but the pink is the most vibrant during the dry season; and depending upon the time of day, the lake changes color ranging from light purple to a deep scarlet pink.

If the color weren’t enough to make you smile, it should be known that Lake Retba has a high salt content, much like that of the Dead Sea, allowing people to float effortlessly in the massive pink water. In fact, Lake Retba has an almost one and a half times higher salt content than the Dead Sea.

The lake also provides for the local people with its small salt collecting industry; however, working as many as 6–7 hours a day in a lake that has a near  40% salt content, the salt collectors must vigorously protect their skin by rubbing shea butter into it to avoid tissue damage.

Lake Retba is becoming more and more recognizable as it was featured in a task on the award-winning reality show Amazing Race. Teams had to collect salt from the bottom of the lake floor – not an easy task.

I believe this is one of those places on earth that is better appreciated in person, but these stunning photographs are a great catalyst to get you going!