Pretoria has it’s own large, languid, blue lagoon thanks to a partnership between Balwin Properties and Crystal Lagoons. The new housing development known as The Blyde, which opened earlier this month also boasts a restaurant, gym, spa, concierge, laundromat, and sports fields. The estate was constructed over two years at a cost of R4.2 billion and includes the 1.5-hectare (roughly the size of two rugby fields) clear-water lagoon where residents can sail, kayak, SUP or float on a lilo.
While The Blyde offers an artificial oasis to locals, if you’re looking to enjoy the real thing, we reccommend a visit to one of the 10 beautiful lagoons (listed below) dotted across our planet…
1. Blue Lagoon, Iceland
The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa in southwestern Iceland near Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 45 minutes drive from the capital Reykjavik. With water temperatures at 39°C all year round, it’s a popular tourist spot and it’s advised that you pre-book days or even weeks prior to your planned visit. Entry as a day visitor will cost you from €55 (about R945). Visit at night in summer and enjoy the midnight sun or you can hope to catch the Aurora Borealis in winter.
2. The Great Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef, Belize
The Great Blue Hole is not really a lagoon, but an underwater sinkhole, near the centre of the Lighthouse Reef atoll about 100km off the coast of Belize. According to belize.com, it’s the ‘world’s largest natural formation of its kind’ and forms part of the larger Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is a populart location for SCUBA diving and a number of shark species as well as many fish, for instance groupers, can be found here.
3. Blue Lagoon, Camino, Malta
The Blue Lagoon off the coast of Comino Island (part of the Maltese islands) is not exactly a lagoon. The crystal-clear body of water lies between Comino Island and a few other small isles off its coast. Although these don’t form a continuous barrier from the surrounding ocean, it’s know as Blue Lagoon and it’s beautiful. Local travel sites warn that it gets very crowded in July and August, so a shoulder season visit in September may be more pleasant.
4. Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, Australia
According to visitnwsw.com, Lord Howe Island’s ‘crystal-clear lagoon is protected by a barrier reef,’ which UNESCO claims is ‘the world’s most southerly true coral reef’.
5. Ölüdeniz Lagoon, Turkey
Ölüdeniz beach on Turkey’s West Coast, east of Izmir, is free for all to visit – while the lagoon lies within the bounds of the Ölüdeniz National Park (Ölüdeniz Tabiat Parkı) where visitors need to pay an entry fee. According to Lonely Planet, ‘Both the public beach and lagoon get heavily crowded in summer, but, with the mountains soaring above you, it’s still a lovely place to while away a few hours.’ This is a popular spot for tandem paragliding.
6. Twin Lagoon, Coron Island, Palawan – Phillipines
It takes about 30 minutes by boat from Coron Town to reach the twin lagoons. Boats dock at the first lagoon, while the second is hidden and only accessible through a crevice under a rock at low tide. There is only enough space for two or three swimmers to crawl through at a time, alternatively you can climb a wooden ladder at high tide to take you over the rock. The water is a mixture of salt and fresh water and according to shoestringtravelers.com is clear enough to view fish swimming around without the need for a pair of goggles and snorkel, although these are handy if you prefer the view from beneath the surface.
7. Nanuya Levu (Turtle Island), Fiji
Nanuya Levu Lagoon is situated between the Nanuya Lailai and Nanuya Levu islands, and is the location of the 1980 movie The Blue Lagoon, starring Brooke Sheilds and Christopher Atkin. Other scenes from the popular film were shot in Comino Island, Malta (featured above) and Champagne Bay, Vanuatu as well as Jamaica. This dreamy lagoon is worthy of a visit, but it certainly won’t be a budget getaway. Nanuya Levu Island is privately owned by The Yasawa Group in Fiji and is home to the five-star Turtle Island Resort.
8. Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhão, Brazil
This national park in the north of Brazil (east of São Luis) receives a bucket-load of rain from January to June, which fills the many pockets between dunes. These stretch from the coast to about 20km inland. The rainwater lagoons attract visitors between the months of July and September when the worst of the rains are over and before the wind picks up in October, which combined with increasing temperatures causes these lagoons to evaporate again.
9. Kiholo Bay Lagoon, Kailua-Kona Island, Hawaii
This narrow lagoon surrounded by volcanic rock can be reached by foot along a dusty walking path. According to myhawaiitraveler.com, ‘Kiholo Bay was once the site of an ancient Hawaiian fishpond built by King Kamehameha the Great in 1820, which was destroyed by a Mauna Loa volcanic eruption in 1859. It is an azure haven to nesting turtles, countless fish and rare wildlife.’
10. Aitutaki Island lagoon, Cook Islands
Aitutaki in the South Pacific is made up of a main island, a roughly 50km2 turquoise lagoon and a barrier reef that surrounds the island. On Trip Advisor, Linda Yorba from Califonrnia describes Aitutaki as the, ‘most beautiful lagoon in the world. The size, clarity and accessibility of this lagoon makes it one of the finest in the world. It is the main reason for travelling here and you will not be disappointed’.
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