For most of us, when we hear the word ‘swimming pool’ we immediately begin to imagine a man-made pool, beautifully designed to attract visitors. Time and time again, nature has proven to have all we think we create and much more. Swimming pools do not just come in different shapes and sizes but they seem to have difference in location too. These natural swimming pools are most made from some of earth’s crevices and pits. Beautiful embedded in nature’s spectacular scenery; here are the world’s best natural swimming pools.

1. Ik Kil cenote, Yucatán, Mexico

This swimming pool is also popularly called Ikil cenote. This cenote is deep and open to the sky with its water level about 85ft from below ground level. The word cenote, when translated from the original Mayan language means ‘well’. Visitors to this beautiful cenote would have to climb down a stairway to enjoy its radiantly clear blue waters. The water is about 130ft deep and an amazing place to just have fun and relax.

2. Giola, Thassos, Greece

This natural swimming pool is surrounded by rocks and gives the impression like it was carved into the rocks. It is located in the village of Astris in Thassos Island, Greece. If you ever visit Athens as a tourist, then this is one place you don’t want to miss. Although one would have to trek for a while to get to this spot but every step of the trek would be totally worth it when you get there.

3. Devil’s Pool, Victorial Falls, Zambia

This water fall is popularly referred to as the largest water fall in the world. With a height of 354ft and an extraordinary width of 5,604 feet, it is no doubt the largest natural water fall in the world. Just beneath this massive fall is yet another swimming pool that sees thousands of tourist visits every year. This Devil Pool is located on the Zambian side of Livingstone Island.

4. Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye, Scotland

If you are not afraid to go for an adventurous wild swimming, then the Fairy pools. The area usually has some terrible weather which leaves the water cold but its beauty untainted. Approaching these pools is through a path that exposes all of the pools, although some seem secluded than others.

5. A Firveda, Galicia, Spain

A steep rocky path leads visitors to a beautiful, large waterfall. The place is home to two natural swimming pools. Embedded in the foothills of the Serra do Cando mountains is a pool hole that functions amazingly as a swimming pool. For visitors with bold hearts, the bottom of the large fall also offers a place for swimming.

6. Kuang Si Falls, Luang Prabang, Laos

The falls provide one of the most beautiful swimming pools in the world. It is a multi-tier water fall that creates beautiful blue pools in different layers as the water flows downstream. The top part of the fall also offers beautiful natural swimming pools that are easily accessible to tourists.

7. Hinatuan Enchanted River, Surigao del Sur, Philippines

The river is believed to have earned its name because it doesn’t seem to have any noticeable source. This 50ft deep spring has one of the clearest waters in the world as it an almost near-bottom visibility.

8. Hamilton Pool, Dripping Springs, Texas

This pool is general considered to be America’s best swimming hole. It is a cave with a large circular opening at the top. A 50ft waterfall spills into the cave’s jade-green waters. Usually swimming is restricted for some time to allow the waters clean out because it is not chemically treated.

9. Pools at Ohe’o, Maui, Hawaii

These pools are also referred to as ‘The Seven Sacred Pools’. The area is characterized with a combination of waterfalls and plunge pools. It makes for an interesting hike to move around all pools as some are more secluded than others. It is a perfect blend of beauty and enchantment.

10. Grotta della Poesia, Rocha Vecchia, Italy

Also known as Poetry cave, this natural pool is made from limestone. This cenote was formed when the roof of an underground cavern collapsed and now leaves behind some beautiful turquoise waters for swimming. The cave is also an archeological site with several Latin, Messapic, and Greek inscriptions on it.