Naroch covers about 80 square kilometres — roughly the size of 11,000 football pitches. The water is clean and clear, and on a sunny day it turns a beautiful blue-green colour. In the shallows you can sometimes see the sandy bottom several metres down.
The lake sits inside the Naroch National Park, which protects the water, the surrounding forests, and the wildlife that lives there. Beavers build their dams in the quieter streams. Kingfishers dart over the water like little blue flames. In spring, white storks return to nest in the nearby villages.
People have been coming to Naroch to relax for over 100 years. There are small resorts and holiday camps along the shore, and visitors can hire rowing boats or kayaks. In winter, when the lake freezes over, local people fish through holes in the ice — a tradition that has gone on for generations.
Around the main lake are dozens of smaller lakes connected by rivers and canals, making the whole region a patchwork of water, forest, and wetland. It is a perfect habitat for ducks, herons, and many other water birds.