Chaohu Lake, roughly 60 kilometers southeast of central Hefei, is one of China's five great freshwater lakes and one of the less-visited. At 780 square kilometers it's substantial, and the shoreline landscape of flat agricultural plain and reed beds has a quiet, unhurried quality quite different from the manicured scenic areas of southern Anhui. Boat trips on the lake are available from the town of Chaohu.
The lakeside town of Zhongyaomiao on the southwestern shore has temple complexes and the best-preserved stretch of historical streetscape in the area. Guyi Island, accessible by ferry, is a small forested hill rising from the lake with a Buddhist temple complex — the approach by water with the island silhouetted against the sky is the best way to arrive. The lake is at its most atmospheric in early morning when mist lies over the water.