I love the beach… no… I mean I REALLY love the beach!
And for those who love the beach, you know that there are some unique beaches out there!
So the folks at Travel Trivia have a list of unique beaches… and here are seven of my favorites!
- Papakōlea Beach, Hawaii- This emerald-hued stretch on Hawaii’s Big Island is one of only a few green sand beaches in the world. Yes… GREEN sand! The green sand is the result of small particles that were formed when the Mauna Loa volcano erupted many, many, MANY years ago! These green-colored silicates are heavy so they don’t wash out to sea as easily as lighter crystals.
- Shell Beach, Australia- This is NOT a beach you want to walk barefoot on! Shell Beach, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located off of Western Australia’s Shark Bay, and you will need your good walking shoes! There is just enough salt in the water for cockle clams to flourish without getting eaten by predators. This leaves Shell Beach covered with millions, or billions, of shells for almost 40 miles.
- Koekohe Beach, New Zealand- There are massive spherical boulders on this protected scientific reserve on New Zealand’s Otago Coast! Made of mud, silt, and clay, the Moeraki boulders have a calcified outer layer that has cracked on top.
- Maho Beach, Sint Maarten- Maho Beach is on the Dutch side of the island and sits right next to Princess Julianna International Airport. The runway is close enough that you can feel the blast of the jet engine. Planes are literally flying right over you as they land!
- Rabida Island, Ecuador- Located in the Galápagos Islands, this island is home to nine varieties of Charles Darwin’s famous finches. The island also includes a rainbow of colors such as blue-footed boobies, sea lions, brown pelicans and deep red sand on the beach, which have their distinctive color due to the high iron content of Rabida’s basaltic lava.
- Boulders Bay, South Africa- This beach is the only place in the world to have an encounter with African penguins. You can splash (sorry… no touching!) these little flightless birds who are swimming and sunbathing on the beach. (hmmmm… I wonder why the beach in New Zealand wasn’t called Boulders Beach?)
- Horseshoe Bay Beach, Bermuda- I love the color pink… and when there is a beach with pink-hued sand- I’m in! The pink color is caused by a result of crushed microscopic marine insects, known as foraminifera, and shells. What makes the pink sand even better is seeing the turquoise water methodically lapping onto the shore…
I was very intrigued that there were no black sand beaches listed in their article. So off to the internet I went to find some black sand beaches… Reynisfjara, Iceland… Djupalonssandur, Iceland… Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach, Hawaii… Perissa Beach, Santorini, Greece… Black Sand Beach, Alaska (creative name… lol)… sooooo many more… I mean there are A LOT of black sand beaches across the globe! Fodor’s Travel even has an article with beautiful pictures about black sand beaches.
Are there any beaches that you want to go and visit? Tell me all about it!
