The most beautiful coloured-sand beaches in the world

The beach is an absolutely magical place. Depending on your mood, you can go there for fun, seclusion, serenity, or simply a walk. While all beaches are pretty great, let’s be honest: Some are a wee bit more amazing than others. The sun, sand and surf may be enough to cure what ails you, but there are other things that make a beach trip one for the books. The following stunning beaches, for example, don’t have the typical white and beige sand that most do. Instead, they boast the colours of the rainbow on their shores. From orange and red to purple and black, here are some of the world’s most beautiful coloured-sand beaches for your viewing pleasure.

Bermuda is known for its pink-sand beaches, and Horseshoe Bay Beach, one of the many beaches on the island that are open to the public, is the cream of the crop. Shaped like – you guessed it – a horseshoe and located on the south side of the island, this beach is home to bright pink sand so stunning, you can’t help but stare at it. The sand gets its pink hue from single-celled red organisms called foraminifera, which can be found in the coral reefs that are just offshore, and the turquoise water highlights the colour of the sand even more. Add in some breathtaking limestone cliffs and intricate caves and you have a unique beach experience you won’t soon forget.

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Pfeiffer Beach, located in California’s Big Sur region, has stunning purple sand, due to quartz and manganese garnet deposits that come down from the mountains. While traces of purple can almost always be seen, it becomes more visible after a storm with heavy rains. And if the purple sand isn’t gorgeous enough, the beach is dotted with tide pools and has several natural arches that make for great photo ops.

This beach on the Big Island boasts a one-of-a-kind colour: olive green. The colour of the sand is due to a type of lava crystal called olivine, which stays on the beaches because of its weight, allowing the sand to stay green through and through. The best part about this beach, though, is its location. Located in Hawaii’s Kau district, Papakōlea Beach is very secluded. It can be reached only via a 4.8km hike, which will allow it to keep its beauty as long as time will let it.

Home to the Blue Lagoon and stunning waterfalls, Iceland also has a unique beach unlike anything else you’ve probably seen. A little more than 160 kilometres of eroded volcanic rocks, the juxtaposition of the black sand, the greenery that surrounds the beach, and the ocean water is a sight to be seen – and Instagrammed. However, the ocean is extra rough in this part of the world, so it’s better to take a step back. It’s easier to enjoy the view that way, anyway.

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While Greece may be known for its extra white beaches and deep blue waters, the country is full of surprises. Red Beach, located in Santorini, has sand that is a deep shade of, well, red. The colour comes from a combination of black and red pulverised volcanic rock. It’s breathtaking on its own, but if that’s not enough, the beach is surrounded by steep red hills as far as the eye can see. Rent a sun-bed and umbrella for your day on the beach, and head out for some fantastic snorkelling. Does this make you want to plan a trip overseas when life gets back to normal?

A deep burnt-orange colour, Ramla Bay Beach in Malta is located on a fertile valley, and its sand colour is reportedly the result of coral and oxidised limestone deposits. Surrounded by greenery, this beach is also very historical: Roman remains are said to be buried in and around the area. Additionally, according to legend, it is the home of the Calypso Cave, where the nymph Calypso kept Odysseus as a “prisoner of love” for seven years in The Odyssey.

If you thought pink sand was reserved for Bermuda, think again. Pink Sand Beach in the Bahamas is a popular holiday spot – and you can see why. Like Bermuda’s Horseshoe Bay Beach, the pink sand on this 4.8-kilometre-long beach is also formed by microscopic coral insects known as foraminifera. Surrounded by calm turquoise waters, this area is a scuba diver’s paradise. It may be hard to leave the perfectly pretty-in-pink surroundings to explore the sea, though. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

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This beach in Sardinia, where Italians like to vacation themselves, is not only orange – it is virtually neon. The sand gets its interesting hue from a mixture of shells that decompose on the shore, which is located on the northwest section of the island. Stunning blue waters accent the sand as well, and with the added backdrop of dark green pine trees, the beach is a photoshoot waiting to happen.

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OK, this isn’t technically sand, but it is stunning, and we think it’s worth a mention on this list. The sand on Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California, is covered with – you guessed it – sea glass. How did it all get there? According to legend, it was formed from mermaid tears, shed whenever a sailor was lost at sea. In reality, the sea glass is a product of long-ago and decades-long pollution, something that started after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake when garbage needed to be removed before the area could be rebuilt. After being tumbled in the ocean for years, the glass debris became smooth, shiny and spectacular. The varied colours come from whatever bottles, pottery and china they were once upon a time.

If you happen to visit Glass Beach, look and touch…but don’t take! Visitors have taken some of the more colourful pieces as mementos over the years, diminishing the beach’s bounty.

For more travel inspiration, check out 20 of the most beautiful sea caves in the world.

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Source: RD.com