Do you always picture the beautiful white sand and blue water of the Caribbean when you think of the World’s Most Beautiful Colorful Sand Beaches? Here are some more unusual color beaches you might consider visiting.
Pink Sands Beach, Bahamas – Considered one of the most breathtaking in the world. It is a mixture of fine golden sand and pulverized coral and shells. Bermuda also makes for great photos with the contrasts of the pink sand and the turquoise waters.
Punalu’u Beach, The Big Island, Hawaii – One of the rare black sand beaches. The black sand is from molten lava that poured into the ocean and cooled rapidly. Legend has it that if you take any of the black sand with you, you will be cursed by a volcano goddess called Pele.
You can also find black sand beaches in Iceland (Vik Beach,) Prince William Sound Alaska, Pololu Valley and Kaimu, Kehena Beach on the big island of Hawaii and Waianapanapa Black Sand Beach in Maui. My favorite black sand beach is Perissa Beach in Santorini Greece.
Kaihalulu, Maui – On the far side of Ka’uiki Hill south of Hana Bay on Maui you will find Red Sand Beach. The sand gets its red-black color from the crumbling cindercone hill that surrounds the bay. You’ll have to take a short hike to get there.
You can also find a striking red sand beach on Prince Edward Island.
Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, California – Also known as Purple Sand Beach, here you will find beautiful views of rocks and sea stacks. The purple sand comes from manganese garnet particles washing down the hillside.
Papakolea Beach, Hawaii – Green Sand Beach is one of only two beaches with olive-green sand in the world. The unusual green color of the sand comes from a semi-precious stone called olivine that surrounds Papakolea Beach that the ocean has eroded. The other green sand beach is in Guam.
Rainbow Beach is about a 3 hours from Brisbane on Fraser Island. There are around 70 different colors in the sand. These rainbow colored sand dunes is how the area got it’s name. Strong currents often make this beach unsafe for swimming.
Rockaway Beach near San Francisco is an interesting brown color which reminds me of chocolate.
Last but not least, you can find orange sand beaches in Ramla Bay in Gozo, Malta, and Porto Ferro on the Island of Sardinia.
One unique beach which we love that is not colorful sand, but amazing to see is Glass Beach in Kauai, Hawaii. The sea glass is more distinct than anywhere else as there are more shades of blue & often more round shapes than in other areas.
Did we forget your favorite? Please let us know so that we can add them to the list!
The world’s most colorful sand beaches are extraordinary natural wonders worth traveling to experience. Our advisors’ Bucket List Worthy Destinations guide highlights more incredible natural phenomena worth experiencing in person.
