While the joy of getting wet in the sea and soaking in the sun is common in any beach destination, there are some beaches that offer you something more.
Travelers feel at home when they lie down on a beach, order a pina colada from the shacks, and run towards the blue water when the rum starts titillating them. It’s not just a brush with Mediterranean summer or an undiluted fun at Caribbean beach parties, but a whole lot of wow moments that await you . While the joy of getting wet in the sea and soaking in the sun is common in any beach destination, there are some beaches that offer you something more.
We bring to you a cocktail of beaches from Europe, Caribbean, Oceania and the US that stand out by virtue of their colors. Yes, you’ve heard it right.
#1. Red Beach, Santorini, Greece
Standing on a headland and admiring this red landscape guarded by red lava cliffs is that one experience for which you can plan a trip to Greece.
Color: Red
The whitewashed houses of Santorini are not the only feast for your eyes. You have to arrive at the ancient town of Akrotiri and take a few steps to the wonderful scarlet beach. It is one of those beaches that reveals its glory when you look at it from a distance. Standing on a headland and admiring this red landscape guarded by red lava cliffs is that one experience for which you can plan a trip to Greece.
#2. Papakolea Beach, Hawaii, US
Color: Olive Green
Sometimes, you have to travel far and wide in search of beauty. It’s that same quest-like feeling that grips you when you reach the southernmost tip of the US and then take a 2.5-mile-long hike before you get rewarded with a stunning view of Papakolea. The olivine crystals created from volcanic eruptions years ago have turned the sand green. Absorb every sight till the time you are convinced about the looks of this remote beauty. And if you see any curious soul trying to take some green sand home, stop him and say, “Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints!”
#3. Pink Sands Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas
Color: Pink
If you still romanticize the idea of glorious stretch of white sand in Caribbean beaches, it’s time you got over it. Add colors to your idea and head to the Hrabour Island for a rare rendezvous with pink sand. When the red shells of foraminifera (single-celled organisms) blend with the white sand, what you get is a 3.5-mile-long beach of a softer shade of pink. Bahamas is proud of this pretty beach and you will feel glad to have made it to the place once you settle down in your Tommy Bahama beach chairs and wait for the sunset. Meanwhile, you can celebrate this new discovery by surrendering yourself to snorkeling.
#4. Porto Ferro Beach, Sardinia, Italy
Sardinia is always a traveler’s fancy. This mountainous island in Italy has long nurtured a Mediterranean beauty – Porto Ferro Beach.
Color: Orange
Sardinia is always a traveler’s fancy. This mountainous island in Italy has long nurtured a Mediterranean beauty – Porto Ferro Beach. The first look at the orange-colored sand of the beach is something that’s worth remembering all your life. Warm sun on your back, gentle caress of the sea breeze, and the backdrop of towering sand dunes are too Utopic to be ignored. Apart from the volcanic deposits, it is the unusual orange limestone in the area that gave this 2-km-long beach a distinct orange (and sometimes ochre) color. When the dark blue water rolls over the sand, your day is made!
Italy major attractions: Leaning Tower of Pisa, Amalfi Coast, Venice, Colosseum, Rome, Portofino, Uffizi Gallery, Pompeii
#5. Pfeiffer Beach, California, US
Devoid of publicity and bereft of humdrum, Pfeiffer Beach is content with its strip of purple sand, a handful of admirers, and the laid-back setting.
Color: Purple
Ask anyone who had been there and he will tell you that this half-mile-long beach is a majestic and underrated beach in the entire West Coast. This gem of a place is tucked away in the south of Big Sur station. Devoid of publicity and bereft of humdrum, Pfeiffer Beach is content with its strip of purple sand, a handful of admirers, and the laid-back setting. The sand got its purple hue from the fragments of manganese garnet of the rocky cliffs. If not for the pinkish look of the sand, wait till sunset at least for the huge keyhole arch on the beach. Few minutes before the sundown, you can see orange light beaming through the hole. This spectacle can give you some prized photos.
#6. Muriwai Beach, Auckland, New Zealand
An hour’s drive from downtown Auckland takes you to Muriwai Beach, one of the most spectacular surf beaches that flaunts its black sand.
Color: Black
An hour’s drive from downtown Auckland takes you to Muriwai Beach, one of the most spectacular surf beaches that flaunts its black sand. If you happen to visit this beach of volcanic origin between August and March, you can spot large white gannets enjoying the glorious sunshine and moving their yellowish heads in glee. While the birdwatchers get their share of fun, the visitors find a collage of colors in emerald waters, brown cliffs, blue sky, white birds, and black sand.
Image Credit: Yoeml, www.sandatlas.org, Gabriele Maltinti, John A Davis, Swasdee, jkauffeld