17 Most Unique Beaches From Around the World

There are plenty of tropical beaches around the world, which deliver on the promise of sun, sand and sea effortlessly. Did you know that those beaches might just be a part of a company catalogue, with similar views, identical attractions and even possess the run-of-the-mill feel of a standard hotel? Oh Yes! It is time to rise above the standard beaches and view something extraordinary on your next trip. We give you the 17 most unique beaches from around the world for that insatiable traveller in you!

1. Bowling Ball Beach

Location: Schooner Gulch State Beach, Mendocino County, California, USA

Do you remember the trolls from the movie Frozen? Haven’t seen Frozen? Never mind! Imagine that you are on a beach full of giant stone bowling balls lining up on the shores, 2-3 feet wide, with the waves swirling in around them as the tide breaks. Attracting numerous visitors over the year, there are also a number of other interesting formations on the Schooner beach. There are even some which resemble giant English muffins!

2. Green Sand Beach

Location: Papakolea Beach/Mahana Beach, South Point, Ka’u, Hawaii

For days when you are feeling confused about going to the beach and walking on the sand, or heading off to your nearby park for a stroll on the green grass, this beach will provide you the best of both worlds. One of the four beaches in the world to have green sand, Papakolea Beach is located on the South point of the island of Hawaii. The beach gets its colour from the mineral olivine which was originally part of the lava eruption some 50,000 years ago. Fascinating right!

3. Hot Water Beach

Location: East coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

Walk to the park with a spade and dig up your very own hot water spa pool! Yes! The sand is bubbling with hot water and you will see and number of people digging up the beach to get their very own private spa pits. But don’t worry, the tide washes away the man-made pools, clearing up the beach for new visitors every few hours. This is a great beach for experienced surfers, however not the best place for swimming, as the currents are rather strong.

4. Star Sand Beach

Location: Irimote Island, Japan

This is a beach where you will see more people bending down to examine the sand rather than taking a dip in the water. The reason for this unusual behaviour is the beautiful star shaped sand found on the small island of Okinawa. These star shaped grains of sand are actually fossils formed from marine protozoans dating back 550 million years ago, one of the oldest fossils known to man.

Traveller Tip: The best time to find some amazing specimens is after a typhoon when the sea bed is stirred up and washed up on the shore.  

5. Pink Sand Beach

Location: Harbour Island, Bahamas

When you think of the Bahamas, you imagine fancy resorts and casinos lining the beaches of Nassau and Paradise Island. However, you are missing out the real gem! If you are looking to discover heaven, head to Harbour Island for three miles of perfectly pink sand and gentle waves rolling on the shores. The sand gets its colour from microscopic shelled animals known as Foraminifera, which live on the underside of the reefs and the sea floor. So do you want a perfect tropical vacation? Head to Bahamas!

6. Purple Sand Beach

Location: Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California, USA

If you are driving around South California, you really need to visit Pfeiffer Beach. Home to amazing purple sand that washes down from the rocks above the beach, this is the place to take some very striking pictures. The best time to go is after some rain, when the colour of the sand is more pronounced. When there, head south, to witness beautiful undisturbed landscapes.

Traveller Tip:  This is a pet friendly beach.

7. Bioluminescent Beach

Location: Maldives

If you are hoping to walk among the stars, then you need to head to Maldives. Owing to the distress of a certain kind of plankton, humanity has been treated to one of the most glorious views ever. As you walk on the beach in the darkness of night, the whole surf is enlightened by waves and waves of glowing blue lights, which wash up the beach with such exquisite beauty, that you can’t help but stare. Put this on your bucket list!

Read more: Your Guide to a Trip to Maldives

8. Vanishing Beach

Location: Chandipur Beach, Eastern India

This is no fairy-tale! Imagine standing in front of the sea and watching it magically disappear right in front of your eyes. Sounds exciting? This wonder of nature is right here in Eastern India. As the tide changes, the sea at Chandipur recedes up to 5 kms, giving visitors a chance to walk right into the sea. As the high tide sets in everyday, the water rushes back covering the white sand of this beautifully marvellous beach.

9. Hidden Beach

Location: Playa de Amor, Marieta Islands, Mexico

The Hidden Beach is rumoured to have been created by deliberate test bombing by the Mexican Government on Merieta Islands in the early 1900s. Completely uninhabited, these islands have some very striking caves and rock formations, the best being the Hidden Beach, known as Playa de Amor. When you look at the pictures of this beach, the first question that come to mind is how does one get to the beach? The beach is accessible only through a long water tunnel and can be traversed by swimming or kayaking. A one of a kind experience!

10. Pig Beach

Location:  Big Major Cay, Bahamas

This might sound a little icky, when you imagine it in your head, but these swimming pigs have be dubbed ‘very adorable’ by most tourists. It is a bit of a mystery as to how these pigs landed up on the uninhabited island of Big Major Cay, as they are not even native to the island. However, the tourists are finding this experience rather unique and special, so much so that their popularity has even inspired a children’s book ‘The Secret of Pig’s Island’! You will see these 20 or so pigs lounging around on the sand, swimming in the surf or even running to you, asking for treats.

11. Scala Dei Turchi

Location: southern Sicily, Realmonte, Italy

This is the only beach in the world to have stairs right on the shore! Literally! Scala Dei Turchi is Italian for ‘Stairs of the Turks’ and is a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte in Southern Sicily. This gleaming white staircase to heaven overlooks the beautiful blue water of the Mediterranean and is almost the same combination of colours as Santorini in Greece. Make sure you have your camera ready to capture this beautiful panorama.

Traveller Tip: The walk to Scala Dei Turchi is through a marshy and rocky beach trail, but is completely worth the effort.

12. Whitehaven Beach

Location: Whitsunday Island, Australia

Sink your feet into the sand, wade into the warm water slowly lapping at the shore and it will quickly dawn on you why people from all over the world come here. This beach is the vision that dreams are made of, with crystal white sand spread out as far as the eye can see. At the north end of the beach is the Hill Inlet where the tide shifts the sand and water to create beautiful landscape paintings. In case you are up for a day trip, rent out a power boat or a luxury cruising yacht and take off into the sunset.

13. Shell Beach

Location: L’Haridon Bight, Shark Bay, Western Australia

Shell Beach sits on a narrow isthmus within Shark Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wrapped around the southern end of L ‘Haridon Bight, Shell beach boasts a salinity level twice that of the ocean. It is also this natural phenomenon that has prompted the veritable cockle paradise to flourish freely leading to the formation of a 110 km long shell beach. This is one very interesting beach to go for a swim!

14. Black Sand Beach

Location: Reynisfjara Shore, Vik, Iceland

Named as one of the most strikingly beautiful beaches in the world, the Black Sand Beach of Vik deserves your attention. Lining the southernmost village of Iceland, the beach faces the open Altlantic Ocean and is framed by the vast spread of black volcanic sand. But the spectacular view doesn’t end here. The beach has an amazing cliff of basalt columns, which resemble a rocky step pyramid called the Reynisdrangar rock formations. Local legends say that these rocks were formed when trolls tried to drag three ships ashore before the times of the Vikings.

Traveller Tip: A song from Shah Rukh Khan's Dilwale was shot here.

Read more: 7 Things to Do While You’re in Iceland

15. Giant’s Causeway

Location:  Bushmills, Northern Ireland

For centuries, visitors have wondered at the majesty and mystery of the Giant’s Causeway.  A volcanic eruption, nearly 60 million years ago led to the creation of these polygonal columns of layered basalt which have stood the test of time after all these years. The rugged symmetry of the columns is an awe inspiring sight and stands as a guardian against the unbridled ferocity of the Atlantic storms. There are four stunning costal trails at the Giant’s Causeway to fascinate everyone, from a seasoned climber, right down to a pram-friendly jaunt.

Traveller Tip: Dogs on a leash are also allowed.

16. Glass Beach

Location: Hanapepe, Kauai, Hawaii

If you a beach combing enthusiast, this is the place for you. The shoreline of the Glass Beach is covered with millions of blue, clear, aqua and brown sea glass pebbles. A lot of the glass on the beach comes from old bottles, flasks and regular glass objects that have been smoothened by the ocean over the last 10 to 30 years.

Traveller Tip: Husbands might want to bring a comfortable chair while vising the beach with their spouse.

17. Singing Beach

Location: Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, USA

Move away from the busy city life of Boston as you venture to the beach where the sand ‘sings’.  Before you imagine yourself starring out in your very own musical, you should know that the singing sound is of the squeaky variety.  Nevertheless, visitors who shuffle their feet on the Singing Beach’s dry sand will hear the distinct creaking sound of the sand. The best sounds can be heard on the dry side of the beach, away from the high tide. Get there a little early as the beach fill up by midday.

Traveller Tip: There are no alcoholic beverages allowed on the beach.

There you have it- The best and the most unique beaches around the world. The kind you fantasize about in the day and then ease into melodic dreams on peaceful nights. So is your bucket list updated yet?