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6 of the World’s Most Unique Beaches

When you visit the beach, you can usually expect to see two things: lots of sand and a large body of water. The rest of the details are up to mother nature.

 

But if you think you’ve experienced it all when it comes to seaside destinations, think again. We’ve rounded up a list of 6 amazingly unique beaches from around the world, each one with its own inimitable flair. How many of these rare gems have you heard of before? Or, if you’re among the lucky few, how many have you seen in person? 

Sea of Stars, Vaadhoo Island, Maldives

At night, it can be a challenge to distinguish sea from sky as the two blend together towards the horizon. But at this iconic beach in the Maldives, you can watch the cosmos and the ocean come together like never before.

 

The incredible Sea of Stars laced with bioluminescent plankton that glow neon blue as the water ebbs and flows, and as you splash it around. Nothing lights up the night like these tiny seaborne sparklers, but be forewarned: it’s hard to predict when this rare natural phenomenon will occur, so you’ll have to get extra lucky if you plan on visiting. 

Shell Beach, Western Australia

Were you the kid who was always off collecting interesting shells on every family vacation? If so, you’ll want to be sitting down for this one.

 

You won’t find a speck of sand on this one-of-a-kind beach, located in the UNESCO-recognized Shark Bay region of Western Australia. Instead, Shell Beach features – you guessed it – a shoreline covered in tiny white cockle shells that’s a whopping 60 km (37 mi) long and 7 to 10m (23 to 33 ft) deep! Shell yeah. 

Black sand beaches, Canary Islands

Beach bums and sun seekers often tout silky white-sand beaches as the gold standard in oceanfront luxury – but they’ve got another thing coming.

 

Spain’s Canary Islands are home to some of the most incredible black sand beaches in the world, from mountainous Santa Catalina on La Gomera island to the inky shores of Playa del Charco. Black sand is typically composed of volcanic minerals and tiny fragments of lava, and are therefore most common on islands that have volcanoes! 

Red Beach, Santorini, Greece

Have you ever been to Mars? Neither have we, but we imagine this is the next-best thing to setting food on the red planet.

 

Similar to those in the Canary Islands, Santorini’s Red Beach gets its striking color from volcanic rock: in this case, it’s pulverized matter from a nearby caldera, which is a crater-like landform left behind following the collapse of a volcano. On top of its rust-colorer sand, this beach is surrounded by towering red rock faces that hug the shore. 

Grass Beach, Kourou, French Guiana

It’s a field, it’s a plain, it’s … a green sand beach? Located in Kourou on the North Coast of French Guiana, this landscape is not what it seems.

 

When lava comes into contact with the sea and begins to cool rapidly, it creates a mineral called olivine, which is what gives this emerald beach its unique hue. Green sand can only be found in a handful of places on earth, most of them remote, making Grass Beach a decidedly rare gem! 

Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California

One man’s trash is another man’s beachfront: the story of Glass Beach is one of unique, beauty borne of an unfortunate type of human intervention.

 

While it might look like an expanse of tiny crystals from afar, this beach is the result of decades’ worth of glass, appliances, and car parts being discarded at a nearby dump site. Over the years, the ever powerful tides transformed these materials into tiny pieces of sea glass, creating a breathtaking rainbow beach that draws in tourists from all over. What’s old is new again!

 

So, which of these jaw-dropping beaches would you want to visit first? And do you promise to bring us with you whenever you go? While you daydream, you can browse our beach-inspired prints and collections, like Bora Bora, Tokelau, and Catalina!