The World’s 7 Most Colorful Beaches

By Emily Bratcher | April 17, 2016

The World’s 7 Most Colorful Beaches

Although most people enjoy sinking their toes into downy white sands, some have the unique experience of tiptoeing through a kaleidoscope of colors on a trip to the beach. These seven most colorful beaches showcase the world’s rainbow of colors that are found in the sand rather than the sky.

The Red Playa Roja

Playa Roja — literally Red Beach — is a brick red strip of sand inside the Paracas National Reserve in Peru. Fragments of a rock called pink granodiorite are responsible for the truly awe-inspiring hue, which is in stark contrast to the surrounding golden cliffs and the lapping cerulean waves.

The Green Papakolea Beach

The olive sands of Papakolea Beach are located near the southern end of Hawaii’s Big Island. The green granules of sand that wash up on this shore are a product of the area’s long-erupted Pu’u Mahana cinder cone, which is rich in a mineral aptly named olivine. However, when it comes to taking a dip, some travelers recommend that visitors skip the swimming since the waters can be rough.

The Orange Ramla Bay

For orange sherbet-colored sands, Ramla Bay is the place to go. Located in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern side of the Maltese Islands’ Gozo, Ramla Bay is encased in soft orange sands. The beach also stands in the shadows of Calypso Cave, a cavern made famous in the pages of The Odyssey by Homer.

The Pink Horseshoe Bay

The combination of crushed coral, shells and calcium carbonate create a rosy effect on Bermuda’s beaches. And one of the most beloved beaches in all of the world, let alone the Caribbean, is Horseshoe Bay. Located on the southern curve of Bermuda’s main island, Horseshoe Bay’s pastel sands contrast with turquoise waters in a way that can only be described as breathtaking.

The Purple Pfeiffer Beach

Pfeiffer Beach, a shoreline in Big Sur, California, is pretty in purple — especially after storms. After heavy rains, deposits of quartz and manganese garnet topple down from the surrounding hills, giving this beach a patchwork of purple sand. And although most of the Big Sur area is private property, Pfeiffer Beach is one place visitors can enjoy for a small fee.

The Black Muriwai Beach

One of the upshots of explosive volcanic activity is a beach that is brilliantly black. At least, that’s what happened at Muriwai Beach on the western coast of Auckland in New Zealand. The dark sands are a combination of iron, titanium and a handful of other volcanic elements, which get pretty hot on a sunny day. Visitors should be advised to wear sandals.

The Multi-Colored Rainbow Beach

Australia’s aptly named Rainbow Beach is located on its northeastern coast in Queensland. The beach is a cacophony of colors making it one of the most colorful beaches — oranges, reds, whites and more — owing to the many-hued cliffs nearby. But others like to recite an aboriginal myth when it comes to the origins of the colorful sands — that a Rainbow’s broken heart shattered over the beach, to forever color it with its multi-colored shards.