Beaches are probably the most attractive tourist destinations in the world. And with a good reason  that the warmth of direct sun kissing your bare skin, the feeling of waves gently lapping at those toes buried in the sand, that wonderful feeling of ennui which you can simply submit to. A beach side vision brings up thoughts of beige sand and crystal blue water. That’s the majority of beaches. Let’s talk about the colored sand beaches here.

There are beaches around the world that are a lot more unique, some feature baby pink sand shores, some bright purple, there are even beaches that are charred black as if it were something taken straight from the depths of Mordor. This is a round-up of some of the most uniquely colored sand beaches out there.

10 Most Spectacular Colored Sand Beaches

Have a look at few of the breathtaking colorful sand beaches that are spread across the world. The panoramic view that these beaches present are sure to calm even the most stressed out and disturbed minds.

1.  Green Sand Beach  Olivine Crystals

Located in the Kau district of Hawaii, near South Point, the Papakolea Beach is one of the two beaches in the US to feature an Olive Green shade on the surface of the sand, flanked by beautiful crystal waves with foaming mouths. The Beach is popularly known as the Green Sand Beach or the Mahana Beach, for obvious reasons.

When seen from afar you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s actually a vast and beautiful grassland with closely cropped blades. Another similarly colored beach is named Guam. The color on these colored sand beaches is owing to Olivine crystals abundantly found in the surrounding lands.

2.  Red Sand Beach – Iron Content

The Red Sand Beach in Maui, Hawaii, also known as Kaihalulu makes for a dreamscape vision of nightmarish fantasy. It could very well be something straight out of a Final Fantasy installment. It has a deep red-black texture, even the stone surfaces seem charred with a glossy sheen.

It offers a great contrast to the Ocean lapping on its surface. The color is a result of the heavy iron content in the land. Another Red Sand Beach is available in Santorini, Greece.

3.  Black Sand Beach – Iron and Titanium

Black Sand Beaches are a result of particular areas volcanic past. The black shiny color is due to a mix of iron, titanium, and other volcanic materials. One such popular Black Sand Beach is available in New Zealand, the Muriwai Black Sand Beach, which stretches on for about 37 miles and is home to a colony of Gannet Birds.

4.  Pink Sand Beach –  Coral and Calcium Carbonate

While there are several beaches around the world famous for their rosy shades, the most famous Pink Sand beach is in Harbour Island, Eleuthera, in the Bahamas. It has got to be one of the most pleasant looking beaches with its baby pink hue.

The 3 and a half mile stretch of pink sand gets its hues as a result of tiny marine creatures called Foraminifera which leave behind its red and pink shells. That, along with the hue imparted by thousands of broken pieces of coral, and calcium carbonate content goes into the making of this dreamy landscape.

5.  Purple Sand Beach – Quartz and Manganese Garnet

Found in Big Sur, California, Pfeiffer beach is famous for its deep purple and violet shades, which are a result of the vast quartz deposits along with manganese garnet washed down from the creeks in the nearby hills.

However, the beach is not fit for swimming due to violent waves and currents and shape Purple rocks.

6.  White Sand Beach – Pure Quartz

Located in New South Wales, Australia, Hyams Beach is a village which has made it to the Guinness Book of Records for having the whitest beaches in the world. Locals living near Canberra highly recommend taking a day trip to this beach which is only a 3-hour drive from the village.

A white beach can also be found in Siesta Key, Floria, called Cresent Beach, which gets its pure color because it’s 99% pure quartz, having traveled down from the Appalachian Mountains and through the Florida River. The great feature about this is that the grains are so fine that it feels like walking across powder, and it never heats up because it’s primarily quartz.

7.  Orange Sand Beach – Orange Limestone and Shells

Found in Sardinia, Italy, Porto Fero is a beach with over a miles worth of Orange sand due to the presence of orange limestone, shells, and volcanic depositions. It is also available in Gozo, Malta, which is scenic and has an abundance of old Roman objects to be found.

8.  Brown Sand Beach – Chocolate

A few miles away from San Francisco you can find a beach with sand so deep brown it might as well be made of chocolate. It’s called Rockaway Beach and is found in southern Pacifica, in California.

9.  Gray Sand Beach – Gray Shale Cliffs

California really does seem to have it all. Shelter cove, a beach with slate gray sand can be found in Humboldt County, California. This is an extremely remote beach, it’s color, or lack thereof, being a result of years and years of erosion of the gray shale cliffs which flank it.

There is also a National Park close by, called King Range National Conservation Area, known for its abundant wildlife, like sea lions and bald eagles.

10  Multicolored Sand Beach – Iron Oxide

This is an extremely small beach, just 0.62 miles in Australia, however, it’s worth mentioning because of its unique color, fetching it the name of Rainbow Beach. It constitutes 74 different colors and shades and is one of the most beautiful colored sand beaches. This is a result of continual erosion which has been ongoing since the ice ages, along with iron oxide buildup.

This coloring comes with a tragic Aboriginal myth as well. According to legends, the rainbow spirit discharged these colors over the sands of the beach after losing a battle to win over a beautiful woman.

These are few of the colored sand beaches found across the globe. If you are a beach lover this is few of the must-see beaches and I am sure at least one of them would have entered your to visit places list.  If you have you already visited any of these colored sand beaches, then do share your experience with us using the comments section below.