's Top 50+ Beaches
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Ilot Mangenie // Mauritius
Svein-Magne Tunli (tunliweb.no) The only island or islet of its type in Mauritius, Ilot Mangénie is the name of both the isle itself and the soft coral sands of the main beach. A small private island off the east coast of Mauritius, it is owned by the Shangri-La Le Touessrok Resort and Spa, but welcomes day visitors.
Once comprising just five rooms built by… read more »
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Tropical Beach // Sweden
Guillaume Baviere The Swedish city of Helsingborg is well known for its medieval old town and ferry links to Denmark. Being in the southern part of Sweden the winters here are surprisingly mild; not exactly balmy, but not freezing wither. That said, this is hardly the place you would expect to find a tropical beach, bit that is exactly what you will… read more »
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Bark Bay // New Zealand
Akos Kokai Sitting on the border of Tonga Beach Marine Reserve within Abel Tasman National Park, Bark Bay (also called Wairima) is known for the reliability of its weather, offering sunshine pretty much all year round.
While that may be enough to lure sunseekers to this first-rate stretch of sand, others will be tempted by the large lagoon that offers the opportunity… read more »
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Sidi Kaouki // Morocco
Julia Maudlin The quiet Berber village of Sidi Kaouki is about 30 minutes south of Essaouira. This is a wonderfully unspoilt place that seems to have found the perfect balance of catering for visiting travellers and staying true to its North African roots. Camels saunter on the golden sands, and old men sell handmade items such as locally made rugs. Tourists are… read more »
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Yokohama Bay // USA
Thomas Woodtli Head to the northern tip of Oahu and you'll reach Yokohama Bay, also known as Keawa'ula Beach at Ka'ena Point. The remote route to the beach takes about 90 minutes to reach by car from Waikiki.
Incidentally, "Keawa'ula" means "Red Bay" and it earned the name due to the squid that regularly spawned in the bay, apparently in such numbers that… read more »
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Hamelin Bay // Australia
Gordy Pichaz Located 139 km south of Bunbury in the Margaret River region of Western Australia, Hamelin Bay is a sweeping open sandy beach with gentle wave action.
Named after French explorer Jacques Felix Emmanuel Hamelin, it is best known for its stingrays which can reach 2m between wingtips. It's a great place for snorkelling and getting up-close to these velvety creatures… read more »
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Monkey Mia // Australia
Bryn Pinzgauer Monkey Mia is a popular beach 25km northeast of Denham within the World Heritage Site of Shark Bay Marine Park. The main attraction is the bottlenose dolphins that can be seen close to shore.
Rangers provide fish that visitors can feed to the dolphins in the mornings but the dolphins often visit the beach at other times too.… read more »
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Elephant Rocks // Australia
© Amanda Klamrowski As the name might suggest, Elephant Rock has huge smooth grey granite rocks sitting on a pristine white sandy beach and in the beautiful clear turquoise waters in the bay. From the clifftop these boulders could be a herd of elephants ambling into the water for a cooling dip.
Elephant Rocks is located in Williams Bay National Park near Denmark… read more »
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Praia do Pinho // Brazil
Otávio Nogueira The pristine golden sand shoreline of Praia do Pinho is located in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina; a region known for its beautiful and unspoilt coastline. This beach is certainly a place of natural beauty with its clear blue waters and backdrop of verdant hillsides.
With all the other great beaches along this stretch of coast there is one… read more »
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Porto da Barra // Brazil
Tereza Torres/Turismo Bahia Set at the mouth of huge Bahia de Todos os Santos (Bay of All Saints) in Brazil's oldest city is the lively beach of Porto da Barra. The beach gives a nod to Salvador's history with the old colonial fort standing guard at one end and Santo Antônio church overlooking the other.
There is always something going on at Porto da… read more »
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Praia Ilha do Campeche // Brazil
Rodrigo Soldon Praia Ilha do Campeche, or Campeche Island Beach, can be found in Brazil's Santa Catarina state. In an area of the country known unofficially as the "Caribbean of Brazil", it lies on the western side of a small island east of Santa Catarina Island, and is reached by boat from Campeche Beach – which it is not to be confused… read more »
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Jericoacoara // Brazil
Alberto Perdomo In a country famous for its laid-back beach scene they don't come much more laid-back than Jericoacoara on Brazil's north coast. Located about 200 km west of the city of Fortaleza this village and beach have long been on the hippy trail but over recent years has begun to attract adventurous travelers of all kinds.
The name Jericoacoara is believed to… read more »
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Praia do Forno // Brazil
Rafael Rabello de Barros It is quite bizarre how different Praia do Forno is from neighbouring Praia dos Anjos. The latter is backed by the large town of Arraial do Cabo and you can barely move for boats. Yet just a couple of hundred metres hike over the headland to the north and you will feel like you have landed on a tropical island.
As… read more »
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Geribá // Brazil
Filipe Fortes Geribá is the most happening beach in the popular coastal town of Buzios. It is situated on the southern side of the Peninsula with the town right behind. This long, curving stretch of sandy beach is the hang-out of Rio de Janeiro's rich and famous who come here to relax, party and enjoy the surrounds.
Along with the celebrities come a… read more »
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Greenwich Beach // Canada
Andrea Schaffer Greenwich Beach (pronounced the British way as Gren-itch) is at the heart of Prince Edwards Island National Park, yet surprisingly it's the least frequented.
Access is tucked away about 45 minutes' drive from Charlottetown and is visitors need to drive around the scenic St Peters Bay to reach it.
The long sandy beach is edged by gently lapping waves so a sun… read more »
