World’s Most Unique Beaches to Add to Your Bucket List

While many travelers enjoy spending time on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, typically with white powdery sands like Whitehaven in Australia and Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos, why not experience something a bit more unique? With a passion for the more unusual places, I’ve visited quite a few extraordinary stretches, some with unique shades like pink and purple, some where you can create your own hot springs to soak in, and others where exotic wildlife roams, from penguins to kangaroos. 

These unique beaches include some that may be closer to home and others that are far-flung, in remote corners of the globe, but all are more than worthy of your bucket list.

If you’ve seen images online of a beach packed with adorable, waddling penguins, odds are, it was Boulders Beach. On my bucket list for years, I was finally able to visit just recently and it didn’t disappoint. Part of a protected marine reserve near Cape Town, you can stroll winding walkways that provide close encounters with the free-roaming colony.  As these are wild African penguins, if you take a dip, you might even find yourself swimming alongside one for an especially unforgettable experience.

One of the most popular attractions in Northern Ireland, Giant’s Causeway is made up of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that create a unique natural mosaic along the coast. You might think the geometric stone formations were man-made, but they were formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. A legend behind them tells that the landscape was carved by a giant who hurled boulders into the sea toward his enemy over in Scotland to use them as a bridge. The many other rock formations here bear testament to the myth, such as the Wishing Chair that you can sit in and have your photo taken, The Camel, Giant’s Boot and The Organ, nestled high atop the cliffs, looking as if it could be played. 

Hot Water Beach, located along the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand’s North Island, offers a very unique experience. If you visit within two hours of low tide, on either side, this normally deserted beach attracts many to dig their own natural spa bath right out of the sand. Naturally hot water bubbles up through the beach’s golden sands, filling up a hole where you can soak while enjoying a beautiful view of the waves. Be sure to pick up a tide table chart to time your visit right, otherwise the sand will be covered up by the surf. 

Nestled along one of the most stunning stretches of California’s coast in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Pfeiffer Beach includes a rare stretch of purple sand. The cliffs that it fronts contain manganese garnet deposits that crumble and eventually result in the unique hue. It makes for a fabulous addition to your Instagram feed and there are other great photo ops here too, including Keyhole Arch, one of multiple dramatic rock formations. The powerful waves and strong currents make this beach too dangerous for swimming, but at low tide, it’s fun to go tide pooling, searching for unique creatures like colorful starfish, hermit crabs and sea anemones. 

To reach Hidden Beach, also known as Lover’s Beach or Playa del Amor, you have to swim through a tunnel, adding to its allure. Located in the Marietas Islands, it can be reached on a boat tour from Puerto Vallarta. Hidden in a cave, after swimming through the tunnel, the spectacular stretch of sand is revealed. Bring a snorkel and mask to explore the underwater world. You can see everything from giant damselfish and parrotfish to giant manta rays, sea turtles, corals and sponges. While onshore during the winter months, keep an eye out for humpback whales too.

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon is one of Iceland’s most famous attractions. Here, icebergs are continuously breaking off the glacier before drifting through a short river that flows out into the sea. Visitors can take a boat tour between June and September to get a close-up look at the bergs and experience the thundering roar that occurs when they break off. But many aren’t aware that just across the road from the lagoon is a black sand beach where some of the bergs wash ashore. The chunks of ice are scattered across, looking like glittering diamonds and beautifully contrasted against the midnight black of the volcanic sands. Each one is unique, a work of art created by Mother Nature.

As its name suggests, Rainbow Beach is made up of sands that are stained with various shades that are the result of minerals like iron, monazite, and zircon, combined with erosion that has occurred over thousands of years. While the sand may look gold from a distance, if you scoop some up, you’ll see a rainbow of colors. Located on Fraser, the world’s largest sand island lying off the east coast of Australia, the beach is also known for its large sand mass, the Carlo Sand Blow. If you visit between July and October, keep an eye out for humpback whales that pass by.

About a 3.5-hour drive north of San Francisco along the rugged Mendocino coast, Glass Beach is now part of MacKerricher State Park, but for decades, it served as the city dump. After it closed down in the 1960s, the waves began to break down all the trash, cleaning up the shore, leaving only bits of pottery and glass that have smoothed down over the years. As a result, it became a famous destination for finding colorful seaglass. While there isn’t as much here as there once was, it’s still a treasure trove with unique pieces to be found. Plus, you can often spot seals and sea lions that like to lounge on the rocks. Tidepooling is great at low tide—peek into the pools and you might see everything from hermit crabs and anemones to little fish.

Located in the Bahamas’ Out Islands, Pig Beach, officially Big Major Cay, is home to the famous swimming pigs. The uninhabited island is only about a mile long but it receives more visitors annually than most of the islands in the country, thanks to its pig population. There are about two dozen of them, from piglets to the full-grown, large and pudgy and all are quite friendly despite being feral, not surprising with their primary food source coming from visitors. 

As there is no tourism development here, you’ll need to stay on another island to swim with the animals. Stainel Cay and Fowl Cay are two of the closest, just a 10-minute boat ride away, but as tiny islands, they aren’t easy to reach, so many take a boat from Great Exuma, about a two-hour journey.

You’ve probably heard about cat cafes, which originated in Asia, but what about Cat Beach? If you’re a cat lover, you won’t want to miss it. It serves as a cat sanctuary, set up by the Cat Lovers International Society, and is now home to more than 300 rescued felines. You’ll see them lounging around the beaches, rubbing up against visitors and simply roaming the sands. If you visit, bring treats or cat food to help support a good cause. You can also take part in various activities, including making toys for the cats. It’s a great way to enjoy the beach, beautiful views and the cuddly creatures.

The Maldives are made up of about 1,200 small, coral islands spread out like a string of pearls in the translucent turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. They’re known for their pristine, chalk-white sands, but Vaadhoo Island is a particular standout, home to Vaadhoo Beach. Often referred to as the “Sea of Stars,” it experiences a unique phenomenon thanks to Mother Nature when phytoplankton emit light if they’re disturbed by any movement, including waves and footsteps. The resulting bioluminescence creates a stunning visual effect with the shoreline looking like glowing stars twinkling at night.

If you’ve ever taken your dog to the beach, you know they seem to love feeling the sand between their toes just like many of us do. Well, it seems kangaroos are no exception. The animals like to hop across powdery sands on several Australian beaches, but there may be none more beautiful to witness the scene than Lucky Bay. A 45-minute drive from remote Esperance, 435 miles southeast of Perth, it’s not exactly on the well-beaten path, but the bouncy residents make it worth the trip. The beauty of the unspoiled, two-mile stretch of white sands contrasted by vibrant aquamarine waters doesn’t hurt either. 

You’ll have a better chance of seeing them in the early morning or late afternoon hours, but remember they’re wild animals. Although generally unfazed by humans, kangaroos should be given plenty of space so they don’t feel threatened.

Komodo National Park is actually home to two pink beaches that are the result of red coral fragments mixed into the white sand, providing spectacular photo ops, beautifully contrasted against the calm turquoise water. The beach on the north side of Padar Island has the most vivid pink sand, but the one on Komodo Island is inhabited by Komodo dragons and is flanked by mountains, so you might want to visit both while you’re here. Many come to snorkel or dive, with the strikingly clear water home to abundant marine life, including rays, sea turtles and lots of colorful fish, including clownfish (Nemo!), parrotfish and sweetlips.

A bit closer to home for many, unless you’re reading this from the southern hemisphere, the Big Island is known for its many volcanic features, including active volcanoes and black sand beaches, but it’s also home to a very unique green beach. Papakolea has a distinct green hue that comes from olivine crystals, which were deposited here during a volcanic explosion some 10,000 years ago. As the crystals are heavier than the other components of the lava, the green sands aren’t usually washed off by the waves. The beach is located at the island’s southern tip and requires a scenic 2.5-mile hike from the parking area, but as you probably won’t find another one like it, it’s well worth the trek.