With roughly 372,000 miles of coastline on Earth its no surprise there are enough beaches to spend a lifetime trying to visit. It wasn’t easy, and far from complete, but we managed to narrow the best beaches in the world down to a handful of the best of the best. Here are the paradises which made the final cut, in alphabetical order:
Best Beaches in the World
Aharen Beach, Tokashiki Island, Japan
Photo: Travante
Visitors can’t get enough of the pristine landscape and crystal clear water. The water is so transparent it’s easy to see for dozens of feet down from dozens of feet in the air.
Anse Lazio, Praslin, Seychelles
Photo: Wikimedia
The occasional chain of eroded boulders, rocks, and stones decorate this otherwise smooth sandy stretch of coastline found in this archipelago off East Africa in the Indian Ocean. Peak tourist season is in the winter, so plan accordingly!
Photo: Turismo en Fotos
Not many Americans have had the privilege of experiencing the meandering beaches of Cayo Largo, considered by many to be the most gorgeous of the whole Caribbean. That, if you couldn’t tell, is seriously saying something. Maybe us Yanks will finally get a chance to enjoy it thanks to recent warming of relations between the two nations.
Photo: I Am Made In
Used as a setting and backdrop for countless music videos, movies, and television, Eagle Beach is home to some of the softest, cleanest sand on Earth. It makes for one of the great getaway spots in the western hemisphere.
Photo: whitlamabroad
If untamed beach is your dream, those found in El Cabo, Colombia, are where you want to be. Unfortunately the country itself isn’t exactly known for its kindness to outsiders.
Photo: Travel World News
A classic tourist destination of the British, Grace Bay located on “Provo” Island includes some of the greatest diving experiences offered to amateurs and experts alike.
Photo: Business Insider
The experience of spending time in the Hamptons is less about the beach itself and more about the people watching. If you’re fascinated with how the upper crust spend their idle time, and more importantly like to see wannabes squirm for the attentions of the filthy rich, the Hamptons are where you want to be.
Photo: Wikimedia
While only ½ mile long, Lanikai Beach consistently gets ranked as one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire world. Now, how often a half-mile long picture-perfect beach is devoid of enough people to make it look stunning is a question we’d like to see answered before departure.
Photo: Africa Travel Resource
Unlike most of the world’s most beautiful beaches, the one found in the village of Matemwe in the Zanzibar archipelago is not often swamped with tourists drawn to its clear blue water, white sands, and cool breeze; maybe it’s just too out of the way for most folks?
Photo: Inspired-Tours
One of the most iconic beaches in all the world, Navagio Beach is famous for the shipwreck sunken into the sand and the way in which the tiny little section of sand seems to be a perfectly isolated little paradise. Unfortunately the difficulty to reach means most visits are planned, crowded, and brief.
Photo: Wikimedia
Considered the most beautiful piece of coastline in all of the Commonwealth, Rainbow Beach is prized by marine biologists for its unique ecosystem. Mix in a curving beach landscape with rising mountains in the distance and you can see how scores of visitors stand to put this valued wildlife at risk, so do your research before going.
