Most Beautiful White Sand Beaches in the World

Whitehaven Beach is located on Whitsunday Island off the coast of Queensland in Australia. This natural treasure has 7 km (4.3 miles) of fine white sand composed purely of silica. Silica is the main component of quartz and is what often causes the color of the world's most beautiful white sand beaches.

The Whitehaven Beach is surrounded by crystal clear turquoise waters. It is the perfect location for swimming, diving, snorkeling and sailing. It is also somewhere we can enjoy the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to impressive marine biodiversity.

Grace Bay is located in the Turks and Caicos Islands and stands out for its crystal-clear waters. It is one of the most beautiful sandy beaches in the world thanks to its pristine condition. The reason its white sand remains so white is because it is part of the Princess Alexandra National Park. This a coastal and marine protected area that is home to rich biodiversity, including turtles and corals. Its calm, clear waters are ideal for snorkeling, diving and paddleboarding, as well as offering spectacular views for boat rides.

Anse Source d'Argent, is a beach located on the island of La Digue in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Known for its granite formations and calm, shallow waters, the beach is part of the Valle de Mai Nature Reserve. It is home to the sea coconut (Lodoicea maldivica), a palm tree endemic to the Seychelles and the Maldives. In addition to swimming in its waters, visitors can snorkel and capture impressive photographs of the landscape.

Learn more about archipelagos with our guide to the different types of island.

Navagio Beach also has the enigmatic nickname of ‘Shipwreck Beach’. Located on the Greek island of Zakynthos, its nickname comes from the fact that a ship ran aground on the cove in 1980. The wreck still remains there, providing an eerily beautiful presence on the otherwise pristine white sand. Its beauty was prominently featured in a Korean drama called Descendants of the Sun, making it a popular destination amount Korean and Chinese tourists.

Matira Beach is located in Bora Bora in French Polynesia. Its remote location and distillate of paradise make it one of the best white sand beaches in the world if you want to get away from everyone else. The nearby coral reefs are home to great marine diversity and a large number of tropical fish can be found there. Surrounded by palm trees, visitors can enjoy swimming in its calm waters or doing activities such as snorkeling, diving and glass-bottom boat excursions to observe ocean life.

Learn more about the organisms which make up reefs with our article on the different types of coral species.

Known as Baía do Sancho in Portuguese, Sancho Bay is located in Fernando de Noronha in Brazil. It is an isolated and difficult to access beach, surrounded by cliffs covered with jungle vegetation. This beach is part of the Fernando de Noronha National Marine Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site which crucial for the conservation of various species providing a great amount of biodiversity.

The marine fauna is abundant and diverse, with frequent sightings of sea turtles, dolphins and reef sharks. On the shore, it is common to see seabirds such as frigatebirds and red-footed boobies. In addition to its stunning natural beauty, Sancho Bay features seasonal waterfalls that cascade down the cliffs during the rainy season.

Learn more about the specific geography of beaches with our article explaining what is a coastline?

Located in Quintana Roo in Mexico, Tulum Beach is home to both white sands and famous Mayan ruins which attract tourists in droves. This beach is located near the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO world heritage site that is home to great amount of biodiversity.

Visitors can explore the ruins, as well as snorkel and swim in the warm Caribbean waters. Tulum is also famous for its cenotes, freshwater pools formed by the dissolution of limestone rock. The Gran Cenote and Cenote Dos Ojos are popular with divers and swimmers due to their clear waters and unique underwater formations.

Located in Negril, Jamaica, this white sand beach is renowned for its stunning stretch of white sand that stretches along seven miles of coastline lapped by crystal-clear Caribbean waters. This beach allows you to visit the nearby coral reefs and enjoy unforgettable diving and snorkeling experiences. The winter months in high season receive the largest number of visitors. As it is a long beach it is not usually too crowded, making it one of the best white sand beaches to visit.

While seven miles makes it one of the longest, you may want to read our related article which shares what is the smallest beach in the world?

Hyams Beach is located in Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia. It is famous for having some of the whitest sand in the world made up of almost pure quartz. This beach is part of the Jervis Bay Marine Park and is surrounded by other protected areas. Its vegetation is abundant and 140 species of birds have been recorded there. These include the silver gull, crested tern and white-bellied sea eagle. Visitors can enjoy snorkeling, diving and, during appropriate times, whale watching.

Called Kaʻōhao Beach in its native Hawaiian, Lanikai Beach is located on the east coast of Oahu, Hawaii, in the United States. Despite being barely 800 m long, it is considered one of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world. Surrounded by calm and clear waters of the Pacific Ocean, Lanikai is popular among thousands of tourists, especially on weekends. Due to its privileged location, it is a great place to observe the moon over the Nā Mokulua islets.

Now that you know some of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world, you may want to discover some contrasting coastline with our article on the most beautiful black sand beaches in the world.

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