When we dream of beautiful beaches, images of white or golden sands fringed with classic palm trees usually fill our minds.  Now, thanks to the Unmissable® travel team, we’ve discovered some of the World’s most colourful beaches, displaying incredible sea views in a delightful range of colours.

So if you’re wanting to sunbathe on a rainbow-inspired beach, it’s been hard but we’ve managed to whittle it down to our favourite six:

 

Red Sand Beach, Rabida Island, Galapagos

Thanks to the high iron content of the volcanic material that formed the beach, the aptly named Red Sand Beach is the only authorised visitor’s spot on Rabida Island.

One of the smaller islands in the Galapagos group, the island is packed with rare birds and animals and this stunning beach is literally littered with sea lions and marine iguanas, so you won’t have to travel far inland to spot something amazing (other than the red sand of course!).

 

 

Papakōlea Green Sand Beach, Big Island, Hawaii

 

50,000 years of erosion have created something quite unique geologically speaking: Green Sand Beach. Created by a common silicate deposit of Big Island lava called olivine, as the lighter lava rock is washed away, what remains is bright green sand.

 

 

 

 

Pink Sands Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas

One of the smaller islands of the Bahamas, Harbour Island provides everything you’d want in a Caribbean island: sunshine, palm trees, crystal clear warm waters… but the most impressive thing about it Pink Sands Beach.

The colour is a result of a foraminiferan called Homotrema Rubrum which has pink to red-coloured shells. As these tiny creatures end their life cycle, the shells wash up on shore where the waves crush and mix them with the white sand, resulting in a bright pink beach.

 

Glass Beach, California, USA

At the turn of the 20th Century, it was common practice to use beaches as rubbish dumps and the town of Fort Bragg in California was no exception. When the dump closed, the State began a massive clean-up operation but left behind thousands of glass items.

 

In the 50 years that have followed, the pounding waves have broken, smashed, worn and smoothed the glass, leaving behind tiny polished pieces of glass safe enough to walk on barefoot. So if you fancy sunbathing on a beach resembling a gemstone store then Glass Beach is the perfect destination for you… just make sure you take sunglasses as it can get very bright in the Californian sunshine.

 

 

Black Sand Beach, Big Island, Hawaii

Known as Punaluʻu Beach, Black Sand Beach is located between Pāhala and Nāʻālehu on the Big Island of Hawaii. Thanks to the basalt created by lava flowing into the ocean and exploding as it reaches the ocean and cools, rather than white sand, the beach is black.

Punaluʻu is frequented by endangered hawksbill and green turtles, which can often be seen basking on the black sand. Fancy sunbathing with a turtle? Then do it on Black Sand Beach.

 

 

Shell Beach, Western Australia

Located 45km south-east of Denham in Western Australia is one of just two beaches in the world made up entirely of shells. The perfectly named Shell Beach, now a World Heritage Site, is a beautiful snow-white beach made up of millions of tiny cockle shells up to 10 metres deep and stretching for over 70 kilometres.

On a still day, the ocean transforms into a palette of the most intense greens and blues. The water here is very salty (hyper-saline), making it easy to float for those who aren’t strong swimmers. This high salinity has also allowed the cockle to proliferate unchecked.

And since its natural predators have not adapted well to this environment, rather than depleting in shells as the years go by, the beach is constantly being replenished as the cockle’s life cycle continues ensuring that she can sell sea shells on the sea shore for ever more…

We hope you’ve enjoyed discovering our rainbow beaches. If you’re looking for exceptional experiences for your next reward scheme, incentive programme or promotional prizes, then please do get in touch on 020 7428 3091 or email hello@unmissable.com.