Black sand comes from eroded volcanic materials like lava, basalt rocks, including other dark-colored rocks and minerals. These kinds of beaches can be specifically found in the areas near volcanic regions. The black sand beaches are common in areas like Hawaii, the Canary Islands, including Iceland, Greece, and other corners of the world. These beaches form over time by the erosion of volcanic minerals and lava fragments mixing with the waves and ocean tide.
The black sand beaches offer some of the most astonishing out-of-the-world landscapes; some of these majestic masterpieces are spread close to urban civilization, while some are remote and pretty challenging to reach. Here is the list of the exotic black sand beaches spread across the globe if you are up for tropical or glacial expeditions.
- Playa Jardín, Canary Islands- Spain
- Punalu’u Beach, Hawaii
- Kamari Beach- Greece
- Lafayette Beach, Tahiti- France
- Stromboli Aeolian Islands- Italy
- Lovina Beach, Bali- Indonesia
- Karekare Beach- New Zealand
- Diamond Beach- Iceland
- Black Sand Beach- California
- Miho-no-Matsubara Beach- Japan
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1. Playa Jardín, Canary Islands- Spain
The Playa Jardin stretch, inclduing Playa Jardín, Punta Brava and Playa Chica which are the one of the most popular tourist hub in the De la Cruz. The black sand beaches are integrated with numerous gardens of endemic plant species, waterfalls, and stone caves offer some of the most dynamic picturesque views of the diverse terrains.
The blacks sand beaches are pretty close to another major attraction Loro Parque with several breaks so the travelers can feel refreshed in the cool breezy environment. The Playa Jardín guest can have plenty of opportunities to play with the waves, cruise, and shop through the local markets or sunbathe, enjoying the scenic beauty; the black sand beaches offer all the facilities and services to make the traveler’s stay a comfy and refreshing memory. The beach hub features different areas like toilets, foot washes, showers, wastebaskets, cleaning service, telephone services, hammock & umbrella rental service, surf practicing areas, children playground, sports area including several bars and restaurants.
Playa Jardín is on a length of 240 meters with a width of 40meters; the beach destination designed by Canarian artist César Manrique in the early 20th century even has accessibility for differently able peoples.
2. Punalu’u Beach, Hawaii
Punalu’u black sand beach is one of the most popular black and beach in Hawaii for enthusiasts looking to explore the darker alternation of the warm and soft sand. The reason behind its massive popularity is the appearance of the endangered Hawksbill turtles and green turtles in the beach destination. The expansive shiny coal-black sand beach attracts many tourists every year, sunbathing or enjoying a quick swim, snorkeling, and picnicking amongst the Hawksbill and green turtles.
One of the widely-known black sand beaches also offers natural shade with the rows of coconut palms; the lucky travelers may not have to rent an umbrella if they find the right spot under the shades of these massive trees as the black san cant get pretty heated during the sunlight. However, the visitors have to be exceptionally careful about not touching or feeding the endangered turtle species protected by the law and maintain a distance of at least 10 feet. But, due to its massive size, not getting in the way of the protected turtles won’t be much of a hassle. The lifeguards are present from 08:30 am to 5:00 pm every day for guidance and safety; travelers will also have access to the restrooms and outdoor showers on the beach, including the parking and picnic space in the beach area.
3. Kamari Beach- Greece
Located 10 kilometers southeast of Fira, Kamari black sand beach is one of the most visited black sand beaches in the world. The Kamari beach is at the foot of the Mesa Vouno Mountain, the prominent archaeological site of the Ancient Thera, and is easily accessible with a big parking area.
The black sand beach resting under the towering Mesa Vouno is lined with lounge chairs and umbrellas mixing well with yellow and grey shades. As one of the largest black sand beaches in the world, Kamari is spread in the area of 5 kilometers; despite being a busy black sand beach destination, Kamari is maintained very clean and hygienic, the beach destination has also been awarded ‘Blue Flag’ for its hygiene and cleanliness.
The Kamari beach offers everything to make traveler’s beach adventure a fulfilling day, from diving center to take lessons on snorkeling to enjoy several water sports like windsurfing, water skiing, paddle boats, surfing, and even fie dive sports for adrenaline junkies; the beach doesn’t leave anyone behind. Adding other outdoor sports like beach volleyball and beach football, Kamari also has showers and lifeguards to watch over the guests.
4. Lafayette Beach, Tahiti- France
Lafayette Beach, located just a few kilometers away from Papeete, the main town of Tahiti Island.
Tahiti’s black sand beach destination offers magical moments to the adventures who want to reconnect with mother nature; the peaceful secluded beach is famed for its dark ink-colored base and green cliffs. The travelers can lounge the day away on the soft coal-black sand capturing the beauty of the beautiful seas, beach, and cliff landscapes on photo sessions. The sable sand n the black sand beach makes the ocean seem much darker. However, the water is warm and cozy for the sunbathers to take a dip or play family games.
The Lafayette beach offers plenty of room for everyone stretching as far as 800 meters, making it an ideal destination for picnics, outdoor sports, and enjoy an eccentric side of nature. Travelers can also enjoy the beauty of Point Vénus Beach, another black sand beach, which is just a little further east from Lafayette beach.
5. Stromboli Aeolian Islands- Italy
With the best beaches in the Aeolian archipelago, the Aeolian island is surrounded by the black sand creating a photogenic scenery with the most popular hub Spiaggia di Ficogrande. The Spiaggia di Ficogrande is one of the best black sand beaches with the most accessible and popular swimming and sunbathing destination at Ficogrande.
As a popular holiday destination, black san beach is famed for its volcanic sands, water sports, picnic spots, and relaxing days on lounge chairs under umbrellas which are absolutely free. With the active volcano erupting for over 2,000 years continuously, besides the stunning black sand beaches, the island also offers secluded hubs that are only accessible via boats.
With the majestic diverse landscape view from the volcanic rocks to backdrop sandy beaches and clear blue water of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Aeolian islands offer a piece of paradise to enjoy the heavenly beauty. Receiving the ‘Blue Flag’ recognition, the black sand beach destination maintains a high level of environmental standards providing fun-filled-adventurous days in a clean, hygienic environment.
6. Lovina Beach, Bali- Indonesia
The black sand beach on the northwest edge of Bali is certainly a hidden gem that shouldn’t be missed during the trip to this famous holiday destination. This 8 kilometers of volcanic sand stretch runs across strings of coastal villages like Kaliasem, Kalikbukbuk, Anturan, and Tukad Mungga, which are collectively known as Lovina. The Kalibukbuk village situated in the Buleleng district is the heart of the coastal stretch.
The beach featuring grey and black volcanic sand is home to incredible marine life, with major attractions being the bottle-nosed dolphins that can be found playing around close to the coastlines. Offering varieties of water sports, including diving and snorkeling, dolphin watching is one of the most popular itineraries for travelers to the black sand beach. Lovina, located just 2 hours flight from the capital, offers a vibrant atmosphere to just lay back and relax and recharge, taking a break from busy schedules.
7. Karekare Beach- New Zealand
The Karekare is a beautiful black sand beach surrounded by steep and high ridges alongside the creek and lagoon that cut the beach right from the middle. Located 35 kilometers southwest of Auckland inside the Karekare Regional Park, the wild natural and rugged beauty boasts black sand dunes and vistas. Travelers have to get to the beach by hiking through the steep valley; the trip to this glorious black sand destination isn’t disappointing, even if it’s pretty much of an adventure to even get to the beach.
The unique natural landscape of New Zealand’s popular black sand beach makes it a sight worth seeing enjoying the authentic beauty of a black sand beach. Although the travelers have to be careful if they are up for swimming or surfing, the region is known for its quite harsh nature and has been the scene for many rescues. So the adventurous water sports enthusiast are advised to speculate the weather conditions and enjoy the adventure at the distinctive natural terrain following the safety measures.
8. Diamond Beach- Iceland
One of Iceland’s most popular black sand beaches, Diamond beach seems like scenery right out of a postcard to first-time travelers. Not only that, the black sand beach always seems unique and different for even visitors that that traveled to the beach a day before. The Diamond beach belongs to the Breidamerkursandur glacier plain located by the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon o the country’s South Coast. The Jokulsarlon glacier is filled with huge lumps of ice that broke off from the Breidamerkursandur. It creates the natural ever-changing diamond-shaped ice with different incredible shapes every day. So, the travelers who explored the island a day before won’t be disappointed with the new beautiful vista the black sand beach hosts the next day.
Diamond beach is one of the most beloved destinations in Iceland for nature lovers, wildlife enthusiasts,s and photographers who can take different shots of the geography every single day. The shiny diamond cutlet with the vibrant white snow and dark sand combination make the beach destination seem like a magical ice world.
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9. Black Sand Beach- California
The dark beach beauty, which is hidden with the San Fransico’s Golden Gate recreational Area, is a one-of-a-kind beach in the United States. As the black sand beaches are generally natural phenomenons based around the volcanic areas, their existence in the Northern part of California is a rare case, making it a unique tourist hotspot. The black on the Black sand beach comes from the iron minerals that surround the 20 miles long coastline between the Shelter Cove and Mattole River Campground in San Fransico.
The beach offers a great view of the city for travelers willing to hike down and back up by a long staircase. With the base mainly from black pebbles, the black sand beach is unique exceptional in itself. This beach also offers hiking trails to the Lost Coast for further exploration of the coastline or set up the camp. The travelers can enjoy the coastal beauty, but due to the heavy rough waves, they are not allowed to swim as they please on the black sand beach and have to check the tide’s schedule.
10. Miho-no-Matsubara Beach- Japan
The Miho-no-Matsubara beach was registered as part of Mt. Fuji’s World Heritage Site in June 2013. Miho-no-Matsubara is one of the unique black sand beaches across the globe, stretched in the area of 7 kilometers; the black sand beach is home to over 30,000 pine trees. The Japanese beach is quite popular for the day, walking along the shores, hiking through the dense pine forest, and enjoying adventurous watersports like kayaking and canoeing. Besides the black sand beach, the magical picturesque view is the major attraction of this famous travel destination, the shiny water mixed well with the black sand beach surrounded by the green lush forest and the clear view of Mt. Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, makes it feel like travelers are on a different secluded world away from the urbanization into the peaceful sere nature.
Another specialty of the Miho-no-Mastsubvara region is the accommodation facility; after the exploration in the scenic region, travelers can lay back and relax at the traditional Japanese ryokan, Japanese style-inns emphasized special traditional appearance and atmosphere in Hakone.
The beach also has a guidance facility called ‘Miho Navi’ to guide and inform travelers about the history of this celestial maiden legend, including different tours. Also, the Miho Shrine, part of the UNESCO World Heritage, is a popular tourist spot, including the ‘Kami no Michi’, a passage of the God’s of Tokyo is famous for refreshing walking and bike riding on the paved road.
