Punalu’u Beach is the most visited of the few black sand beaches on Hawaii ’s Big Island and the stunningly black sand is actually volcanic rock, deposited as lava and subsequently cooled when met by the ocean. Don’t plan to bring home some sand if you have the chance to visit this beach because it would result in you being cursed by a volcano goddess by the name of Pele.

Papakolea Beach
There are only two green sand beaches in the world; Papakolea Beach in Hawaii’s Ka’u district is one of them. Just like the black sand, the green sand can be attributed to volcanic activity; the green hue belongs to the abundance of olivine crystals, which have been produced as a result of a nearby cinder cone erupting and eroding.

Hyams Beach
We have seen many white sand beaches but the sand in Hyams Beach in New South Wales, Australia, is the whitest in the world; it is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.

Pfeiffer Beach
This is the most unique beach among the five strange beaches. The hills surrounding Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, California, are rich in Manganese Garnet. A result of this being washed down onto the beach is the colour scheme you can see above – the entire stretch of sand has become a shifting, pink and purple canvas, it makes me think of ice cream, looks delicious.

Kaihalulu Beach
You won’t find many beaches elsewhere in the world with sand as red as this one. Kaihalulu, or Red Sand Beach, is situated on the island of Maui and can thank the neighboring cindercone hill for its intensely deep red appearance.