Page 25 - RCI-FlipBook-pacific

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Papakolea Beach
Naalehu, Hawaii
Papakolea Beach
Naalehu, Hawaii
Olivine lava crystals give this beach its distinctive hue. Getting there’s a bit of a hike, but at the end you’re rewarded with
one of four green shores in the world (the others are in the Galápagos Islands, Guam and Norway). The surrounding cliffs that help isolate and protect this beach are the remains of a cinder cone that is thought to have formed 50,000 years ago.
Pfeiffer Beach
Big Sur, California
Most people head to the central California region of Big Sur for stunning views of the Santa Lucia Mountains rising from
the Pacific Ocean. Pfeiffer Beach doesn’t make as many travel lists, but its psychedelic purple-streaked shore is just as photo- worthy. Winter storms erode the garnet cliffs that line the cove, causing the rare colour and making the cold season a preferable time to go for the full effect.
Bioluminescent Beaches
Maldives
Beaches in the Maldives sometimes glow in the dark. Certain species of plankton light up like fireflies to scare off predators, resulting in tiny blue lights that cover the shore. Although this bioluminescence has been spotted throughout the Maldives, your best bet is traveling to one of the northern islands: Mudhdhoo or Vaadhoo. If you can, go during a new moon; the darker the sky, the more impressive the illumination.
Rainbow Beach
Rainbow Beach, Australia
You can find more than 70 hues of colour in the sands of Rainbow Beach. The Kabi Kabi people, who originally lived there, believed that Yiningie, a spirit symbolised by the rainbow, fell into the surrounding cliffs during a battle, causing the patchwork dunes. The town of Rainbow Beach lies just south of Fraser Island, a World Heritage site covered in rain forests, eucalyptus trees, mangrove woodland and more.
ENDLESS VACATION 23
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Big Sur, California
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Bioluminescent Beaches Maldives
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Rainbow Beach
Rainbow Beach, Australia