Black Sand Beaches to Visit Around the World

Black sand has a way of augmenting the luxe factor of a seaside visit, merely because it is so unusual, adding an element of geologic mystery. But what is black sand made of exactly? Basically, there are two types: One is a heavy and shiny magnetic mixture of fine minerals like magnetite, while the other merely consists of volcanic basalt rock. The latter is the most common in the luxury vacation world, wherein red lava cools and hardens, eventually eroding into soft sand, worn down by the coastal weather. If you’re visiting a beach anywhere near a volcano, chances are good it will have black sand or swaths of black sand deposits.

Black sand beaches in Hawaii have been a main attraction for years. Many beaches on the east side of the big island of Hawaii are noted for their lavish strips of black sand, as well as for the dolphins that frequent the Pacific waters there. Stand-outs include Kaimu Beach and Kehena Beach, as well as the aptly named Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. It’s noted for being home of the endangered Hawksbill turtle and the green sea turtles that sun themselves on the shoreline. Try to work one of them into your Hawaii private travel plans.

The Greek island of Santorini is famous for its architecture and stunning good looks, but equally as renowned for the rich, black sand at the idyllic Perissa, Vlychada, Perivolos and Mesa Pigadia beaches, all legendary pit stops on the Aegean Sea. The luxury cruise vacations that stop at the Greek islands are the perfect avenue for enjoying some of the world’s most captivating ebony shorelines.

Piha and Karekare beaches overlooking the Tasman Sea just outside Auckland, New Zealand, also come courtesy of the erosion of the region’s basalt rock. And the pine tree-lined Miho No Matsubara beach on Japan's Suruga Bay offers almost five miles of black sand beach, a remnant of the volcanic rock that first formed the peninsula. On a clear day, you can see the majestic Mount Fuji from here.

On Tully Luxury Travel’s bespoke vacations to Iceland, black sand is often part of the scenic equation. Although swimming is forbidden due to the rough waters, the black sand at Reynisfjara on Iceland’s south coast is world famous. It is noted for being close to Katla, Iceland’s largest and most unpredictable volcano, and easily accessible via the island’s ring road. Other black sand beaches in Iceland include the photogenic Solheimasandur and dazzling Diamond Beach, so named for the huge chunks of ice that wash ashore. Black sand beaches in Iceland are notorious for their sneaker waves, which appear out of nowhere and hit the beach further up than the other waves. Caution is always required when dealing with the Northern Atlantic.

Caribbean Island's with black sand beaches include many of the Leeward and Windward Antillles islands, such as Martinique, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis and Guadeloupe, along with St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada.

Find out how you can set yourself within this dramatic and unique scenery. Check out the bespoke private island vacations and luxury beach vacations offered by our Tully Luxury Travel Designers and start packing your swimwear.