Avoid The World's Busiest Beaches By Visiting These Underrated Ones Instead

"There's no place like home, except for the beach," an anonymous beach bum once observed, probably right after a great swim. For many, the beach is a private oasis. That's why it can be disappointing, even jarring, when throngs of strangers crowd that home. As tourism expands across the globe, more and more beautiful beaches that were once spots to privately commune with the ocean have turned into noisy, over-commercialized parking lots. Plenty of resorts rope off private beaches, but that costs a pretty penny, and they're still full of other resort guests.

We searched all over this big blue marble to find undiscovered gems that still feel like home, where the waves, sand, and sky are familiar faces. We start in the Caribbean, make our way across the Atlantic, through the Mediterranean, and then down the warm, cerulean waters of the Indian Ocean. After communing with kangaroos in Australia, we make our way across the Pacific and down the West Coast from Canada to Mexico, where we finish at midnight in a silent lagoon shimmering electric blue. But all this stays just between us.

Let's start strong with a glorious 2-mile crescent of white sand and turquoise water that is sure to become your favorite beach in Anguilla and even the entire world.  It won't take long before visitors realize what merits such breathless praise. Rendezvous Bay is picture-perfect and the epitome of the Caribbean's most charming and lesser-known beaches. It's the kind of brilliantly blue Eden you usually see only on old-fashioned screensavers. Visitors can leisurely stroll along flawless, powdery sand while gazing out at turquoise water that melts into deep royal blue and laps against the shores of St. Maarten in the distance. The warm water and schools of brightly colored fish underneath make for dreamy, steamy swimming.

Somehow, Rendezvous Bay remains an uncrowded secret, with people appearing few and far between. That's even more surprising given all of the resorts, spas, and restaurants that line the coast, giving Rendezvous Bay that rare mix of privacy and convenience. If you're hungry, head to the Sunshine Shack, a quintessential Caribbean barbecue shack owned by local reggae artist Bankie Banx; CNN rated it the No. 1 beach bar in the world. For the perfect start to what is sure to be a glorious day, head to The Place Beach Restaurant at the Rendezvous Bay Hotel, which offers a delicious, open-air Caribbean breakfast.

Across the Atlantic, just over an hour south of Lisbon, you'll wind through the narrow roads that zigzag through the Serra da Arrábida National Park. You're in a nearly 27,000-acre wonderland of towering white cliffs, bright blue sea, wild boars, abandoned monasteries, dinosaur tracks, and more than 1,000 species of rare plant life. Nestled in a sheltered, crescent-shaped cove along the turquoise waters is the Praia do Portinho da Arrábida, a calm, crystalline beach that in 2010 was named one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Portugal. 

It's easy to see why: The calm water is a brilliant shade of turquoise and is often so clear that visitors can see the rich, colorful swirl of marine life lying just underneath. On a portion of the beach, the sand is white but turns a soft shade of pink closer to the water. Surrounding this quiet seaside retreat lie verdant, forested hills and a charming old fishing village whose red-tiled roofs almost tumble into the azure seas below. The beach also has a restaurant nearby and a spot to rent scuba and snorkeling gear.

One might think that such a perfect slice of paradise so close to a major city rapidly moving up everyone's European bucket list would be jam-packed with crowds, but thankfully, it isn't. Portinho da Arrábida is tucked away in a remote corner of the park and is not easily accessed by vehicles, so it remains an under-the-radar gem.

The Greek Islands are home to some of the world's most storied, mythic beaches. But too often, ancient myths translate into modern crowds. But just north of Greece, across the Ionian Sea, the Albanian Riviera offers the same unmatched turquoise delights as Greece or Croatia but with smaller crowds and prices.

One of the most pristine beaches on the Albanian Riviera is Lukova Beach, which is celebrated for two Mediterranean rarities: a lack of crowds and beautiful white sand instead of rocks. With its bright turquoise waters, powdery white sands, and views of towering green hills, visitors could easily believe they somehow ended up on one of the Caribbean's quieter islands. Although there are some restaurants nearby, there isn't much to do except stare at the waves, explore the rock caves, walk barefoot along the soft sand, and marvel at your private Mediterranean paradise.

To experience the public Mediterranean scene, visitors can hike or drive up the verdant hills to the village of Lukova, a gorgeously quaint collection of cobbled lanes, sun-bleached cottages with red terracotta roofs, evocative Orthodox churches and shrines, and panoramic sea views. The village offers a wonderful collection of authentic Albanian restaurants, which are mostly frequented by locals rather than tourists. The only time crowds come to Lukova Beach is each September when the Element Festival makes the beach even more enchanting through a symphony of psychedelic art and music.

Generally speaking, a seemingly endless sandbar in the middle of the Indian Ocean makes for a pretty sublime beach. Dhigurah Island, which translates to Long Island, is a 2.5-mile long, roughly 1,000-foot wide stretch of silky white sand caressed by lush palm trees and water of nearly every shade of blue. In 2017, FlightNetwork ranked Dhigurah Island as the 34ᵗʰ-best beach in the world, and anyone who visits will instantly see why.

Aside from its otherworldly natural beauty, one of Dhigurah's top attractions is its marine life. Tourists are likelier to spot a whale shark or manta ray than other humans. Since the island is so large and remote, its warm, pristine beaches are mostly empty of humans but are teeming with marine life. Dhigurah is regularly cited as one of the world's top spots for whale sharks, a friendly variety that loves to swim alongside humans. It is also a hotspot for manta rays, an enchanting, highly intelligent kite-shaped fish known as the birds of the sea. Different safaris and snorkeling expeditions take swimmers to the best spots to catch a glimpse.

However, a full expedition isn't necessary to see a whole aquarium's worth of beauty. Visitors strolling barefoot along the sand are likely to spot turtles, tropical fish, lizards, crabs, bats, and even the occasional dolphin. Those craving some human contact can head to the village on the north of the island, which offers every convenience and friendly, colorful local culture.

The Indian Ocean delights continue in Kantiang Bay, a deliciously secluded crescent-shaped beach located on Thailand's magical Koh Lanta island. With its warm, turquoise waters, white sands, and mountainous, palm-strewn coast, Kantiang Bay regularly ranks among the top beaches in Thailand — see some of the best places to visit in Thailand — yet it manages to stay delightfully under the radar. There isn't much to do here except lie down, close your eyes, feel the sun on your face, and listen to the crashing waves.

Once you wake up, the nearby area offers plenty of diversions. Walk for a few minutes, and you'll reach a low-key, unpretentious village full of beachy restaurants, bars, and resorts cozily nestled among lush jungles. Visitors rave about the famous Why Not Bar, a hippie-themed beach shack with a wide selection of cocktails, live music, and nighttime fire shows. At the Drunken Sailors, guests can enjoy drinks and Thai food while swaying from hammocks. The village also offers yoga studios, massage parlors, and a number of hotels and resorts, ranging from affordable bungalows to the five-star Pimalai Resort & Spa.

Outside the beach and village, Koh Lanta offers even more ways to reach that special level of zen. Visitors can rent a motorbike and weave through its lush jungle roads, kayak through sea caves, or snorkel through coral reefs. Just south of Kantiang Bay lies the Mo Ko Lanta National Park, which offers forests, waterfalls, temples, lighthouses, and many more beautifully secluded beaches.

As soon as you see a kangaroo hopping along the whitest sand in Australia, you'll know you're on the best beach in the world. Quite literally so. In 2023, Banana Boat named this dreamy, hidden spot on Australia's secluded southwestern coast as the world's No. 1 beach, thanks to its remoteness, wildlife, beauty, and staggeringly blue waters.

It's hard to think of anything more quintessentially Australian than watching a kangaroo hop along the beach, but these cuties might be the one factor that tipped the scales in favor of the No. 1 spot. Some visitors noted that sightings are rarer than the guidebooks would have you believe, and kangaroos spend most of their time hidden in the bushes. Check out this bucket-worthy island known as a "zoo without fences."

Still, plenty of people report getting a glimpse, and others point out that even if you don't catch one, anyone who visits from July to October stands a good chance of seeing dolphins or whales right from the beach. Chances are, if you camp right on the beach, you're bound to see something spectacular, even if it's just the sun rising over the bluest water and whitest sand on Earth. Lucky Bay is located on the coast of Cape Le Grand National Park, a 78,580-acre expanse of bush trails, mountain peaks, rocky coast, and unique critters like quenda or bandicoots. One of Lucky Bay's most unique attractions is Thistle Cove, a thrilling assortment of astoundingly massive boulders.

Imagine you're the only person walking through shockingly vibrant water. Your feet are caressed by warm, soft, bone-white sand, and manta rays and sea turtles swim around you. As you reach the other side of the lagoon, you feel like a god walking on water through your own personal paradise. This may sound like a particularly delectable dream, but as far as we can tell, this beach in the middle of an atoll in the heart of the South Pacific, about a three-hour ferry from Bora Bora, actually exists. 

Tereia Beach is an unspoiled Eden located on Maupiti, a small island crowned by a 1,220-foot volcano encircled by a crystal clear lagoon and four lush "motus" — a Polynesian word for islets. As noted above, one of the beach's most tantalizing attractions, aside from its staggering beauty and blissful remoteness, is that the lagoon is shallow enough to walk the ½-mile distance to Motu Auira, where more of the world's most beautiful beaches beckon.

Some travelers call Maupiti "Little Bora Bora," and rave that the island is what Bora Bora used to be before tourism and resorts came in. Maupiti does not have any resorts — its only accommodations are family-owned guest houses called "pensions." It also has a beloved beach shack, two restaurants, and trails that wind through waterfalls and natural swimming pools at the top of the mountain. It's where visitors can marvel at panoramic views of the aquamarine atoll below them.

Here's one failsafe way to ensure a beach never gets too crowded — make people swim through 400 yards of choppy ocean to get there. Honopu Beach, a sandy cove discreetly nestled between 1,200-foot cliffs soaring above Kauai's spectacular Na Pali Coast, is the sacred burial ground of Hawaiian chiefs. Due to the site's immense spiritual significance, watercraft or helicopters are not allowed near the beach, and advanced swimmers must put on their snorkels and fins and make their way through strong rip currents and powerful surfs.

Anyone who makes it in one piece will be richly rewarded. Honopu Beach actually consists of two separate beaches, which are separated by the famous Honopu Arch, a 90-foot arch chiseled into an imposing rock wall jutting into the turquoise sea. When northerly winds blow into the valley, the arch whistles like a conch shell, which in Hawaiian translates to "honopu."

Most of the other remote beaches on this list have a small beach shack or are close to villages or hotels. Honopu has absolutely nothing of the sort: Just golden sand, turquoise ocean, a waterfall flowing through the arch, and the bones of the Hawaiian chiefs buried deep in crevices of the jagged, cathedral spire-like cliffs of the Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park. Hawaiians believed that their chiefs' bones contained powerful amounts of the life force of the gods, and anyone who experiences the majesty and mystery of Honopu will understand why they were exactly right.

Most of this list comprises warm, turquoise waters lapping against coconut trees. But if you can make it to Honopu Beach, you're ready for something a little heartier. About 2,600 miles northeast of the Hawaiian Islands, you'll end up at the far north of Vancouver Island, where jaunty sea stacks and Sitka spruces blanket a hidden slice of heaven.

San Josef Bay is a white sand beach in Cape Scott Provincial Park, a spectacular slice of wilderness along 70 miles of pristine Pacific coastline. This includes about 18 miles of beaches, but San Josef Bay stands out due to its incredible arrangement of several huge, moss-strewn sea stacks dotting its soft white sands. Next to the sea stacks, a towering rock covered in trees arches gracefully into a cave where visitors can sit and watch the ocean and mountainous forest behind it. It's not for nothing that San Josef Bay is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on one of the world's most sublime islands.

Despite this prestigious honor, you probably won't have to share this temperate rainforest treasure with anyone else except the sea stacks, the trees, and the occasional pack of otters. Cape Scott Provincial Park lies at the far north of the island, and Port Hardy, the nearest town, is 40 miles down a bumpy logging road that separates travelers from locals. Bring an all-wheel drive, a spare tire, and a waterproof camera.

The sea stacks and caves continue all the way down the Pacific Coast Highway, which more or less hugs the zigs and zags of the entire West Coast. By the time you reach the dense forests of southern Oregon, there's a sea stack so prominent it has a whole beach named after it. Whaleshead Beach, located along a wide, sandy stretch of Oregon's breathtaking Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, is named for a large sea stack in the ocean that resembles a whale's head. When waves hit at the right angle, the spray looks as though it's coming out of a whale spout. The "whale's head" is adjacent to other large stacks, one of which looks a bit like an elephant with water coming out of its trunk.

Whaleshead offers so much more than these majestic rock animals, including real creatures like seals and eagles. The adventure begins at the Whaleshead Viewpoint just off the Oregon Coast Highway, which offers thrilling panoramic views of the ocean crashing against the rocky, thickly forested coast. A gravel trailhead leads to the beach parking lot containing picnic tables and restrooms. From there, hop over the flowing Whaleshead Creek onto the soft, sandy, nearly empty beach. Looking south, you'll gaze in wonder as the ocean kisses the mountains and the wet sand reflects the wide open sky. Strolling along the beach, you'll find huge rock caves from which you can view the ocean, complete with beautiful tide pools.

How does a bioluminescent surfer's paradise surrounded by mangrove lagoons stay secret, frequented mostly by enterprising backpackers and hippies? The same way as most of these other hidden gems: It's not that easy to get to, and thank goodness for that. Travelers can leave from the towns of either Zipolite or Mazunte and take a combination of taxis, trucks, and boat rides through the enchanting Lagunas de Chacahua.

It can take anywhere from two to four hours to finally arrive at Playa Chacahua, but the lagoons are a destination unto themselves. We recommend spending at least a few hours on a private boat tour winding through all the nooks and crannies of these enchanting mangroves. They brim with 246 species of flowers and 180 species of animals, including turtles, storks, herons, pelicans, spoonbills, and crocodiles.

At the end of a long day, the beach will be just what the doctor ordered. Whether you're soaring from the brightly colored swing set, surfing the world-renowned waves, hiking up to an abandoned lighthouse from beautiful coastal views, getting an open-air massage, or simply breathing in the salty Oaxacan air from a cabana bed, you're likely to feel that delicious and rare mix of invigoration and peace. For even more magical equanimity, plan your trip around a new moon and then head to the beach at night. Electric blue waves shimmering with bioluminescent plankton will crash onto the shore and into the deep recesses of your soul.

Oceans cover more than 70% of this vast planet, so we had to dig for a while to find a diverse list of beaches that are both ecstatically beautiful and deliciously unknown. We searched for secluded options in locations worldwide that are renowned for their oceans, then looked at photos, videos, and reviews to make sure our selections were secret, sublime, and softly sandy.