Paragliding over Rainbow Beach in Queensland, AU. This coastal and former sand mining town got its name, Rainbow Beach, from the rainbow-colored sand dunes, with as many as 72 different colored sands, surrounding it. Photo #1 by texaus1

Red Sand Beach at Kaihalulu Bay on Maui is one of the few red sand beaches in the world. Photo #2 by Francois D

Icebergs from the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon wash ashore onto this black sand beach in Iceland. Photo #3 by washingtonydc

The startling white sands of Hyam’s Beach, in New South Wales, Australia. According to Guinness Book of Records, Hyam’s Beach has the whitest sand in the world. Photo #4 by Jonas Smith

Golden brown sand in December at Manduria, Italy. The individual color of each grain of sand is influenced by minerals, rock composition, plants and even animals in the area. This same beach may look more yellow, or golden, or brown, or even varying shades of orange depending upon the time of day, sun and weather. Photo #5 by Giovanni Orlando

The beach at Ramla Bay, Gozo, Malta, is said to be “orange.” Photo #6 by Emitla

NOAA Aerial photograph. Magnificent forest, driftwood, and a gray sand beach with rocky offshore washed by gentle surf, located in the Gulf of Alaska, Ocean Cape area. Photo #7 by Alaska ShoreZone Program NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC; Courtesy of Mandy Lindeberg, NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC

Pink Sands Beach at Harbour Island, Bahamas, has a three miles of perfectly pink sand and gentle water. Photo #8 by Mike’s Birds

The Portal and swirls of purple sand at Pfeiffer State Beach, Big Sur, California. Photo #9 by Zach Barber

Green sand at Papakolea Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. Photo #10 by David J Laporte

Besides Papakolea Beach in Hawaii, there are greenish sand beaches on Talofofo Beach, Guam, and Punta Cormorant Beach, on Floreana Island, part of the Galapagos Islands. The green olivine beaches on Guam and in the Galapagos do not seem as dramatically “green” as this one in Hawaii. Having been to Talofofo Beach, the spotty patches of green sand are only noticeable when the sun and weather are “just right.” Photo #11 by Shannon Lucas

The photographer noted, “Green Sand Beach gets is name from the green glassy crystals (Olivine) that make up most of the sand on this beach. They are washed out of a 49,000 year old cinder cone that spewed olivine-rich lava, and that still is visible on the east side of the bay.” Photo #12 by www.lovebigisland.com

Papakōlea Beach is also called Green Sand Beach or Mahana Beach. Wikipedia states that Papakolea Beach “is surrounded by pasturelands and is only accessible on foot or by using a vehicle equipped with four-wheel drive. To actually reach the beach, an additional climb down the cinder cone is required.” Photo #13 by Steve Dunleavy

Drip sandcastles on a beach at Vieques in Puerto Rico. After seeing the variety of sand colors on the beaches above, then you might expect Red Beach to actually have red sand. However this is called Red Beach because the “beaches still retain the names given by the navy, including Red Beach, Blue Beach, Green Beach and others.” These beaches “are commonly listed among the top beaches in the Caribbean for their azure-colored waters and white sands.” Photo #14 by Matt (sandcastlematt)

Hidden treasure, this Red Beach does have spectacular red sand, located in Kaihalulu Bay in Maui. Photo #15 by Paul Bica

Red Sand Beach aka Kaihalulu. “The cindercone behind the beach erodes constantly, which continually enlarges the cove. This hill is rich in iron, and is why the beach’s sand is such a deep red.” But getting there is not easy, as Wikipedia added, “Kaihalulu is extremely isolated and requires a fairly short, yet perilous hike to reach. The trail to the beach crosses over private property and follows a ridge high above the ocean below. The path is rather steep and narrow, and is quite slippery due to the loose and crumbling cinder as well as needles from nearby ironwood trees. The trail also passes by an ancient Japanese cemetery. Because of the beach’s isolation and difficult access, some visitors consider it to be clothing optional.” Photo #16 by WalshTD

Another red beach but this bird is digging in the red sands of Thunder Cove, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Photo #17 by Michael Baglole

Ramla Bay beach has a golden-red hue due to a high iron content, so it is often called an “orange sand” beach. Photo #18 by Heini Samuelsen

Visible orange sand during low tide along Northumberland Strait, Victoria, Prince Edward Island, CA. Photo #19 by cjuneau

Playing in the surf and orange sand beach at Porto Covo, Portugal. Photo #20 by Alvesgaspar

Cliffs and beach, looking westwards towards Bat’s Head, near Durdle Door, Dorset, England. The sand definitely looks like it has an orangish tint in this image. Photo #21 by Allan (trekker308)

Durdle Door Overview. Durdle Door is a famous natural limestone arch on England’s Jurassic Coast. In this image of the beach, you still see some light orange shade to the sand, but not nearly as much as in #21. This could be because the sun’s position reflecting off the narrow strand of beach, which is a mix of sand, shingle and gravel. Photo #22 by W. Lloyd MacKenzie

Pink sand at Pink Sands Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas. Located on the east side of the island, these sands have a rosy hue due to the red shells of single-celled marine animals mixing with the island’s white sand. Photo #23 by Mike Birds

Pink-tinted Pink Beach of Komodo – Komodo, Indonesia. Locals call it Pantai Merah. Photo #24 by whl.travel

Beautiful pink sand beach in the great lagoon of Rangiroa, French Polynésia. Photo #25 by DANIEL JULIE

Camel caravan on the blinding white sands of a beach in Kenya. Photo #26 by Daniela Hartmann

Genipabu dunes and white sand beaches, near Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Photo #27 by Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz

Lifeguards on a white sand beach in Jamaica. Photo #28 by Mel Stoutsenberger

Kicking back in white sand and warm water of the Maldives. Photo #29 by Ibrahim Iujaz

Big Sur, swirling patterns in the wet purple sand. Photo #30 by DeeAshley

Closeup of purple and mauve sands on Pfeiffer State Beach. A Yelp reviewer pointed out that Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is not the same Pfeiffer Beach where the purple sand is plentiful if you come before noon. It is about a 5 minute drive beyond Big Sur, then turn off on an unlabeled narrow road on the right, that unlike the State Park, does not have a big sign. That keeps Pfeiffer Beach relatively secluded. Photo #31 by Simon Bisson

Pfeiffer Beach Portal to the Sun – Big Sur, CA. Photo #32 by Chris Axe

Purple sand pattern at Pfeiffer State Beach. Photo #33 by Andrew Hall

Most famous Black Sand Beach at Waiʻanapanapa Beach in Maui. Photo #34 by Matt McGee

Black sand beach in Wai’anapanapa State Park is located at the end of Wai’anapanapa Road off the Hana Highway, a route with groupings of Rainbow Eucalyptus, which have the most beautiful tree bark on Earth. Photo #35 by Pedro Szekely

Patterns in the Black Sand on Karekare Beach, New Zealand. Photo #36 by Jon Baldock

Black sand and Muriwai Beach waves, New Zealand. Photo #37 by ed 37 ~~

While this may look like a black sand beach when wet, the sand at Shelter Cove Beach, California, is actually slate gray. Photo #38 by Sellsthetime

Not all beaches are located beside the sea. Some beaches are along a river or a lake, such as this one with rocks, chocolate brown sand from eroding cliffs, and starlings known for the fantastic flocking phenomena called starling murmuration. The photographer wrote, “The shores of Lake Ontario around the Golden Horseshoe are mostly covered with rocky breakwalls except for the occasional beach or conservation area like the one pictured above. Here, the shore is allowed to erode naturally, forming these cool ~25′ sand cliffs. They make ideal nesting spots for thousands of starlings, 113 of which are pictured here (yes, I counted).” Photo #39 by Craig Hodgson

Graffiti on Rainbow Beach on southeastern Queensland. “According to the legends of the Kabi people, the dunes were colored when Yiningie, a spirit represented by a rainbow, plunged into the cliffs after doing battle with an evil tribesman.” Photo #40 by Brendio

Rainbow Beach, is also called the gateway to Fraser Island since it has the shortest barge ride to the island. Rainbow beach is popular with four wheel drive enthusiasts, hang-gliders and backpackers. Rainbow Beach also has Carlo Sand Blow, one of the top ten spots in the world for paragliding and hang-gliding. Photo #41 by Kim (TheGirlsNY)

Riding the wind at Rainbow Beach, Queensland, AU. Photo #42 by texaus1

Rainbow Beach has as many as 72 different colored sands among the enormous, sandy cliffs, which stretch up to 656 ft (200m) in height. Photo #43 by texaus1