[imagesource:wikimediacommons]

Usually, all a beach needs to get a top travel ranking is powdery sands, turquoise waters, and an almost incomparable vista.

And while that all still stands, a London-based start-up said its Golden Beach Award 2024, “goes beyond the conventional” charting of the world’s best beaches where places are picked purely for their aesthetics.

Beach Atlas specialises in guides to the world’s beaches, and recently published its list of the best beaches for 2024, saying that “Our selection embraces a richer tapestry of what makes a beach remarkable”, per TimesLIVE.

Beach Atlas is taking the business of ranking the world’s beaches seriously, using diverse criteria such as value to the local community, DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion), lifestyle offerings and cultural significance to compile a list of contenders, then inviting travel experts and influencers from around the world to cast their votes and help curate the final ranking.

All in all, Cape Town’s Boulders Beach is placed second.

“Beach bods come in all shapes and sizes”, Beach Atlas declared, citing Cape Town’s Boulders Beach and its famous penguins as proof.

“More than just a picturesque stretch of sand”, this beach, which falls under the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, is also a “bustling metropolis for African penguins”, and thus a spot where (human) beachgoers can relax while watching the  “tuxedo-clad locals waddle around”, it said.

As long as these little creatures are kept safe and healthy, that is:

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The top spot goes to a whole island instead of one sliver of sand. Surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef, Bora Bora is a small South Pacific island with a total land area of 31 square kilometres.

Beach Atlas said the “crystal-clear waters by day and … postcard-perfect sunsets” make this the “ultimate paradise”.

I guess we’ll have to hop on a plane and compare for ourselves…

In third place is Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, which gets the nod for beauty but also because it “whispers tales of gender diversity and indigenous heritage”, Beach Atlas said.

In fourth place is Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is legendary for its four-kilometre stretch of white sand, crystal waters and vibrant atmosphere.

Fifth, we have Maya Bay in tiny Ko Phi Phi Le, Thailand, which remains synonymous with the word “beach”, thanks to the 2000 blockbuster starring Leonardo di Caprio, even 25 years later. The Thai government had to keep Maya Bay closed to visitors in 2019 to help the bay’s ecosystem recover from the damage caused by overtourism. It reopened in 2022 but closed again on August 1, 2023, and reopened on October 1, 2023. Try not to pillage the place, folks.

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach – considered the most beautiful beach in Iceland and is frequently listed among the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world – took the sixth spot, while Glass Beach – a group of three small, narrow beaches that have been incorporated into MacKerricher State Park, near Fort Bragg, northern California – ranks seventh.

Seeing a beach desert rank in eight is a little weird, but apparently JBR Beach, short for Jumeirah Beach Residence Beach – a popular waterfront destination located in the Jumeirah Beach Residence area of Dubai, United Arab Emirates – offers a pristine stretch of golden sand, clear turquoise waters and a wealth of recreational and leisure activities.

Then, the Skeleton Coast in the northern part of the Atlantic coast of Namibia, stretching from the Kunene River to the Swakop River, took the ninth spot because “This inhospitable yet fascinating area showcases the stark beauty and relentless challenge of nature,” according to the Beach Atlas.

The tenth spot was awarded to Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, which is a historic World War 2 landing site from the D-Day invasion by Allied forces.

Check out more here for all your beach travel inspo.

[source:timeslive]