The 17 most incredible beaches in the Caribbean and Central America

In Central America and the Caribbean Sea we find some of the possibly most beautiful beaches on the planet.

At least, a lot of small countries boast about it, which enjoy a warm climate and a touch of exoticism as the main attractions for seekers of postcard paradises.

Of course, white sands predominate, lush vegetation almost reaching the edge of the sea and, in some points, incredible waves that have turned these coasts into global meccas for surf lovers and professionals.

These are 17 beaches that seem unreal, but, to the surprise of many, they exist.

The Guna Yala Islands, in Panama

It is no secret that Panama has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Due to its location between the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, it has kilometers of dazzling coastline and hundreds of islands very close to the coast.

Those on the ocean side have strong currents, ideal for surfing or kitesurfing, while the Caribbean region of Guna Yala is wonderful for diving, fishing, and just enjoying the beach.

More information

These are the 25 best beaches in the world, according to TripAdvisor, and two of them are in Spain

When choosing paradises by the sea, the beaches of Guna Yala are perfect for those who want to be alone.

On some islands, at the beginning of the dry season, one can even have the entire beach at their disposal.

Just a three-hour drive from Panama City, the Guna Yala archipelago is made up of hundreds of palm-strewn tropical islands that are light years away from the capital's glass skyscrapers.

Homeland of the proud Guna people, the first indigenous group in Latin America to gain an autonomous homeland, the islands have been freed from massive urbanization and today remain idyllic little pieces of paradise.

Most of the islands are barely the size of a football field and are fringed by powdery white sands that slope down to fluorescent turquoise waters filled with coral, reef fish and enormous starfish.

Simple wooden cabins, with a bed and little else, end up on the sand, a few steps from the sea.

On the islands, luckily, there is little to do except indulge in drinking from freshly picked coconuts while swinging in a mesh hammock suspended between two of the few trees that grow directly from the sandy ground.

Aerial view of one of the islands of the Panamanian archipelago of Guna Yala.imageBROKER/Luca Renner (Getty Images/imageBROKER RF)

Guna Yala's most popular destination is the Limones Keys, with dozens of picturesque tropical islets separated by narrow stretches of sparkling turquoise waters and powdery white sand beaches.

In addition, it is a perfect destination for snorkeling among the coral reefs or sunken ships a few meters from the coast.

There are little islands for all tastes, from some with restaurants and a beach atmosphere, like Devil's Island or Pelícano Island, to others recently opened like La Piscina, a fabulous sandbank, in the middle of the sea, with warm waters that cover up to the waist, or its neighbor Nugnudub, with a long beach planted with palm trees.

More information in the new guides

Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama

,

Cancún, Cozumel and Yucatán,

from Lonely Planet and at lonelyplanet.es.

Trunk Bay, St. John's Island, Virgin Islands

A thousand years ago, the Tainos settled next to the celestial waters of San Juan, one of the Virgin Islands.

Today we can stroll along the sands of Trunk Bay, where archaeologists have discovered tools used by the Tainos, and wander past the ruins of a plantation whose tragic history left the graves of slaves under the waters of the bay.

Almost 60% of St. John's Island is part of the Virgin Islands National Park, where its white beaches mix with jungle ruins.

Although it only measures 50 square kilometers, it offers many outdoor activities for the intrepid: paddling over Caribbean waters to secluded beaches inaccessible by car;

hike to ancient sacred waterfalls;

or explore coral reefs teeming with colorful marine life.

Trunk Bay Beach, San Juan Island. Driendl Group (Getty Images)

A good idea is to camp at Cinnamon Bay Campground, within the national park, where groups of butterflies extract nectar from the star fruit and breadfruit trees while deer wander among the tents.

Many kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and diving enthusiasts come here.

Cruz Bay, the main hub of the island, has restaurants and some amenities for visitors, while remote Coral Bay offers fabulous views of the mountains amid the occasional braying of free-roaming donkeys.

El Tunco, Sunzal and Las Flores Beach (El Salvador)

The three best beaches in El Salvador, especially for surfers, are Tunco, Sunzal and Las Flores.

These and other places on the Salvadoran Atlantic coast are turning the country into a new mecca for board lovers, and a less touristy alternative to more well-trodden neighboring destinations, such as Costa Rica.

The Salvadoran coastline is known as the Balsam Coast, and a coastal road slides past black sand beaches with two breakers where younger travelers and lovers of good waves come.

An area that takes its name from the aromatic oil that is extracted here by burning the bark of the local balsamic trees (although there are few left).

Its best-known beach is El Tunco, which comes alive especially on weekends, with an ocean full of turtles, dolphins and huge jumping fish.

El Tunco is currently the main tourist destination in El Salvador, with many waves and a great surfing and festive atmosphere, although it hardly has any sand on its shore because it is mainly a beach of rocks and stones.

Bathers on El Tunco beach, in El Salvador.Ellie Pritts Photography (Getty Images)

One of the most consistent waves in El Salvador awaits in Sunzal, as it breaks for much of the year.

It is a long, long wave where surfers of all levels tend to have fun.

It is an ideal wave for longboarding.

And the third option is to go to the east of the country, to El Cuco, where the Flores beach is.

Known as The Wild East, it is a remote and almost hidden sandy area, highly appreciated by surf lovers for its perfect waves.

They also say that the one from Las Flores beach is one of the most beautiful sunsets that can be seen in the country.

The beaches of Barbados

Barbados raises the bar for Caribbean beaches with strips of fine sand bathed by calm, transparent waters.

If you add to this a fabulous rum and a capital with a certain history, you understand why it has become a tourist destination.

In the southeast are some of its best beaches of fine sand, in the west there are a succession of golden bays, while the rugged, wind-swept nature dominates the Atlantic coast.

Kings Beach, Barbados.Doug Armand (Getty Images)

The entire island is full of beautiful Caribbean landscapes, but the southwestern beaches are especially notable for their sparkling white sand and turquoise waters, and you don't have to go far from Bridgetown to enjoy exquisite tranquility by the sea.

There is a lot to choose from.

Brownes Beach, for example, is a long, wide strip of fine white sand and is never crowded, plus it is the best place for snorkelling close to the shore, populated by turtles, rays and several easily accessible wrecks.

Or Pebbles Beach, at the tip of Carlisle Bay, flanked by two large luxury hotels.

And Rockley Beach, also called Accra Beach, a picture-postcard crescent of white sand with a small shady park and a market in the background.

At the southernmost tip, the small coastal community of Silver Sands is ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing, and Botton Bay, near Crane Beach, is home to one of the prettiest beaches in Barbados, set against cliffs with a row of palm trees at your feet.

Oaxaca Coast (Mexico)

The beautiful and undeveloped coast of Oaxaca, on the Pacific, includes several quiet beach destinations and a practically empty coastline, with long golden sands and lagoons full of fauna.

In addition, there are turtles (it is an important breeding area), dolphins and whales, and a good offer of scuba diving, snorkeling, sport fishing and some of the best waves in North America for surfing.

In this tropical climate, the pace never speeds up, the people are very welcoming and the scenery is spectacular.

You could ask for little more to be an almost perfect vacation spot.

A couple watching the Pacific on one of the beaches of Mazunte, in the State of Oaxaca (Mexico).Joel Carillet (Getty Images)

Activity revolves around four main centers: the sober

resort

area of ​​Bahías de Huatulco, the cluster of coastal towns south of Pochutla (including Zipolite, frequented by nudists, the relaxed San Agustinillo and Mazunte, by fans of the yoga) and the carefree surfer town of Puerto Escondido.

Although perhaps the most visited is Mazunte, with its

hippy

atmosphere and its “magical” tradition, but, above all, known for its sea turtles and its yoga centers.

It is at the southernmost point of the Mexican state of Oaxaca and its Punta Cometa viewpoint is a fabulous place to go for a walk at sunset between waves that break on both sides and dreamlike views of the Pacific.

The alternative is its neighbor San Agustinillo.

Although it is a bit like comparing heaven to nirvana, San Agustinillo may have the most beautiful stretch of beach on this fantastic coast.

The village is smaller than Mazunte, with only one main street and waves that are also a little more manageable, making it a perfect place to practice bodyboarding and learn to surf.

The incredible beaches of Baja California (Mexico)

The Mulegé River, bordered by palm trees and mangroves, with its delta, its birdlife and its nearby places for scuba diving and diving, makes the town of the same name a fantastic stop for fans of adventure and outdoor activities.

And away from its shores there is even an 18th century mission and a main plaza that give it that unique feel of an old town in Baja California.

Here are also some of the most beautiful turquoise beaches on the Mexican peninsula, in Concepción Bay.

The pelican colonies, the whimsical rock formations and the milky blue-green foam act as a magnet for kayakers.

Santispac beach, in Bahía Concepción (Baja California Sur).Alamy Stock Photo

Concepción Bay is one of the most impressive and beautiful stretches of the Baja California coast, due to the color of its waters, its white sand coves and its scarce urbanization.

It's great for sailing and swimming, and there are plenty of smaller hidden bays.

The first and most popular beach is Santispac, a wide, sheltered cove with blinding white sand, some palapas and a couple of good restaurants.

But the most beautiful places to take a dip are perhaps the southernmost ones: El Requesón, La Perla and Armenta.

El Requesón beach allows you to take a delicious walk along a sandbank to an island of cacti and mangroves at low tide.

La Perla has sheltered areas for camping.

And the crystalline waters of Armenta are, simply, beautiful.

Paraíso, Sirena and Las Tumbas beaches, the best in Cuba

As the largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba is full of beautiful beaches.

However, in the south awaits the island of Cayo Largo del Sur and its paradisiacal beach.

Playa Paraíso is a tourist attraction with an intentional and explicit name that displays fine white sand, turquoise waters and a varied marine fauna that includes starfish, crustaceans, turtles and iguanas that are also present throughout the islet.

Its neighbor, Sirena Beach, is also among the most beautiful in the country.

Playa Paraíso, on the Cuban island of Cayo Largo.www.MarieBrizard.ca Photography (Getty Images)

But, possibly, the best beach in Cuba, above those mentioned, already widely visited by tourists, is Las Tumbas.

Perhaps it is the most isolated in the country, more than 60 kilometers from the nearest town, in the Guanahacabibes Peninsula National Park, which has the same appearance that the Cuba that Columbus saw must have had: a narrow strip of flat land and very narrow, pointing towards Mexico at the western end of the island.

A paradise for divers, ecotourists, conservationists and bird watchers.

Icing

sugar beaches

on Holbox Island, in Yucatán (Mexico)

To the northwest of Cancun there are quieter and more isolated beaches than those of the tourist complexes in this area of ​​Mexico.

This is the case of Holbox Island, one of the most beautiful corners of the Yucatan Peninsula, with beaches that look like corn flour or even icing

sugar

.

It is very popular with kitesurfers and those who travel to see whale sharks.

This unconventional, and increasingly trendy, island only attracted windsurfers and beachgoers, but times change.

Fancy bars with swing seats, beach restaurants and yoga are driving out fishermen and local shops and have turned Holbox into a kind of Tulum of the north.

Golf carts and

quads

are also noticeable on the dirt streets, but, despite everything, you can still spend a quiet day at the beach.

One of the sandy beaches of Holbox, an island located in the north of the Yucatan Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.Dallas Stribley (Getty Images)

An unlimited palette of blues, greens and ivories awaits here.

In winter the whale sharks arrive (the island is one of the very few places in the world where they come to eat) and the trade winds return the surfers to the beach who ride waves, bathe and sunbathe as they have always done.

And there are things that never change.

Most bathers go to the north side of the island, but if someone wants quieter and more remote places they just have to take a taxi or even a boat and stay at points where the only company on the areba will be two or three mangrove trees.

Seven Mile Beach (Jamaica)

Pristine beaches abound on Jamaica's western coast.

But especially in the west of the country, in the city of Negril, which boasts a natural gem that illustrates the best that the homeland of

reggae

has to offer .

This is Seven Mile Beach, a crescent of white sand that was once under the rule of pirates.

Bordered by cliffs and palm trees, it is ideal for observing seahorses, rays and many other fish.

View of the Jamaican beach of Seven Mile Beach.Cultura Exclusive/Karen Fox (Getty Images/Image Source)

Although you can find bars and restaurants very close to the sand, those who don't feel like walking can opt for a horseback ride.

Seven Mile Beach is also perfect for scuba diving and snorkeling, or simply enjoying yourself half-submerged in the calm waters (with the air scented by the sweet aroma of marijuana).

It should be noted that, despite the name, the beach only measures four miles (about 6.5 kilometers).

Biesanz, the secret beach of Manuel Antonio (Costa Rica)

in the national park

most visited in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio, you can take excursions through the forest until you reach pristine beaches and see monkeys from the sand.

But with a little more dedication you can also discover some of the many secret sandy beaches in the surrounding area.

Manuel Antonio brings together the best of the country's fauna and nature, with a mix of jungle and beach, and countless mammals, reptiles and birds.

It is very popular among Ticos and travelers, so you have to buy tickets

online

well in advance, and in high season you sometimes have to wait to enter.

There are several stunning beaches, large expanses of jungle with plants, insects and animals, a waterfall, and large flocks of birds including toucans, woodpeckers and hummingbirds everywhere.

View from the water of Biesanz, a beach in Manuel Antonio National Park (Costa Rica).Margarita Almpanezou (Getty Images)

On the outskirts of the reserve there are excellent restaurants with views of the jungle, and after sunset the night tours allow you to discover a whole new aspect of Costa Rica's central Pacific coast.

Beyond all this, the surprise is at Biesanz, Manuel Antonio's semi-secret beach, a five-minute walk from the center of town, but much less crowded than the main beach.

It has all the fauna of the national park, but only a small part of its visitors, so there is a good chance of seeing capuchins, howler monkeys and squirrel monkeys on the trail.

But the best is under the sea.

You can rent a kayak and snorkel almost right on the shore, then head to the center of the bay to dive into the hidden reef, about a 10-minute paddle from the beach.

Beaches between volcanoes in Sugar Beach (Saint Lucia)

The Pitons Mountains seen from Sugar Beach, Saint Lucia.Alamy Stock Photo

For travelers looking for a bit of eco-friendly charm, Sugar Beach (Jalousie Beach) is one of the prettiest beaches on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia and a perfect choice.

With unparalleled views of the Pitons Mountains – two dormant volcanic necks on the southwestern coast of Saint Lucia declared a UNESCO world heritage site – and a lush tropical rainforest around it, this enclave is one of the best that the so-called “Helena of the West Indies” has to offer. .

You don't have to be a guest of the

resort of the same name

to access this fabulous stretch of sand near the Anse des Pitons marine reserve, a paradise for diving.

Sunsets at Darkwood Beach (Antigua and Barbuda)

Aerial view of Darkwood Beach, Antigua and Barbuda.Alamy Stock Photo

This is a perfect beach to show off on Instagram.

And even more so if you take a photo in front of the wooden sign painted with the colors of the Antiguan national flag that reads “Wadadli” (indigenous name for Antigua).

The hills create the perfect backdrop in this popular West Coast setting.

On what is one of the 365 beaches scattered throughout the archipelago, on clear and sunny days it is possible to see the neighboring island of Montserrat, which is just an hour away by ferry or 20 minutes by plane.

The most attractive thing about Darkwood Beach is the dazzling sunset that colors the Caribbean in a golden light.

A true Caribbean experience in Grande Anse d'Arlet (Martinique)

The Église Saint-Henri, in Grande Anse (Martinique), seen from the end of the pier.Tuul & Bruno Morandi (Getty Images)

A 45-minute drive along a scenic road takes you from Martinique's Aimé Césaire International Airport in Fort-de-France to the rural town of Les Anses d'Arlet, home to this hidden gem of the island's coastline.

The views from the pier of the Église Saint-Henri are very evocative.

Les Anses d'Arlet is an active fishing village where delicious fish abounds and fresh seafood is the norm.

And once there you just have to settle on the sand in the shade of the palm trees to devour the catch of the day and socialize with the friendly locals to live an authentic and charming Caribbean experience.

The quiet pink beach Pink Sands (Bahamas)

A sunset at Pink Sands Beach in the Bahamas.Alamy Stock Photo

On this beach of magical and timeless elegance located on Harbor Island, which has less than 200 residents, the original color of the sand rivals in beauty with the aquamarine hue of the sea for five kilometers.

The pink hue that gives it its name is due to foraminifera, marine organisms whose red shells have mixed with the previously white sand.

The relatively intimate beach is perfect for a lazy day spent swimming, snorkeling and sunbathing.

Beach day on the Spice Island: Magazine Beach (Granada)

The Caribbean sandy beach of Magazine Beach (Granada).Alamy Stock Photo

Grenada, nicknamed “the island of spices”, has earned worldwide praise both for the excellent and varied offering of condiments and for the many spectacular beaches that are concentrated in a territory of just about 35 kilometers in length.

So it's no surprise that many travelers head straight to the Caribbean's Magazine Beach (on the southwest coast) as soon as they land at Maurice Bishop International Airport and say goodbye to the island with a last-minute swim in its warm waters just before leaving.

Additionally, diving and kayaking are common activities here.

Tortuga and Flamenco beaches, two Puerto Rican paradises in the Culebra Islands (Puerto Rico)

Tortuga Beach is reputed to be the most beautiful in Puerto Rico, with an unmistakable air of tropical paradise.

It is on Culebrita Island and is accessible only by boat or seaplane.

These white sand shores, which serve as a home and feeding spot for green turtles, are one of Culebra's hidden gems.

Almost considered a deserted beach, it is easy to snorkel among the turtles and other sea creatures.

Aerial photography of Flamenco beach, on Isla Culebra.Alamy Stock Photo

Another of the famous sandy beaches of these islands is Flamenco Beach, on Isla Culebra, which usually appears in the

rankings

of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean and that Puerto Ricans (or Puerto Ricans) themselves consider to be the best in the country: white sand and crystal clear water. Their luminosity contrasts with the dark green of the foliage.

Ride the waves and greet the sun in Santa Teresa (Costa Rica)

Two surfers in Santa Teresa, a small beach area in northeastern Costa Rica.Alamy Stock Photo

It is not easy to get to Santa Teresa, but it is worth it for its kilometer-long beaches, with constant waves and breakers of different levels of difficulty.

It is a trendy destination for surfers and also for practicing yoga.

Santa Teresa has a laid-back, bohemian vibe, from its big waves to its stylish bars and cafes.

It's on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, just across from Montezuma, but the two towns couldn't be more different.

In Santa Teresa there is not much of a

hippy atmosphere:

it is more a place for digital nomads, surfers and modern young people.

Apart from the beach, it has a long, winding street full of cars, motorcycles and

quads.

Only part of it is paved, which makes it difficult to navigate on foot, especially during the rainy season.

With a

quad

you can go to Hermosa beach, Malpaís and even Montezuma.

Additionally, Santa Teresa has top-notch

spas

, excellent dining options, and plenty of surf shops.

Subscribe here to the

El Viajero newsletter

and find inspiration for your next trips on our

Facebook

,

X

and

Instagram accounts

.