Scuba Diving

The top beaches in the world will probably be debated over well into the future , and this article is a quick look at our preferred choice for one or two of the top beaches in the world, and good accommodation around that particular beach.

Ras Nungwi Beach is located right at the top tip of Zanzibar where you will discover that the white sand is so fine it becomes like putty under your feet when you wade in the shallows of the blue turquoise wonderfully clear ocean. Zanzibar is somewhere you have to visit anyhow because it has such a fascinating history, and the narrow lanes and old buildings of the capital Stonetown are great fun to investigate on foot. There are around 30 beaches on the island and it has some of the finest beaches you will find anywhere in the world, and Nungwi has to be the best. The beach shelves very gently and is extremely shallow, and goes as far as the eye can see, incredibly at low tide you can nearly walk or wade out to the protecting reef. At high tide the beach just about vanishes, but is still beautiful.

There are countless small fishing hamlets scattered along the beach, and the whole feel is one that the 21st century has passed by leaving everything untouched. There's a superb hotel on Nungwi Beach called the Ras Nungwi which is a delightful collection of well furnished chalets featuring wonderful food in a great position.

Salvador, Brazil's oldest city has a wonderful beach called Porto Da Barra. Amazingly a west facing beach which is very rare in Brazil, here you will see sunsets that are really superb. The position of the beach is quite stunning with a small white fort at one end evidence of Brazil's colonial past and on a hill at the other end is a small whitewashed church. The position of the beach is at the mouth of virtually the biggest bay in Brazil named the Bahia de Todos os Santos.

The great thing about the beach is how calm the water is as it is in a bay, and it's also extraordinarily clean, and the water is very clear which is kind of a surprise as it is next to Brazil's third biggest city. All this means it is ideal for swimming, although you will not be by yourself, as it's a popular beach with a lot going on, from little fishing boats unloading to youngsters jumping in off the old harbour walls, and all sorts of beach activities with obviously football being very popular. The best accommodation here is the well thought of Pousada Estrela do Mar which is close to the beach.

Petit Anse is thought of by a lot of people as the number one beach in the Seychelles and by some good judges as the world's best beach. Not that easy to get to, you need to take a boat to la Digue and then ask the way to Grand Anse beach, hire a bike and pedal. Just realise the road is steep as it is hilly, but the view slowly unveiled of the beautiful turquoise ocean makes the effort worthwhile. At Grand Anse you want to face the sea and then turn left where you will find a low ridge.

You'll need to scramble over rocks and through the bushes, but what you get after one or two minutes struggle is most likely the finest soft shimmering white sand beach, the turquoise blue ocean and white waves you will ever see. You have now found Petit Anse Beach. As an extra bonus it'll pretty much certainly be empty. Please be careful the waves and the sea are really dangerous so enticed and hot you may be, stay out of the water. You really need somewhere to stay on la Digue, even just to overnight when you visit Petit Anse beach, and for this, although a longer stay would be better is Le Domaine de L'Orangeraie with 45 villas a quite fantastic resort..

That is it for this brief article about the top beaches in the world, and I am hoping you have found them interesting.