Learn About these Amazing Cliff Beaches

Beaches are popular tourist destinations during the summer, as most people would usually enjoy swimming in cool waters, build sand castles, and just have fun conversations with their loved ones in their tents. While almost all beaches are naturally beautiful, there is a particular type of beach that is more stunning and amazing to look at than the others, and that is the cliff beach.

Cliff beaches, otherwise known as cliffside beaches, are the ones that are surrounded by gorgeous cliffs that often towers the beaches and creates a perfect backdrop for Instagram photos. There are hundreds of different cliff beaches that you can visit in the United States and other countries, but there are only a few that are considered to be the most popular and most amazing. Here are some details and descriptions for some of the most amazing cliff beaches in the world.

McWay Cove

McWay Cove is a cliffside beach that is found on the coast of Big Sure, a mountainous section that is located in the Central Coast of California. The beach has crystal clear waters that are surrounded by tall cliffs that make it look like the perfect summer paradise. A distinct feature that the McWay Cove has is the McWay Falls, a natural waterfall that turns into a tidefall (a body of water wherein its waters would go directly to the ocean) during high tide. If you are living in the United States, the McWay Cove is the closest cliff beach that you can visit that is popular and stunning to look at.

Etretat

Etretat in Normandy France

Etretat is a French commune (a type of town in France) located in Normandy, specifically in the north-western region of France. While Etretat was mainly a farming town before, itshistorical significance and natural beauty allow the economy to be boosted through tourism. Today, the people of Etretat focuses more on tourism, as it has now become the most popular tourist attraction in Normandy.

Besides its historical landmarks, Etretat is also particularly known for its amazing cliffside beaches located to the northwest. What’s amazing of the cliffs of the town’s beaches is that they are perfectly vertical, as if a giant once vertically sliced and took out a portion of the cliffs using a sword or knife.

As Catedrais

As Catedrais in Spain

The As Catedrais is a beach that is found in the northwest coast of Ribadeo, which is a municipality in Galicia, Spain. Its popular name is derived from its full name, “Praia das Catedrais,” which is translated in English as “Beach of the Cathedrals.” The As Catedrais got its name because of the natural arches that would connect several cliffs around the beach, although these arches are much more noticeable during low tide. In times of high tide, the arches and the caves found in the As Catedrais are not visible and the beach would be much smaller, but swimming is still allowed.

Navagio Beach

Navagio Beach in Greece

Navagio Beach, also known as Shipwreck Beach and Smuggler’s Cove, is an exposed cove that is located in Zakynthos, the largest of the Ionian Islands in Greece. Before it was known as Navagio, the beach was first called Agios Georgios. The beach got its nicknames Shipwreck Beach and Smuggler’s Cove because of an incident that happened on October 2, 1980, where a ship named MV Panagiotis went aground on the beach due to bad visibility caused by a storm. It is rumored by the locals that the ship was smuggling contraband or illegal possessions, but the captain was adamant in saying that they did not ship contraband and that the locals were actually the ones that did an illegal act, as 29 locals were found guilty of looting the ship’s cargo after the captain reported the incident.

The ship was then abandoned in Navagio and it was never recovered, and tourists can still see the abandoned ship buried partially in sand until today. The beach was once only popular among locals, but when it was featured in the famous Korean drama “Descendants of the Sun,” many Korean and Chinese tourists flocked to the location.

Legzira Beach

Legzira Beach in Sidi Ifni Morocco

Legzira Beach is located in the city of Sidi Ifni on the southwest region of Morocco. The city is mainly focused on their fishing industry for their economy, but the Legzira Beach is also a way for them to get profits from tourism. The distinct feature of the cliffs on Legzira Beach is their beautiful maroon color, which would look much more stunning during sunsets. There is a large natural arch found at the end of the cliffs, and this arch is often the most photographed area on the beach because of its surreal appearance.

Besides the Legzira Beach, there are also some amazing tourist spots in Sidi Ifni that people can visit or take a look at, like the governor’s palace, the mosque, and also the shops where they sell the fruits that come from the prickly pear, a species of cactus that is found in arid regions of the world.

And there you have it, five of the best cliffside beaches that you can visit in different places around the world. Getting to some of these beaches can be pretty tricky, so make sure that you do some research before riding an airplane, boat, or car to those areas. In addition, you should also remember to not litter anywhere, as it is important for the locals to preserve the beauty of their tourist spots.