Beach Type
Beaches framed by dramatic cliffs — stunning scenery but often harder to reach
What are cliff beaches?
Cliff beaches sit at the base of dramatic rock walls that can tower hundreds of meters above. The surrounding cliffs create shelter from wind, provide natural shade at certain times of day, and make for spectacular photography.
8 beaches found
The Kauai beach where Kuhio Highway (Route 560) runs out, the Na Pali coast begins, and the reef-protected lagoon turns calm in summer. Non-residents need a gohaena.com reservation, the park reopened in October 2026 after Hurricane Lowell, and the snorkelling window is narrower than it looks.
Keem Beach (Keem Bay) is a sheltered Blue Flag cove at the far western end of Achill Island, reached by one cliff road that gardaí have closed on hot days. How to get there, when it's lifeguarded, and the walks above it.
Home to Bali's most iconic cliff formation, the T-Rex of Nusa Penida, Kelingking Beach rewards those brave enough to descend with pristine white sand and turquoise water far below the crowds.
The Vancouver Island hike-in beach 2 kilometres down the Juan de Fuca Trail from China Beach, with a waterfall that drops directly onto the sand, a sea cave accessible at low tide, a rope swing, and the most photographed pocket-cove on the Pacific west coast of Canada.
Navagio Shipwreck Beach on Zakynthos: a rusting wreck on white sand under sheer limestone cliffs, closed to landings and swimming over rockfall risk, and seen today from a boat or the clifftop platform.
The Princeville beach 191 steps below the bluff that fronts the resort everyone now calls 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay. Reef-protected swim in summer, dangerous in winter, no lifeguard, no facilities, no roadside parking. The view across to Hanalei is the reason to make the climb.
The Kauai south-shore beach with the 40-foot cliff Harrison Ford jumped off in Six Days Seven Nights. The cliff is the photo, not the activity. The real reason to come is the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail that starts behind the sand.
A dramatic pebble cove hidden between towering cliff walls on Vis Island, voted Europe's best beach.
