Experiences are food for your soul – see these bioluminescent beaches glowing with magical bioluminescence!
Bioluminescence near Tyulenovo, Kavarna, Bulgaria
Deciding where to spend our hard-earned money can be a challenge. As time goes by, more and more people realize that experiences are worth so much more than possessions. However, even choosing a holiday destination is sometimes hard. For people like me, who try to travel as much as we can with a full-time job, the days in the year that can be spent travelling are pretty limited. I admit it, I usually envy people with even 5 extra days of yearly holiday! So, yes, I am always looking for something unique to see and experience. And I don’t think bioluminescent beaches can just be “seen”. No, seeing these and swimming in these waters is a true experience!
How do bioluminescent beaches “work”? Well, it’s usually bioluminescent phytoplankton that does the job, but sometimes it can be bioluminescent shrimp or even firefly squid! The trick here is that the water needs to move in order to show its glow. This means that when you swim, the water ALL AROUND YOU glows. Yes, it’s truly magical!
Let’s dive in and see some of the best bioluminescent beaches in the world (and where to stay nearby!)
Table of Contents
Bioluminescent beach #1. Mosquito Bay, Puerto Rico
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMF7V2eFZPy/
Closest budget hotel: Esperanza Inn
Prices per night start at: 90$
Booking.com review score: 8.8
Bioluminescent beach #2. Sam Mun Tsai Beach, Hong Kong
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlZWkvXg8dv/
Closest budget hotel: YHA Bradbury Jockey Club Youth Hostel
Prices per night start at: 60$
Booking.com review score: 7.7
Bioluminescent beach #3. Manasquan, New Jersey, United States
Closest budget hotel: Atlantic Motel
Prices per night start at: 170$
Booking.com review score: 8.4
Bioluminescent beach #4. Bunny Island, Tasmania, Australia
Closest budget hotel: The Tree House
Prices per night start at: 177$
Booking.com review score: 9.2
Bioluminescent beach #5. Carlsbad State Beach, California, United States
Closest budget hotel: Days Inn by Wyndham Carlsbad
Prices per night start at: 177$
Booking.com review score: 8.0
Bioluminescent beach #6. Cape Raoul, Tasmania, Australia
Closest budget hotel: Port Arthur Motor Inn
Prices per night start at: 83$
Booking.com review score: 8.3
Bioluminescent beach #7. Tathra, New South Wales, Australia
Closest budget hotel: Tathra Beach House Holiday Apartments
Prices per night start at: 122$
Booking.com review score: 9.2
Bioluminescent beach #8. Jervis Bay, Australia
Closest budget hotel: The Huskisson
Prices per night start at: 93$
Booking.com review score: 8.0
Bioluminescent beach #9. Avila Beach, California, United States
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlQGPFHgxpt/
Closest budget hotel: Avila Village Inn
Prices per night start at: 268$
Booking.com review score: 9.2
Bioluminescent beach #10. Punta del Este, Maldonado, Uruguay
Closest budget hotel: Hotel Atlantico by Tay Hotels
Prices per night start at: 63$
Booking.com review score: 8.8
Bioluminescent beach #11. Basin View, Australia
Closest budget hotel: Jopen Complex
Prices per night start at: 62$
Booking.com review score: 8.2
Bioluminescent beach #12. Lorne, Victoria, Australia
Closest budget hotel: Lorne Hotel
Prices per night start at: 162$
Booking.com review score: 8.0
Bioluminescent beach #13. Ralph’s Bay, Tasmania, Australia
Closest budget hotel: Beach buoy
Prices per night start at: 189$
Booking.com review score: 9.9
Bioluminescent beach #14. Larak, Iran
Bioluminescent beach #15. Pacific City, Oregon, United States
Closest budget hotel: Surf & Sand Inn
Prices per night start at: 158$
Booking.com review score: 9.1
Bioluminescent beach #16. Bahía de Los Angeles, Mexico
Closest budget hotel: The Halfway Inn
Prices per night start at: 31$
Booking.com review score: 8.2
Bioluminescent beach #17. Big Sur, California
Closest budget hotel: Carmel Garden Inn
Prices per night start at: 267$
Booking.com review score: 9.0
Bioluminescent beach #18. Penmon Lighthouse (Trwyn Du Lighthouse), United Kingdom
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlLJaJrhzyN/
It is rare, but if you’re very lucky, you can catch both the bioluminescent phytoplankton AND the aurora, very close by at the shores of Snowdonia National Park.
Closest budget hotel: Gwyndaf Bed And Breakfast
Prices per night start at: 123$
Booking.com review score: 9.9
Bioluminescent beach #19. Pistol River Beach, Oregon, United States
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlYOUQegIAR/
Closest budget hotel: Pacific Reef Hotel
Prices per night start at: 108$
Booking.com review score: 8.6
Bioluminescent beach #20. Roskilde Fjord, Denmark
Closest budget hotel: Strandsegård Ferielejlighed
Prices per night start at: 122$
Booking.com review score: 9.0
Bioluminescent beach #21. Walker Bay, Grootbos, South Africa
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHfSZ-Fjgh/
Closest budget hotel: Benguela
Prices per night start at: 71$
Booking.com review score: 9.6
Bioluminescent beach #22. Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Closest budget hotel: Ruiselares
Prices per night start at: 25$
Booking.com review score: 8.9
Bioluminescent beach #23. Vaadhoo, Maldives
Closest budget hotel: Ayada Maldives
Prices per night start at: 584$ (it is an island resort, but you can also look for a day trip for visiting)
Booking.com review score: 9.1
Bioluminescent beach #24. Toyama Bay, Japan
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoaGVdXg6Ve/
Closest budget hotel: Uozu Manten Hotel Ekimae
Prices per night start at: 92$
Booking.com review score: 8.6
Bioluminescent beach #25. Bangsaen, Chonburi, Thailand
Closest budget hotel: SP Home BangSaen
Prices per night start at: 35$
Booking.com review score: 8.8
Which one is your favorite? Have you seen other beaches with bioluminescence?
2 comments
These are awesome! I can’t believe we lived in Oregon for 7 years, just an hour from the coast in Florence, and we never knew about the bioluminescence there. We’ve even been there at night and never seen it. I’ve only seen it in Alaska a long time ago and it was totally unreal. Great post!
Hehe! Thank you! I guess it does need certain conditions in order to “catch” it 🙂 One of them is definitely waves – if the water is too still, you wouldn’t be able to see it 🙂 Where did you see it in Alaska?? Was there a lot of bioluminescence over there??