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Stretching out on the world’s best beach won’t be easy. Baía do Sancho is only accessible by boat or via ladders that descend steep cliffs to the golden sands below.
The beach is located in Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago approximately 354 kilometers off the coast of mainland Brazil, part of the country’s Pernambuco state. Visitors to the islands arrive by plane or boat.
Getting there takes some doing, but what awaits persistent travelers is worth the effort, according to the new Tripadvisor rating. Baía do Sancho is the world’s best coastline for 2023, according to the travel site’s annual list of the world’s best beaches, which was released on Tuesday.
Last year, Baía do Sancho was number 7 on the list.
The beach list is part of Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards, which are determined based on millions of reviews submitted by travelers during 2022.
Tripadvisor looks at the quality and quantity of ratings in determining the ratings.
The Caribbean gains three spots in the top 10 in 2023, including No. 2 Eagle Beach in Aruba, No. 5 Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos and No. 9 Varadero Beach in Cuba. Last year the beaches Grace Bay and Varadero were ranked first and second respectively. Eagle Beach was No. 5 in 2022.
The top 10 list also includes one US beach – Maui’s Ka’anapali Beach at No. 10. The beach ranks first on Tripadvisor’s separate list of the top 10 US beaches for 2023. Ka’anapali did not make the top 10 on the global list in 2022 and was No. 17 on the US chart last year.
Located on the island’s western coast, Ka’anapali boasts three miles of white sand and a famous cliff diving ritual at Puʻu Kekaʻa, or Black Rock. Each evening at sunset, torches along the cliff are lit by a diver who then plunges down from the mountain in a re-enactment of a feat by Maui’s King Kahekili.
Europe has three beaches in the top 10 in 2023 – Reynisfjara Beach in Vik, Iceland at No.4, Praia da Falésia in Olhos de Agua, Portugal at No.6 and Italy’s Spiaggia dei Conigli at No.8. Only one of the three also appeared in 2022’s top 10 – Spiaggia dei Conigli in Sicily was No. 10 in 2022.
The white crescent and shallow turquoise waters of Spiaggia dei Conigli on Sicily’s Lampedusa island are a stark contrast to the black sand, deep blue waters and striking geometric basalt columnar formations of Reynisfjara Beach, which appeared in Game of Thrones.
Australia earns one spot in the top 10, with No. 3 Cable Beach in Broome, located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. One of Broome’s most sought-after experiences is a sunset camel ride along this 22 kilometer stretch of Indian Ocean coastline. Cable Beach was No. 11 on last year’s global list.
No. 7 Radhanagar Beach on Havelock Island (Swarag Dweep) in the Andamans represents India on the list. The beach falls one place from its No. 6 ranking in 2022.
1. Baía do Sancho – Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
2. Eagle Beach – Aruba, Caribbean
3. Cable Beach – Broome, Australia
4. Reynisfjara Beach – Vik, Iceland
5. Grace Bay Beach – Turks and Caicos, Caribbean
6. Praia da Falésia – Olhos de Agua, Portugal
7. Radhanagar Beach – Havelock Island, India
8. Spiaggia dei Conigli – Sicily, Italy
9. Varadero Beach – Cuba, Caribbean
10. Ka’anapali Beach – Maui, Hawaii
Tripadvisor has a separate list dedicated to American beaches.
In the US, Hawaii had the strongest showing with three beaches in the top 10, while Florida and California both had two. Beaches in Georgia, Oregon and Maine were also in Tripadvisor’s top 10.
1. Ka’anapali Beach – Maui, Hawaii
2. Siesta Beach – Siesta Key, Florida
3. Driftwood Beach – Jekyll Island, Georgia
4. Hanalei Beach – Kauai, Hawaii
5. Ho’okipa Beach Park – Maui, Hawaii
6. Henderson Beach State Park – Destin, Florida
7. Cannon Beach -Cannon Beach, Oregon
8. Coronado Beach – Coronado, California
9. Ogunquit Beach – Ogunquit, Maine
10. La Jolla Cove – La Jolla, California
