Whitehaven Beach

Drop anchor off Whitehaven Beach and step onto one of the world's most genuinely stunning stretches of sand — 7km of brilliant white silica that stays cool underfoot even in full sun. It's the kind of place that actually lives up to the hype, sitting right in the heart of the Whitsundays with swirling tidal flats at Hill Inlet visible from the lookout trail above. You'll need to dinghy ashore, but that first footprint in the sand makes it completely worth it.