Sarakiniko Beach
A moon beach here on Earth
BY MARISSA TEJADA
What might a beach look like on the moon? On the Greek island of Milos, Sarakiniko is a bone-white rocky landscape of smooth stone shaped by time and salt water that offers a very passable clue. The contrast against the Aegean’s sapphire and turquoise seas can only be described as lunar.
The beach, unlike any other on Milos, is a formation of long horizontal pumice rocks pocked with huge hollows. Volcanic activity shaped the scene on the island’s northeastern corner where no trees or vegetation grow. A shallow bay gently laps a strip of pebbly brown sand, but beachgoers often prefer to spread out on rock slopes, find shade in the curvy crags or simply laze on top of the highest formations.
Besides the striking topography, snorkelers and scuba divers can keep busy exploring a series of underwater caves as well as a rusty shipwreck. Set behind the beach is Sarakiniko’s abandoned warren of mining caves to explore.
At night the vista takes on another beauty, as moonlight reflects a striking glow off one of the world’s most unique beach landscapes.
Did you know?
Sarakiniko owes its dazzling whiteness to volcanic ash.
