Harbour Island: Is the sand really pink?
HARBOUR ISLAND'S PINK SAND BEACH COUNTS AMONG THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACHES IN THE WORLD
Yes, the sand is actually pink. Its beautiful hue derives from a unique, single-cell animal called a foraminifera or foram for short. There are some 4,000 species of forams, and only a rare few grow bright-red shells. Pick up a handful of sand on Pink Sand Beach, you'll find something that looks like the smallest strawberries ever grown: that's actually red forum.
Beaches fortunate enough to have a large population of these blossoming offshore, with just the right currents, will have bits of red shell mixed with its white sand. Put enough red into the white, you get pink.
A picturesque island for your destination wedding, Pink Sands Beach offers horseback riding, a popular activity for tropical honeymooners.
Loyalist Cottage is a wonderful example of loyalist architecture. If you're in for a bit of history, plan a trip to Commissioner’s Residence built in 1913, St. John’s Anglican Church built in 1768, and the Chapel Street cemetery with its ancient graves.
On the southern end of Bay Street is a hidden overgrown 17th-century battery built by the English to defend the island. You can still see well-preserved roundhead cannons at this site.
Local lore surrounding the mysteries of the Lone Tree claim it was once an almond tree, others say it's a species of pine. Regardless, everyone seems to agree that it arrived on Harbour Island after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Was is brought from some distant shore, a nearby island, or did it slide down a hill on the island? Curiously enough, the tree arrived perfectly upright, and during high tides, it even moves around a bit.
A true wonder, Harbour Island offers visitors a unique vacation destination with an extensive list of things to do.
Coral is Calling
an eco-tourism escape
Embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and answer the call of the coral reefs on your next escape to Andros. At Small Hope Bay Lodge, you can dive in and make a difference in an underwater excursion with The Reef Rescue Network. Powered by the Perry Institute for Marine Science, this ambitious reef rescue program works to protect the heart and soul of The Out Islands—our incredible coral reefs and the thousands of species of marine life that thrive there—and you won’t want to miss this thrilling underwater experience.
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