Beach Reviews

Bonaire, Trunk Bay, Buck Island, Belize’s Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, the Bight Reef, Eden Rock and Buccoo Reef rank as the Caribbean’s best snorkeling spots.

Vietnam has no nude beaches — every coast is textile under Decree 144/2021. Its one real naturist tradition is Hanoi's inland Banana Island; Thailand and Bali are the alternatives.

Venezuela has no official nude beaches. Public nudity is prosecutable under its Penal Code, the "clothing-optional" spots online are informal and unverified, and travel warnings are severe.

Vanuatu has no nude beaches and public nudity is illegal under the Penal Code. This 93% Christian, kastom-rooted archipelago has no clothing-optional coast; the nearest real option is New Caledonia.

Uruguay has two official nude beaches: Playa Chihuahua near Punta del Este and La Sirena in Rocha. Both are legal and government-designated; nudity is banned everywhere else.

The US Virgin Islands have no legal nude beaches: public nudity is banned under VI Code Title 14 and Salomon Bay on St. John is now textile. Real naturism is a short flight east in Saint Martin.

Tonga's beaches are strictly textile under a deeply Christian culture where the Sabbath is constitutionally sacred. French Polynesia's private motus and Australia's designated beaches are the alternatives.

Thailand's informal naturist tradition holds at remote southern coves — Haad Yuan, Koh Adang, Freedom Beach. The main resort beaches are uniformly textile.

Tanzania's public coast is textile under Swahili Muslim culture and Section 176. Mnemba Island and Thanda Private are the discreet private-island accommodation.

St. Lucia's beaches are textile under Catholic-majority culture. Sandals Halcyon Beach has a private au naturel section; Saint Martin's Orient Bay is the public-beach alternative.

Sri Lanka's south coast quietly tolerates topless sunbathing at foreign-tourist sections. India's Arambol and the Maldives private villas are the regional naturist alternatives.

South Africa leads mainland African naturism. Sandy Bay (Cape Town, since the 1960s) and Mpenjati (formally designated 2014) are the established beaches.

Seychelles has the most permissive operational beach culture in Africa. Anse Source d'Argent, Anse Cocos, and Anse Major are public-beach naturist options; North Island and Frégate are the private-island cluster.

São Tomé and Príncipe is textile under Portuguese-derived law and Catholic-majority culture. The direct TAP connection to mainland Portugal is the natural naturist pairing.

Samoa's beaches are textile under Christian-majority culture and customary fa'a Samoa village law. French Polynesia's private motus and Australia's designated beaches are the alternatives.

Saint Kitts and Nevis is uniformly textile under British-colonial Anglican-Methodist culture. Saint Martin's Orient Bay is a 30-minute flight away.

Puerto Rico's beaches are textile under Article 144 and Catholic-majority culture. Playa Sucia and quieter Vieques refuge stretches see informal tolerance; Orient Bay (Saint Martin) is the cleanest regional alternative.

Portugal has eight designated nude beaches anchored by Praia 19 at Costa da Caparica. Praia das Adegas, Praia do Salto, Meco, and the wild Costa Vicentina round out the network.

The Philippines is textile under Catholic-majority culture and Revised Penal Code Articles 200-201. Thailand's informal coves and Bali's private villas are the realistic alternatives.

Peru's textile beach culture is reinforced by Article 183 and the cold Humboldt Current. Brazil's Praia do Pinho and Tambaba are the realistic South American alternatives.

Palau's beaches are textile under Catholic-majority cultural norms and active visitor-management. Pair the diving with a Philippines, Bali, or Australia leg for naturism.

Mozambique's public beaches are textile under Article 233. The Bazaruto and Quirimbas private-island luxury cluster is the discreet accommodation; Sandy Bay (Cape Town) is the public-beach alternative.

Morocco's beaches are uniformly textile under Article 483 and active religious-cultural enforcement. Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar is the immediate practical alternative.

Zipolite in Oaxaca is Mexico's only designated nude beach. The Désire and Hidden Beach all-inclusive resorts on the Yucatán coast are the adults-only alternative.