Best Beaches in Okinawa

There are some simply stunning beaches and coastlines around mainland Okinawa. However, if you want to see some of the most beautiful beaches of your entire life, you're going to have to take a 1.5 hour boat ride to the western islands.

The map below has slowly become my best friend whilst I've been living on Okinawa. It's been particularly useful as I've been cruising around the island on my motorbike. It basically highlights all the 'must do' things.

So… here, in Andalas Tourism opinion, are the top beaches in Okinawa and it's surrounding islands:

Peace Memorial Park 'Secret' Beach

You won't be able to see if clearly from the above picture but this 'secret' beach is only accessible through the Peace Memorial Park. If you follow the signs to the underground military base and keep going down towards the ocean you can't miss it. At the bottom you'll be rewarded with your own private 'spa pool'! At low tide the coral reef separates the beach from the ocean and every large wave gently fills up the large tidal pool… it's bliss!

Cape Maeda

This is a gorgeous coastline that offers everything from amazing snorkelling to beautiful coastal views. When the sea isn't too rough, like the above picture, you're able to snorkel and swim into the 'blue cave' which is meant to be spectacular! If it's too rough to swim in you can always go to the lighthouse and gape in awe at the power of the ocean or you can go around the corner for a little snorkel in the sheltered bay…

Mibaru Beach

This is a great little beach for chilling out on. No matter what day of the week it is this beach is pretty empty. It's also got a great Nepalese restaurant which caters to everyones taste! This is the beach that I head to instead of going to the library when I want to study Japanese!