Whitehaven Beach
Whitehaven Beach
5
About
Uninhabited Whitsunday Island is home to this beautiful beach, one of the world's most spectacular.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best?
This award is our highest recognition and is presented annually to those businesses that are the Best of the Best on Tripadvisor, those that earn excellent reviews from travellers and are ranked in the top 1% of properties worldwide.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Whitehaven Beach
The area
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Attractions
2 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
  • FrequentFlyer💁🏼‍♀️
    London, United Kingdom138 contributions
    Lovely but not as amazing as advertised
    Nice white sand beach. Clear pristine water. Beautiful view point a few minutes walk away for pictures. You can get there by cruise or private transfer. Cons: not much shade, not able to swim during stinger season as there are no stinger nets. If you arrive on an organised day trip they will offer stinger suits but it’s not the same. They will also sell drinks on the beach. Tip: go in the morning, a bit cooler so you can do the walk to the view point and then enjoy the beach.
    Visited December 2022
    Travelled with friends
    Written 27 December 2022
  • Dolly Y
    Melbourne, Australia3 contributions
    Whitehaven Helicopter Tour
    Luke and Seb from Hamilton Island Air flew us to Whitehaven by Helicopter. We had the most enjoyable experience, great, professional, yet fun and educational pilots, We had high expectations, but they went above and beyond and exceeded our expectations. Loved every minute. Smooth flights and bubbles to celebrate our journey. Loads of fun, gets the golden tick from us. Highly recommended. Thanks again guys!
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 5 January 2023
  • Penstar4
    Plympton, Australia30 contributions
    Beautiful Aussie beach!
    Beautiful Powdery white sand with clear water. Fish swimming in the shallows. Not very well sign posted to point to amenities. Apparently up a path (although we went up the wrong one). Not sure if any nearby beach shops were around to buy refreshments. . Sand so fine can get in phones and everywhere so be careful.
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 12 January 2023
  • Dazzling63
    Solihull, United Kingdom891 contributions
    Simply Paradise
    My daughter and I did a day cruise with. Raise Whitsundays and opted for the inclusive bbq and trip to Hill Inlet. The transfer from Hamilton island was around an hour to Whitehaven Beach. There were hardly any other boats here so it was tranquil and very beautiful. Stinger suits, paddle boards, drinks etc we’re provided by the crew. The water was 28 degrees and there were plenty of fish. We took a short boat ride across to Hill Inlet and waded through the long shallows with rays. Then a fairly decent walk up to the 3 lookouts which have spectacular views across the inlet. Probably the most beautiful place I have been. We then returned to Whitehaven for a really good bbq on the beach and another dip in the warm ocean . A fantastic day and absolute must see place.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 7 March 2023
  • Gandalf321
    Brisbane, Australia54 contributions
    WOW!
    It's often rated among the top beaches in the world, and I could see why. Beautiful location. Increadible white sand. The sand is so fine grained, I loved just running it through my fingers. Somewhat remote, we took a cruise to get there. A great day out when you're visiting the Whitsunday islands.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 September 2023
  • Trip624047
    2 contributions
    At least once in a lifetime you must have seen this!
    Thé most beautiful beach on the planet!! The colours of the water are beyond reality when you are there on a sunny day and stay for many hours. And the sand stays cool in spite of a hot and sunny day.
    Visited October 2022
    Travelled with family
    Written 30 September 2023
  • XR3MX
    Melbourne, Australia26 contributions
    Lovely, but just another beach
    Did the half day Whitehaven Beach tour with Cruise Whitsundays. Great service by the tour company, especially great if you need easy access to the sand (via a ramp). Once there, it's really just another beach. It's beautiful but don't expect too much. Glad we did it, but won't bother going again.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 16 October 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
5.0
2,432 reviews
Excellent
2,074
Very good
240
Average
87
Poor
21
Terrible
10

XR3MX
Melbourne, Australia26 contributions
Oct. 2023 • Family
Did the half day Whitehaven Beach tour with Cruise Whitsundays. Great service by the tour company, especially great if you need easy access to the sand (via a ramp).

Once there, it's really just another beach. It's beautiful but don't expect too much.

Glad we did it, but won't bother going again.
Written 16 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trip624047
2 contributions
Oct. 2022 • Family
Thé most beautiful beach on the planet!! The colours of the water are beyond reality when you are there on a sunny day and stay for many hours. And the sand stays cool in spite of a hot and sunny day.
Written 30 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gandalf321
Brisbane, Australia54 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Couples
It's often rated among the top beaches in the world, and I could see why. Beautiful location. Increadible white sand. The sand is so fine grained, I loved just running it through my fingers. Somewhat remote, we took a cruise to get there. A great day out when you're visiting the Whitsunday islands.
Written 15 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jemima A
3 contributions
Jun. 2023 • Family
Whitehaven is incredible. We only stopped in for a couple hours on our boat which was enough with young kids. But a definite bucket list moment checked off!
Written 2 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lisa B
Adelaide, Australia59 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
This was a very disappointing experience. We all got soaked on the way over to Whitehaven island when the crew belatedly provided yellow waterproof jackets.

Morning tea was a piece of banana cake & a small lamington if you wanted it. No tea or coffee & it was freezing out there.

Quite rough but the captain did his best with the conditions.

Got to Whitehaven Island & were rubber dingied ashore. The views on the lookout were great.

Got back onto the boat 1.5 hours later. Lunch was a wrap with bacon, cheese & lettuce. No drinks were provided at any time. However, you could top your water up if you brought your drink bottle. I never saw any cups & only found out about the water by accident.

We then traveled to a small reef off the shore of some island. It was so cold that we didn't jump in. No wetsuits or flippers were provided ,

It was so cold, & the crew are not responsible for the weather. But the lack of warm drinks, decent food & wetsuits & flippers were not good enough for the price.

It's a very slow trip & you are exposed to the elements the whole time.
Written 30 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lupedv
Koblenz10 contributions
May 2023 • Solo
24. May 2023 Orientation:
Arlie Beach = Name of the town
Whitsundays = Area Name
Whitehaven = All the Beaches in this Area
Hill Inlet Beach Whitehaven = The Dreambeach (this beach you want to see)
Proserpeane = Airport nearby

Be very carefully there is only ONE Company witch has the Permit to stop at the Dream beach: Hill Inlet Beach Whitehaven !!!

All the others Company's has no permit to go there !!! They drive you to an other Beach in this Area about 4 km far away from the dream beach. Some sand but other beach !!

In order not to be suspected of collecting commissions, please find the company yourself. Don't trust the brochures or websites !! all lied !! . Ask if they stop right at Dream Beach: "Hill Inlet Beach Whitehaven" by boat and you can hop off and swim there.

Good luck.
Written 24 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LisbonJoana
lisbon7 contributions
Apr. 2023
Absolutely amazing!! Either just looking or spending the day at the beach, it´s totally worth visiting!
Written 11 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael C
1 contribution
Mar. 2023
Whitehaven Beach is spectacular, whether viewed from near or afar. SeaLink provided a day trip from Shute Harbor, a 14 minute ride from Airlie Beach. SeaLink provides a shuttle from Airlie. The SeaLink vessel was a comfortable large high-speed catamaran. The trip started with a tour of the nearby Great Barrier Reef islands, including Hamilton Island, the most developed of the islands. A hour ride saw us land at Whitehaven Beach, and we were ferried to the brilliant white sands. After we were fitted with stinger suits to protect us from Irukandji jelly fish, which can inflict painful stings that can even be fatal, we were encouraged to swim in the crystal clear and warm tropical water. We were advised that the blinding white sand never got hot so shoes were unnecessary, and that was true. But I found a good reason to wear shoes -- the tops of my feet got sunburned from the glare of the sand and water, though I stayed under the shelter provided by the excellent SeaLink crew. Likewise, my face also was sunburned from the glare, though I wore a hat the whole time. Solution: Replace the sunscreen frequently, and beware the tropical sun -- it's intense. After two hours on the beach we boarded the catamaran for a nice lunch and headed to Tongue Point for the absolute highlight of the day: the view of the beach from above and all the colors of the water of the stream entering the sea at the north end of the beach. The view from Tongue Point is stunning, but it is an almost half mile walk up hill over more than 200 stone steps, a challenge for anyone not in good shape. Take it easy. While this was a 6-hour trip, SeaLink offers half-day trips on Saturday and Sunday for those who want to minimize sun exposure.
Written 31 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dazzling63
Solihull, UK891 contributions
Feb. 2023 • Friends
My daughter and I did a day cruise with. Raise Whitsundays and opted for the inclusive bbq and trip to Hill Inlet.
The transfer from Hamilton island was around an hour to Whitehaven Beach. There were hardly any other boats here so it was tranquil and very beautiful.
Stinger suits, paddle boards, drinks etc we’re provided by the crew. The water was 28 degrees and there were plenty of fish.
We took a short boat ride across to Hill Inlet and waded through the long shallows with rays. Then a fairly decent walk up to the 3 lookouts which have spectacular views across the inlet. Probably the most beautiful place I have been.
We then returned to Whitehaven for a really good bbq on the beach and another dip in the warm ocean .
A fantastic day and absolute must see place.
Written 7 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Penstar4
Plympton, Australia30 contributions
Jan. 2023 • Family
Beautiful Powdery white sand with clear water. Fish swimming in the shallows.

Not very well sign posted to point to amenities. Apparently up a path (although we went up the wrong one). Not sure if any nearby beach shops were around to buy refreshments. .

Sand so fine can get in phones and everywhere so be careful.
Written 12 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 1,937
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Whitehaven Beach: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Whitehaven Beach

According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience Whitehaven Beach: