Where Is The Longest Stretch Of Beach In The World?

If you enjoy a nice, long stroll on the beach, here’s a new challenge – around 226 kilometers (140 miles) of continuous sandy shoreline.

Stretching all the way from Brazil to its border with Uruguay, Praia do Cassino is the longest sea beach in the world. Beginning in the historic seaport city of Rio Grande, the coastline is uninterrupted until it meets the Chuí Stream at Brazil’s most southern point.

Although the exact length varies between sources, the beach is generally thought to be around 230 kilometers (143 miles) long. For added perspective, that’s longer than the entire coastline of New York State, which runs 204 kilometers (127 miles), according to the Congressional Research Service.

The area is said to be popular for watersports, its wildlife (including seal tours and migratory bird watching), and of course, sitting your butt down on the sand and enjoying the Sun. However, with humans not being one to miss an opportunity to push the body to the extreme, Praia do Cassino is also home to the longest beach ultramarathon, proving that where there’s a will, there’s a wave.

At 226 kilometers (140 miles), the Extremo Sul Ultramarathon is definitely not one for the fainthearted, with participants given 54 hours to cover the distance. Whilst that alone is already pretty intimidating, even the most experienced runners can face serious challenges when it comes to the beach’s environment.

The coastal stretch is subject to the temperament of the South Atlantic Ocean, including strong winds (great for surfers and the nearby wind farm, not so great for runners) and storm surges, one of which wrecked a ship off the northern area of the beach back in 1976.

Whilst it might play host to the longest beach, Brazil isn’t the only country with extended sandy stretches. Coming in at a strong second place, over 12,000 kilometers (7,400 miles) away from Praia do Cassino, is the beach at Coorong National Park on the southeast coast of Australia, at 194 kilometers (121 miles) long. The Land Down Under is also home to the somewhat unimaginatively named Ninety Mile Beach, spread out over, well, 90 miles (145 kilometers) – not to be confused with Ninety Mile Beach in New Zealand, which is actually only 55 miles (88 kilometers) long.

For those who’d prefer the opposite of an ultramarathon, the shortest beach in the world is only 40 meters (130 feet) and oddly, inland. Playa de Gulpiyuri in Spain can only be accessed by foot and whilst it has no direct access to the sea, still has tides due to a series of tunnels connecting it to the nearby Bay of Biscay.

We’ll see our fellow couch potatoes in Spain.