While Komodo is best known as the home of the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, this small island of rugged red hills, dry savanna, and thick shrubland also boasts another unusual feature: a stunning pink-sand beach.Pantai Merah, or Pink Beach, gets its unique hue from the crushed shells of foraminifera—microscopic marine organisms that live on the underside of nearby reefs.
Although the beach may not appear as vividly pink under the harsh midday sun (blame it on filters and Photoshop!), during the soft light of dawn or dusk, it’s as breathtaking as any Instagram post suggests.