I’ve been to a few beaches over the years, and have seen my fair share of sand, shells and shore creatures, but until I went to Ngapali beach in Myanmar, I’d never seen sand art like these intricate, swirling designs that appeared every day at low tide. What made them even more remarkable, was that the artists who created these one-of-a-kind artworks weren’t human. They were a unique species known as sand bubbler crabs!
We discovered Ngapali beach while planning our trip to Myanmar, my plan being to include a few days ‘vacation from our vacation’ by spending a little downtime at the ocean – a good idea after 15 days of climbing temples, hiking hills to remote villages, navigating lakes and uncovering ruins around the country. Googling ‘best beach in Myamar’, I saw Ngapali Beach pop up which promised us plenty of sunshine, soft sandy beaches, gentle surf, and clear turquoise waters.
Myanmar’s Ngapali beach
No problem finding a beach chair on Ngapali Beach
In fact, Ngapali beach was all that and more – because not only was the beach as beautiful as its description, but it was practically deserted. Or so we thought, until we saw that there was a very prolific artistic community who came out every day at low tide to create their intricate designs in the sand. More surprising was that these talented artists were actually tiny sand bubbler crabs!
“Bubbler Crabs” create little sand balls while searching for organic material to eat.
Sand Bubbler Crabs: an Indo-Pacific-Specific Species
Turns out that Ngapali is home to a particular species of crab known as ‘sand bubbler crabs’, a species that is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific part of the world, (which explains why I hadn’t seen them before on our western side of the globe).
These ‘bubblers’ burrow into the sand during high tide, and emerge when the tide recedes to scour and filter the sand looking for tiny organic material to eat. They do this by creating little sand balls that they form with their legs and then toss behind them, slowly working their way further and further from their hole in the search for food.
Sometimes the paths they take form concentric circles…
…sometimes the Type A crabs take a more linear path…
…until the result is a giant collage of multiple designs that overlap and intersect, creating sand art that covers hundreds of square feet of beach.
Of course, capturing the artist in action requires a little patience, since at the first hint of movement the sand bubbler crabs scurry back into their respective holes, and the artistic process comes to a complete halt.
Can you spot the sand bubbler crab?
But if you wait patiently and stand still long enough, the crabs will re-emerge to continue their work, fiddling and tossing their little sand balls behind them. And this search for food goes on for hours, day in, day out, tide after tide. Talk about a starving artist!
The Art of Sand: Creature Comforts for 2-Legged Beach Lovers
Fortunately, we humans didn’t have to work as hard as sand bubbler crabs to find our food or drink on Ngapali beach. One standout example that was inspired by the crabs’ beachy artwork was the modern and decidedly grownup beach lounge appropriately named ‘The Art of Sand’.
The Art of Sand Beach Lounge on Ngapali Beach, Myanmar
As beautiful and elegant as the designs on the beach itself, this bar was a sophisticated place to relax on comfy lounges and watch the sun set, all while nibbling on a few snacks and sipping another little beach luxury: champagne!
In fact, it turned out to be the perfect place to spoil ourselves with a bubbly sundowner and take in the unspoiled beauty of a Ngapali beach sunset.
From sand-bubbler crabs to drinking bubbly on the beach, Ngapali beach delivered on everything Google promised – and more. If you ever decide to visit Myanmar, I’d highly recommend including it in your itinerary – if only to see its unique and prolific ‘artists-in-residence’.
TIP: Whatever your last stop is in Myanmar, make sure you change any excess local currency (kyat) back into another more widely-accepted currency, especially if you are returning right away to Canada. No banks or foreign exchange offices here in Toronto would exchange Myanmar notes.
Jane Canapini is a member of the Travel Media Association of Canada and the North American Travel Journalists Association. She established GrownupTravels.com in 2014 to share information and tips based on personal experience so her readers could get the most out of their travels.
Hey Jane! Darn! ran out of time, and didn’t get to this place, now I wish I did! Sounds fab, sounds like you enjoyed Myanmar as much as we did. Pretty cool this sand art wow!
Lovely art and beach. This area of Myanmar was closed to tourists when I was there a few years ago. I guess this is a reason to go back!
This sand art on Ngapali beach in Myanmar is fascinating! Lovely photos. Thanks for sharing.
What interesting sand patterns the little crabs make! And Ngapali Beach looks gorgeous! Your photos are making us kick ourselves. We just returned a few weeks ago from a trip to Myanmar. We originally planned to include a stay at Ngapali Beach, but time and other commitments put a dent in those plans. Oh, well, maybe another time?
That’s too bad – I know it’s hard to fit everything you want in, but we felt like we wanted to just feel some sun on our bodies, coming out of another bad Canadian winter!
The sand crab art is amazing. What fun to watch and discover. Ngapali beach looks and sounds like a wonder, relaxing place to spend some time.
It was really a beautiful beach, mostly because it was so undeveloped. I hope it stays that way.
Those photos are amazing—and more so, when you said that the art was done by Mother Nature!
Thank you! It really took us by surprise, too, so we had to share it!
What a fun post and I learned something new too. Over the years we’ve noticed all sorts of sea creatures that make various designs along the beaches but, for sheer variety and artistry, the sand bubbler crabs top the list!
Yes, talk about a day job, though! These artists are committed to their craft, for sure.
You are so right. This is art. We live at the beach and marvel and things like this daily, but you have correctly captured it as art. Love it
Thank you! As landlubbers, it took us completely by surprise, so we had to share it with other landlocked folks.
That is just too cool!
We thought so, too!
That may be one of the most fascinating things I have read in along time. What I find amazing is that the balls aren’t just heaped together but truly looks to be works of art in the sand! Now that takes a talented crab! 🙂
Besides the beautiful sand art it looks like you found paradise.
Thank you! We hoped Ngapali would be as beautiful as described, and it definitely was, especially because it was so undeveloped. But the sand crab art? That was a huge bonus!