This popular tourist attraction is a natural phenomenon, whereby the sand is a variety of 7 colours; red, brown, green, purple, violet and yellow. One of the most fascinating things about the sand is that even if you mix them up, they will eventually settle in to their own layers. The ideal time to visit the Coloured Earth of Chamarel is at sunrise. The colours are said to have been formed due to the weathering of the basalt – which forms as the foundation of the area along with the formation of secondary iron oxides and hydroxides. The effects of deforestation and sheet erosion also play a vital part in how these sands get their unique colours.