Month Guide
Where to Travel in January
Tanzania, Czech Republic and New Zealand among 106 destinations in their best season this January.
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January
Begin the year somewhere that earns it.
January rewards the decisive. While everyone else eases back into routine, the southern hemisphere is at its most generous and the far north at its most theatrical. It is a month for going properly far — and for starting the year with something you will still be describing in June.
The Idea
106 published destinations name January in their own best-time guidance. Each card links to that destination's page, where the season is described in full.
Best Destinations
Where to go in January
In their own words, from each destination's best-time guidance.
Asia
Asia in January
The widest range of journeys on the map, and the most seasons to plan around. 36 destinations name January in their own best-time guidance.
BruneiThe most reliable window. Rain still falls — this is equatorial Borneo — but the drier stretch makes the river trip to Temburong and the canopy walkway far more pleasant, and the light on Kampong Ayer is better.Explore Brunei →
CambodiaThe most comfortable months — warm days, low humidity and little rain. Ideal for long temple days at Angkor. It is also the busiest and most expensive period, and sunrise at Angkor Wat is crowded.Explore Cambodia →
LaosThe best window — warm days, cool evenings and clear skies. Ideal for Luang Prabang, the falls and river travel. Book ahead around New Year.Explore Laos →Journeys
Journeys to inspire you
Published journeys in the destinations whose own best-time guidance names January.
9 NightsKenya and Tanzania Overland: Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, 9 NightsPlan this journey →
8 NightsPrague, Vienna & Budapest — 8 NightsPlan this journey →
5 NightsAuckland and Rotorua — Five Nights with the Glow Worm CavesPlan this journey →
5 NightsManila & Cebu, 5 NightsPlan this journey →
5 NightsPhnom Penh & Siem Reap, 5 NightsPlan this journey →
8 NightsCambodia & Laos: Angkor to Luang Prabang, 8 NightsPlan this journey →Travel style
What are you in the mood for?
A month tells you when. This tells you what kind of journey it should be.
Romantic escapesTwo people, one horizon.→AdventureGo where the map gets interesting.→Family journeysTrips that work for everyone travelling.→CulturePlaces that reward paying attention.→Food & flavourTravel that begins at the table.→LuxuryThe journey, considered in full.→Slow travelFewer places, longer stays.→WellnessCome home better than you left.→
North America
North America in January
Big country, and the road trips that make sense of it. 20 destinations name January in their own best-time guidance.
BahamasThe best window and the reason the islands are busiest now: low humidity, the most reliable sunshine, calm seas and the clearest water for diving. Nights can be genuinely cool in January, which surprises people. Junkanoo falls at the very start of it, on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.Explore Bahamas →
BarbadosThe best and busiest window: low humidity, steady trade winds, minimal rain and calm water on the west coast. Prices peak sharply from mid-December to early January and stay high through the winter. Book well ahead if your dates are fixed.Explore Barbados →
BelizeThe reliable window and the reason it is the busiest: the clearest water and best visibility on the reef and at the atolls, drier trails to the Maya sites, and passable dirt roads into the Cayo district. Prices are highest around the turn of the year, and popular dive days book out.Explore Belize →Africa
Africa in January
Where the landscape is the itinerary. 19 destinations name January in their own best-time guidance.
Cabo VerdeWarm days, cooler evenings and the most consistent Atlantic wind, which is exactly what Sal and Boa Vista are for if you kitesurf or windsurf. It is also when Harmattan dust can drift out from the African mainland and haze the light for days at a time. Excellent walking weather on Santo Antão.Explore Cabo Verde →
Côte d'IvoireThe clear window. Least rain, roads at their most reliable, and forest and park access at its easiest. In the north the harmattan blows dust down from the Sahara through this period, which cools the nights and hazes the light.Explore Côte d'Ivoire →
GhanaThe best months to travel, and the ones to aim for. Rain largely stops, roads firm up and the north becomes comfortable. From around December the Harmattan blows dust south off the Sahara: mornings turn hazy, the light goes flat and white, and long views soften. It also drops the night temperature in the north noticeably. Photographers should know the haze is real; everyone else will simply find it dry.Explore Ghana →Europe
Europe in January
Cities, coastlines and countryside within easy reach of one another. 19 destinations name January in their own best-time guidance.
AndorraSki season, and the reason a large share of Andorra’s visitors come at all. The capital is busy, the passes are cleared but can close in weather, and you should check road conditions before driving in rather than after setting off.Explore Andorra →
AustriaAustria at its most characteristic: ski resorts running, cleared winter walking paths, thermal spas and snow on the valleys. Higher resorts hold their season longest; the Christmas and New Year weeks are the busiest and priciest of the year.Explore Austria →
NorwayLong, dark nights make the aurora visible in the Arctic north, with Tromsø the usual base. Also the season for dog-sledding, whale watching off the north coast and snow-covered fjords — though many mountain roads and high trails are closed and daylight is very short at midwinter.Explore Norway →South America
South America in January
Altitude, coastline and cities worth the long flight. 7 destinations name January in their own best-time guidance.
ArgentinaThe only dependable window for El Calafate, El Chaltén and Ushuaia. Long daylight, open trails and running services. Outside it, weather and closures make the far south difficult.Explore Argentina →
ChileThe dependable window for Torres del Paine — long daylight, open trails and running services. Outside it, weather and closures make the far south difficult.Explore Chile →
ColombiaCartagena, Santa Marta and Tayrona are hot and humid year-round; this is the stretch with the most reliable sunshine and the calmest sea. It is also the busiest, and Christmas and Easter are busier still.Explore Colombia →Oceania
Oceania in January
The far side of the world, keeping its own calendar. 5 destinations name January in their own best-time guidance.
AustraliaThe southern cities at their best: Sydney's beaches, New Year's Eve fireworks over the harbour, the Australian Open in Melbourne in January, and Tasmania at its warmest. The tropical north, around Cairns and Darwin, is in its wet season: hot and humid, with storms and stingers in the sea, though it rarely rains all day and the Reef is often calm — swim inside stinger nets and wear a stinger suit on the Reef. Uluru is very hot.Explore Australia →
FijiThe Australian and New Zealand school holidays fill the family resorts on the Coral Coast and Denarau. The islands are less affected. If you are travelling then, book the resort before the flight.Explore Fiji →
Cook IslandsHotter, far more humid and much wetter, and this is the South Pacific cyclone season. Trips still run and prices soften, but weather disruption is a real planning risk and lagoon days are less dependable.Explore Cook Islands →
Make it yours
Plan your journey
Our travel designers turn knowledge and inspiration into a journey crafted entirely around you.
Plan My Journey →Photo credits · 13 photographs — show each creator, source and licence
- Medardojr · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence, source)
- Rahmatdenas via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 (licence, source)
- David Sim · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 (licence, source)
- Basile Morin · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence, source)
- giggel via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 (licence, source)
- P. Hughes via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 (licence, source)
- David Broad via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 (licence, source)
- Denis Barthel via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence, source)
- Los viajeros 77 via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence, source)
- RyansWorld via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence, source)
- Esthee2010 via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence, source)
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- Christopher Johnson via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence, source)