UPDATED: This article was initially printed in January 2018
You’ve determined you wish to journey extra this yr (good on you), however you’re struggling to decide on your subsequent vacation spot. Surely there’s a better means than trawling by limitless journey mags and guidebooks for the solutions, proper? That’s the place our final month-by-month journey information is available in: your simply digestible listing of locations to go to, issues to expertise, and superb climate to chase around the globe.
Shining a light-weight on March this time! European frosts are starting to thaw, South America is beginning to scorching up and year-round locations like Hong Kong and Dubai, make for straightforward journey wins. Whether you’re after rum tasting in Cuba, gondola using alongside Venice’s many canals, vibrant chaos in India, or orangutan recognizing in Borneo. Here’s your information for the place to journey in March.
1. Chile
Photo captured by Paul Cashman
Impossibly lengthy and skinny, this slither of South America gives a breath-takingly various vary of pure surroundings. From the pink Mars-like plains of the Atacama Desert, to the icy blue glaciers of Torres del Paine National Park. It’s additionally dwelling to cosmopolitan hubs like Santiago, with its rising meals scene, and Valparaiso with its ties to Nobel prize-winning poet, Pablo Neruda, and vivid road artwork shows.
READ MORE: 4 AMAZING DESTINATIONS IN CHILE (THAT AREN’T PATAGONIA)
March marks the beginning of Chile’s first shoulder season (March to May and September to November). The Patagonia crowds have subsided, the Lake District is able to wow, and in winery nation it’s time for the grape harvests, bringing with them conventional Vendimias, or wine harvest festivals. Don’t overlook to take a journey on Chile’s funiculars too, they’re low cost, enjoyable and may give lovely panorama views.
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2. Cuba
Photo captured by Cliff Bielawski
More than cigars and classic vehicles, this Caribbean big is a vibrant combination of historical past, tradition and delicacies. Learn all concerning the pivotal position Che Guevara performed within the revolution, salsa dance the night time away at Trinidad’s well-known Casa de la Musica, bask within the quiet great thing about Soroa, and luxuriate in strolling by the pastel-hued streets of Havana. Remember to pattern a couple of of Cuba’s different specialities, together with rum (after all), espresso, and honey too.
READ MORE: 6 DREAMY BEACHES TO VISIT IN CUBA
Longer, sunnier days, extra manageable temperatures and slimmer possibilities of rain, all play their half in attracting travellers to Cuba’s Caribbean shores this time of yr. During the dry season it’s particularly necessary to attempt to ebook prematurely to keep away from disappointment (if in any respect doable).
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GET TO GRIPS WITH HAVANA ON AN URBAN ADVENTURE DAY TOUR
3. Dubai
Palm Islands in Dubai
A good few of us would admit to pondering of Dubai as a mere layover, a spot to take a breather en path to your closing cease. But, at Intrepid we’re agency believers within the philosophy that: it’s the journey, not simply the vacation spot. So, if Dubai does make up a part of your journey, embrace it! March is a superb time to go too, as temperatures haven’t reached their peak but and rain showers are few and much between.
Want to know what to anticipate from this shocking and opulent metropolis? Take journeys to man-made islands carved like tropical palm bushes, take in awe-inspiring vistas from the good heights of the Burj Khalifa, and lose your self in one of many world’s most monumental procuring malls. You may also make a journey again in time to the historic space of Bastakiya, exploring its spice and gold souqs.
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Feeling impressed?
4. Egypt
Photo captured by Sian Parker
Step out of the on a regular basis and into the charming Land of the Pharaohs this March. Egyptian springtime is getting underway, and dry days and each day temperatures of round 25°C will be anticipated. What higher local weather to set out and discover this nation’s marvellous monuments, or set sail down the Nile in?
READ MORE: WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE CRUISING THE NILE ON AN INTREPID TOUR
Get to grips with the mythology and thriller that Ancient Egypt is shrouded in, as you go to the Pyramids and Great Sphinx of Giza, and the tombs of iconic rulers within the Valley of the Kings. Make your means by the maze-like market of Cairo’s Khan al-Khalili Bazaar; purchasing for glass lanterns, jewelry and different conventional trinkets. You’ll love the sensation of being dwarfed by the 2 monumental rock temples of Abu Simbel too!
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5. Borneo
Baby orangutan in Borneo
Are you completely orangutan obsessed? Then Borneo, and significantly Sabah, ought to be the following vacation spot you tick off your bucket listing. March kickstarts Sabah’s dry season, which means fewer guests, decrease ranges of rainfall and elevated possibilities of discovering these mild giants of their pure habitat. It’s a perfect time of yr for sunning your self on the seashores of Gaya Island, Kota Kinabalu and Sipadan too.
ANOTHER REASON TO VISIT BORNEO: MALAYSIA’S RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
If you’d describe your self as a little bit of a water child, you’ll love the truth that March additionally brings whale season with it. Offering eager snorkelers, the prospect to go swimming in quest of the world’s largest fish, the whale shark. Lankayan Island is a hotspot for monitoring down these sleek beasts, and is superb for diving amongst its rainbow-coloured reefs and sunken shipwrecks from instances passed by.
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6. Hong Kong
Photo by Florian Wehde by way of Unsplash
Hong Kong is yet one more a type of locations, thought-about a stopover and never a vacation spot in its personal proper. But, this bustling metropolis provides you an interesting window into what the way forward for trendy China will appear like. With its spectacular skyline, its different foodie choices, its many museums and live performance halls – you’ll be wishing you had been staying longer than a couple of days, very quickly!
READ MORE: HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, EAT AND DRINK IN HONG KONG
This vibrant city centre is break up right into a mass of various neighbourhoods, every with its personal speciality and persona. Shop till you drop in Causeway Bay, dig into subtle dishes in SoHo, embrace your inside hipster in Sheung Wan, pattern a craft beer or two in Kennedy Town and a lot extra. Aside from all this pleasure, Hong Kong additionally has over 260 outlying islands – boasting deserted villages, difficult mountain climbing alternatives, and other-worldly surroundings.
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7. India
Photo captured by Deba Prasad Roy
Alright, you caught us. We’ve already really useful India as a unbelievable nation to journey in November and December, however we’d be lacking a trick if we didn’t point out it right here too. Why you ask? Two phrases – Holi Festival. Officially ushering within the spring, Holi is well known because the Festival of Love everywhere in the sub-continent, and is likely one of the most vibrant instances in your complete Indian calendar.
READ MORE: 5 GREAT DESTINATIONS FOR SOLO TRAVEL IN INDIA
Join locals within the streets as they bathe one another with vibrantly colored powders and water. Watch the Holika Dahan (wooden and dung bonfires) burn pretty much as good triumphs over evil. Plus, strive conventional competition treats like puran poli (a candy buttery flatbread) and dahi vada (vegetable fritters soaked in thick Indian yoghurt). It’s a cultural expertise to not be missed!
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8. Jamaica
Photo Spirit/Shutterstock
Home to legendary reggae celebrity, Bob Marley, this Caribbean island is an intriguing concoction of unspoiled shoreline, deliciously spiced jerk delicacies, a laid-back life-style, and engaging Rastafarian faith. Hurricane season is over by the point the tip of March comes round, temperatures are idyllic and breezy. Plus, you’ll have efficiently missed the droves of partying spring breakers.
READ MORE: 10 OF THE COOLEST THINGS TO DO IN JAMAICA
Enjoy stress-free within the refreshing turquoise swimming pools that encompass Mayfield Falls, uncovering the parable of the White Witch of Rose Hall, and watching courageous divers plummet from the cliffs at Negril. Try your hand on the Jamaicans’ native tongue (Patois), uncover the key recipe to native dishes that’ll wow your pals at dwelling, and sip a rum cocktail or two at sundown in one of many many beachside bars.
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Not trying to journey in March? No worries, right here’s the remainder of the yr
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
or try our full listing of month-to-month vacation spot guides.
Feature picture C/O Cliff Bielawski.