Where to go when guide
If you’re tied to school holidays, keen to miss the monsoon season or hoping to snag an off-season bargain, read our month-by-month guide on where to go on holiday when.
Best places to go on holiday in January 2023
The best places to go on holiday in January are big on adventure. Freezing dark days in Northern Europe are smothered with snow, so you’ll need to warm up with twilight snowshoe hikes and husky mushing under a curtain of the Northern Lights. At the other end of the earth, relatively warm just-above-zero temperatures bring Antarctic cruises out of the woodwork.
January is a month of two extremes, depending on which end of the earth you go to. Deep freeze on a Northern Lights safari in Finland or soak up the sunshine in Costa Rica and Cuba. ![]()
If you’d rather shake the frost from your bones, you should head to the Southern Hemisphere. Regions as varied as Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Antarctica and Australasia pick up pace around now, thanks to decent weather and emerging wildlife. Plus, New Year and leftover Christmas festivals light up many countries, from Ethiopia’s Timkat festival to New Year’s fireworks.
Read our guide to find out more about the best places to go on holiday in January.
Read our guide to find out more about the best places to go on holiday in January.
Our Best places to go in January Holidays
Finland Northern Lights holiday, Wilderness Auroras
Winter activities & Aurora hunting in Finland
From
£1785 to £2345
5 days
inc UK flights
Galapagos cruises
Cruise the Galapagos Islands on sailing boats and yachts
From
£2538
8 days
ex flights
Costa Rica highlights holiday & beach
Short highlight itinerary covering city, forests and beach.
From
£1455
13 days
ex flights
Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica cruise
The Ultimate Antarctica Experience!
From
€11150
21 days
ex flights
Costa Rica wildlife holiday
An amazing variety of Costa Rican wildlife
From
£3599 to £4349
16 days
inc UK flights
Kerala tailor made holiday, 11 days
Revitalize in Kerala - A most wonderful and balanced trip
From
£1349 to £1779
11 days
ex flights
January holiday activities
Northern Lights
Northern Europe is sitting under some of its longest, darkest days. In fact, in the high Arctic the sun barely grazes the horizon during the day. All those hours of dark sky is a great pollution-free canvas for Northern Lights hunting – although it does mean that other activities like husky sledding and cross country skiing will be done in twilight and by torchlight. Exciting.
Wildlife watching
In India, tigers are on the go for longer in January – you’ve just got to wrap up for some very chilly mornings and shorter days, and pack sunglasses for some gorgeous winter sunshine. It’s festival season, too, so you might be treated to anything from camel to kite festivals. Just watch out for Republic Day (January 26), when national parks are packed with visitors. Over in the Caribbean, Dominica hasn’t picked up the ‘Nature island of the Caribbean’ moniker for nothing – you can watch out for pelicans, parrots, whales and spinner dolphins in January. It’s also a great time to scout out rainforest critters in Costa Rica, or elephants in Sri Lanka.Expedition cruises
January is the most popular month for Antarctic cruises, thanks to longer, warmer days and a surfeit of penguin chicks and seal pups on the ice. Book early, as these spots fill up fast. It’s also a good time for a voyage to the subantarctic islands, when temperatures and seas settle down.Our top Best places to go in January Holiday
Finland Northern Lights holiday, Wilderness Auroras
Winter activities & Aurora hunting in Finland
From
£1785 to £2345
5 days
inc UK flights
Small group travel:
2022: 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 12 Dec, 19 Dec, 26 Dec
2023: 2 Jan, 9 Jan, 15 Jan, 23 Jan, 30 Jan, 6 Feb, 13 Feb, 20 Feb, 27 Feb, 6 Mar, 13 Mar, 20 Mar
2022: 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 12 Dec, 19 Dec, 26 Dec
2023: 2 Jan, 9 Jan, 15 Jan, 23 Jan, 30 Jan, 6 Feb, 13 Feb, 20 Feb, 27 Feb, 6 Mar, 13 Mar, 20 Mar
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Wellness retreats
Many yoga retreats close in January, but we work with holiday companies who keep the season going right through. You probably won’t be doing your downward dog al fresco, but you could stay in a place surrounded by snow-dipped mountains in regions like Valencia – a picturesque backdrop for walks in your free time.
Festivals
Timkat Festival is one of the most spectacular Christian festivals in the world, when Ethiopians celebrate the baptism of Jesus with processions and dances abounds. Watch out for the jewel-bright umbrellas used to protect robed priests from the sunshine. Alternatively, ring in the New Year in any number of cities, before recovering in the countryside. Sri Lanka and India ring in a host of harvest festivals, too.More about Best places to go in January
Where should you travel to in January? The answer is right here in our map and highlights.
Take a look at our top 10 January holidays – we’ve picked them out because they’re some of the most popular places with our travellers.
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