Planning the perfect winter break? Look no further. We've picked four destinations from our brand new book Where to Go When: the Americas, that are ideal for January.
To get inspiration for unforgettable trips for every month of the year, check out Where to Go When: the Americas.
To get inspiration for unforgettable trips for every month of the year, check out Where to Go When: the Americas.
Where to Go When The Americas
View BookCartagena, Columbia
In January, book-lovers from far and wide are lured to the UNESCO World Heritage Colombian city of Cartagena for the Hay Festival. It’s hugely popular, with hundreds of authors, philosophers, journalists and more arriving from all over Latin America and beyond to join the conversation. Booking events (and accommodation) in advance is essential, though even if you miss out on tickets you’ll encounter plenty of spirited and thought-provoking conversations with locals and visitors outside the venues.
Cartagena itself is a treat. Facing the Caribbean Sea to the northwest, and with a sweeping bay to the south, the pretty seaport is a jewel-box of Spanish colonial ostentation. The streetscape is a labyrinth of balconied buildings in a dazzling array of bubble-gum hues. Many are daubed with punchy, folklore-inspired street air, others have simple blossom-clad shutters, which open out onto neat plazas hemmed by a maze of cobblestone streets.
It’s a place to simply stroll around, stopping to sample treats from sizzling curbside food stalls, admire traditional crafts sold by local makers, and sip a coffee from a nearby vendor, perhaps while reading another chapter of your holiday book (a tome by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is recommended; Columbia’s most famous author went to university here).
Cartagena itself is a treat. Facing the Caribbean Sea to the northwest, and with a sweeping bay to the south, the pretty seaport is a jewel-box of Spanish colonial ostentation. The streetscape is a labyrinth of balconied buildings in a dazzling array of bubble-gum hues. Many are daubed with punchy, folklore-inspired street air, others have simple blossom-clad shutters, which open out onto neat plazas hemmed by a maze of cobblestone streets.
It’s a place to simply stroll around, stopping to sample treats from sizzling curbside food stalls, admire traditional crafts sold by local makers, and sip a coffee from a nearby vendor, perhaps while reading another chapter of your holiday book (a tome by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is recommended; Columbia’s most famous author went to university here).
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Rising out of the rocky Mojave Desert, Las Vegas is a neon-lit land of pure indulgence, drawing hedonists with its nonstop casinos and nightclubs. The pace here can sometimes feel relentless – luckily, there are pockets of calming nature to explore beyond the city limits.
Come in January, when the usual sweltering weather has given way to pleasantly cooler temperatures. Red Rock Canyon, a stone’s throw to the west of the city, is a hiker’s paradise: clamber around huge boulders, search for 1,000-year-old petroglyphs, and maybe see a bighorn sheep or two.
If you want to explore further, slide a kayak into the crystal clear Colorado River and paddle through the narrow gorges of Black Canyon, where you’ll find the mesmerising Emerald Cave, often bathed in a brilliantly green glow. It’s a spectacular sight – and something that gives Las Vegas’ dazzling glitz a run for its money.
Come in January, when the usual sweltering weather has given way to pleasantly cooler temperatures. Red Rock Canyon, a stone’s throw to the west of the city, is a hiker’s paradise: clamber around huge boulders, search for 1,000-year-old petroglyphs, and maybe see a bighorn sheep or two.
If you want to explore further, slide a kayak into the crystal clear Colorado River and paddle through the narrow gorges of Black Canyon, where you’ll find the mesmerising Emerald Cave, often bathed in a brilliantly green glow. It’s a spectacular sight – and something that gives Las Vegas’ dazzling glitz a run for its money.
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
As you hike up through the rocky, forested terrain of El Roasario, the trees by the trail begin to look rather unusual. At first glance, the pines, oaks and firs appear shrouded in dry leaves. But this remarkable sight is something more peculiar. Creating a dense, quivering cloak of black, orange and white, monarch butterflies cluster in such numbers that they carpet entire branches, tree trunks and the forest floor. The spectacle is like nothing else.
Each year, in staggering multitudes, these vivid butterflies arrive from Canada’s forests to overwinter in Mexico's mountains. Prompted by the cooling temperatures and the need for nectar-rich flowers, the tenacious pollinators use their large 4-in (10-cm) wingspan to cover up to 2,500 miles (4,023 km) on their annual mass migration. Arriving in early winter at places such as the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, they congregate in large colonies to conserve heat.
You can access several sectors of the reserve, but El Rosario is one of the largest and most beautiful. Visit in January to see the warmer new year air trigger a fluttering butterfly mating frenzy every afternoon – a melodic sound resembling that of soft rain. Come April, they’ll have taken to the skies once more for their long journey back north.
Each year, in staggering multitudes, these vivid butterflies arrive from Canada’s forests to overwinter in Mexico's mountains. Prompted by the cooling temperatures and the need for nectar-rich flowers, the tenacious pollinators use their large 4-in (10-cm) wingspan to cover up to 2,500 miles (4,023 km) on their annual mass migration. Arriving in early winter at places such as the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, they congregate in large colonies to conserve heat.
You can access several sectors of the reserve, but El Rosario is one of the largest and most beautiful. Visit in January to see the warmer new year air trigger a fluttering butterfly mating frenzy every afternoon – a melodic sound resembling that of soft rain. Come April, they’ll have taken to the skies once more for their long journey back north.
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Lush emerald jewels fringed by golden sands, Vieques and nearby Culebra sit in tropical waters of lapis lazuli blue. They are the largest isles in a mini-archipelago off Puerto Rico’s east coast known affectionately as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Known as a major ecotourism destination, here you'll find the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), one of the largest wildlife refuges in the Caribbean.
Inside the park, which covers more than half of the island, a number of hiking trails pass spectacular fauna: Puerto Rican flycatches flitting among the trees, leatherback turtles flopping ashore on the white-sand beaches, and manatees paddling in mangrove-fringed lagoons.
Wildlife flourishes beyond the park too, from wild horses roaming the island to the bioluminescent waters of Mosquito Bay. While this profusion of wildlife can be found year round, things ramp up a notch in January, when hundreds of migrating birds arrive on the island for the winter. Visitors include the rare greater flamingo and the once-endangered peregrine falcon.
Inside the park, which covers more than half of the island, a number of hiking trails pass spectacular fauna: Puerto Rican flycatches flitting among the trees, leatherback turtles flopping ashore on the white-sand beaches, and manatees paddling in mangrove-fringed lagoons.
Wildlife flourishes beyond the park too, from wild horses roaming the island to the bioluminescent waters of Mosquito Bay. While this profusion of wildlife can be found year round, things ramp up a notch in January, when hundreds of migrating birds arrive on the island for the winter. Visitors include the rare greater flamingo and the once-endangered peregrine falcon.
Read next
Why February is the best time to go to Havana
Havana is often seen as a trip back into a sun-drenched dream of the past, as colourful vintage cars and houses mix with a carefree 1950s rum-soaked atmosphere. But when’s the best time to go?
Why November is the best time to go to Seoul
With a population of over 25 million, Seoul is one of Asia’s most important cities, and home to one of the world’s largest metropolitan economies. However, there’s more to Seoul than meets the eye.