To really welcome the New Year, there’s nothing better than a big, bold January trip. The year is young, the crowds are smaller and adventure is everywhere. For decades, we here at Backroads have been roaming the world in search of the best active travel experiences.
Top Places to Go in January
January travel welcomes the new year with fresh perspectives and plenty of active adventure. Here are some of our January favorites.
Belize & Guatemala
January is pure magic in Belize and Guatemala. It’s safely beyond the reaches of both the rainy months and the summer-and-fall hurricane season. Temps hover in the traveler-Goldilocks zone of the high 70s and low 80s. In short, it’s an ideal month to mix active pursuits like biking among the Maya pyramids of Tikal National Park, snorkeling Belize’s barrier reef (the world’s second largest coral reef system) and paddling mangrove lagoons.
Check out our Backroads’ Belize and Guatemala Adventures
Finland & Sweden (Northern Lights)
There’s no better time than now to see the Northern Lights in the aurora-rich countries of Finland and Sweden. In these years of solar maximum, the displays are epic, especially when you get to watch them from the comfort of your own glass cabin at a northern luxury retreat. Spend days snowshoeing and hiking through boreal forests, learning about the Sámi culture, warming up fireside in traditional warming huts and of course relaxing in saunas—this is Scandinavia, after all.
Get inspired by Backroads’ Finland & Sweden Northern Lights Multi-Adventure Trip
New Zealand
January in New Zealand is peak summer, a time of sunny skies over the active-travel wonderland of the country’s South Island. With so many epic experiences—kayaking alongside little blue penguins on the crystal-clear Tasman Sea, whale watching on the Kaikoura Coast and staying in wilderness lodges accessible only by foot or water, to name a few—your bucket list is going to need a new page. Between adventures, revive with farm-to-table Kiwi cuisine and Marlborough’s world-renowned wines.
Learn more about Backroads’ New Zealand trips
Hawaii
Hawaii in January offers a sweet spot between the crowds of the December holiday season and the flurries of tourists that come with Presidents Day and spring break vacations. What’s more, it’s prime time for the active and majestic North Pacific humpback whales—up to 12,000—that migrate from Alaska during the winter months. Temperatures in the 70s and low 80s are perfect for hiking volcanoes, biking trails through lava fields, snorkeling and surfing, and, of course, fueling up along the way with seasonal local fruits like Maui Gold pineapples, papayas and lychees.
Browse Backroads’ Hawaii trips
Argentina
The best way to fight the mid-winter blues is with a trip to summer—exactly what you’ll be doing with a January trip to Argentina. At the southern tip of the country, hike glaciers, cruise iceberg-studded channels and ride horses across the pampas. In the Patagonian Lake District on the country’s western border, bike through a landscape of emerald lakes and snow-covered peaks. Along the way, sip and savor local specialties like yerba maté, Malbec and empanadas.
Check out Backroads' Argentina & Patagonia trips
