Where is warm in January? 10 winter sun escapes

Why we're still chasing the sun

Searches for cooler-climate holidays are up 74% year on year, according to Trip.com. Virtuoso named Iceland, Antarctica and Norway as its top three rising destinations, and "coolcation" made the Collins Dictionary Word of the Year shortlist. We get the appeal, and in August we might even sign up. But if you're asking where is warm in January, a fjord is not the answer you're after, and we're not going to pretend otherwise.

These are the ten places we'd send you instead, where January afternoons run from 18°C to 32°C. Each one comes with an honest flight time from the UK and the one caveat worth knowing before you book. We start with the short hops and work out to the trips that swallow a full day of travel.

1. Morocco (Marrakech, Agadir)

If you'd rather spend as little of your holiday on a plane as possible, start here. Morocco is the shortest flight on this list at around three hours 45 minutes direct from the UK, and its two best-known winter names split neatly by what you're after.

Agadir is on the Atlantic coast and reaches about 20°C in January. It's the sunnier, beach-focused option.

Marrakech sits inland at around 18°C and cools off more at night.

Morocco is a well-established, heavily touristed destination. Our honest take is that Marrakech on its own in January feels more like a pleasant city break than winter sun, so pack something warm for the evenings.

Go or don't go? Go. Pick Agadir if beach weather is the whole point, and treat Marrakech as the add-on.

2. Canary Islands, Spain

A direct flight to the Canaries takes four to four and a half hours from the UK, and there's no visa or entry admin waiting at the other end. January highs depend on which island you land on. Tenerife sits at 18-21°C, while Gran Canaria and Lanzarote both reach 20-21°C. Expect six to seven hours of sunshine a day.

This is winter sun by committee, and we mean that kindly. It's reliably mild to warm, and it's the easiest trip on this list to organise. The trade-off is that plenty of other people have had the same idea, and the resort strips on southern Tenerife and Gran Canaria are busy and built-up.

Go or don't go? Go. It's the lowest-hassle winter sun we can point you to, provided a busy resort strip doesn't put you off.

3. Cape Verde

What does an extra 90 minutes to two hours in the air buy you? In Cape Verde's case, a January high of 24-25°C instead of the Canaries' 18-21°C. Direct flights from the UK take around six hours to this mid-Atlantic island group off West Africa, and it's less heavily touristed by UK visitors than either the Canaries or the Red Sea. We think it's the most underrated name on this list.

Go or don't go? Go. If the Canaries feel too cool for what you had in mind, this is the swap we'd make.

4. Egypt (Red Sea resorts)

For genuinely warm sea water without committing to long-haul, the Red Sea is the pick we'd make. Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh are the two resort areas to know.

Air temperatures reach 20-22°C in January, and the sea holds at 21-22°C.

Direct flights from the UK take five to five and a half hours.

Independent 2026 coverage treats the Red Sea resorts separately from Egypt's higher-risk zones in North Sinai and the western desert, and groups them with the country's main tourist corridor.

The resorts operate as a heavily policed bubble, with checkpoints on the approach roads. The risks you'll actually meet are ordinary ones, the kind every sunny destination carries, like misplaced belongings or a sunburn.

Go or don't go? Go. The sea is warmer than the Canaries for a similar flight, and the safety picture for the resort areas specifically is solid.

5. Dubai, UAE

Dubai is a seven-hour direct flight from the UK, with January highs of up to around 24°C. For anyone who wants warm weather wrapped around a city break rather than a sunbed, it's the one we'd choose.

Coverage of the UK Foreign Office's most recent UAE update, from August 2025, makes it sound more alarming than it probably is. It says terrorist attacks are "very likely" to be attempted somewhere in the UAE, and names hotels, beaches, restaurants, transport and places of worship as potential targets. That's the standard high-threat wording carried across the Gulf region, not a UAE-specific escalation, and worth checking directly on gov.uk if you want the current wording. Crime against tourists, meanwhile, is very low by reputation.

Go or don't go? Go. Bring the same normal vigilance you'd pack for anywhere else in the Gulf.

6. Zanzibar, Tanzania

Wade into the Indian Ocean off Zanzibar in January and the water is around 28°C, the warmest sea on this list. The air hits about 32°C.

The catch is getting there. There are no direct flights from the UK, so plan for one stopover at a Gulf or East African hub and the better part of a day travelling. You can also add a safari on mainland Tanzania to a beach stay. We'd say the water alone justifies the journey, but go in knowing it is a journey.

Go or don't go? Go, for the warmest sea here and the safari option, as long as a long travel day doesn't bother you.

7. Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town is the pick we'd most want to manage expectations for. The air is warm, around 25°C in January, and it's 11-12 hours direct from the UK. The sea is another matter. At around 19°C it's colder than the Red Sea and nine degrees below Zanzibar, so come for the sunshine and the scenery rather than the swimming.

In Cape Town, the neighbourhood matters.

The tourist-facing areas, including the V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain, Camps Bay and the City Bowl, are the most visited and comparatively secure parts of the city.

The Cape Flats townships, including Khayelitsha, have serious gang violence. Avoid them unless you're on a structured guided tour.

Smash-and-grab theft from cars at traffic lights is widespread across the city.

Walking alone after dark is discouraged, even in the safer areas.

At a national level, the US State Department rates South Africa "Exercise increased caution" (Level 2, updated May 2025).

Go or don't go? Go, as long as you stay in the well-known areas and leave the warm-water swimming to Zanzibar.

8. Thailand (Phuket, Krabi)

Is Thailand too far to go for winter sun? We don't think so, as long as you're staying long enough to make the flight count. Direct flights from the UK take about 11.5 hours, or roughly 14-16 hours with a stopover, and January highs in Phuket and Krabi run around 30-32°C.

If a headline about Thai travel advisories has given you pause, the map helps. The real risk areas are the Thai-Cambodia border and the southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and certain districts of Songkhla, which carry warnings because of unrest. Both sit hundreds of kilometres from Phuket and Krabi. The two islands themselves carry no specific regional warnings, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand lists both as open.

Go or don't go? Go, for Phuket and Krabi specifically.

9. Mexico (Cancún, Riviera Maya)

Cancún and the Riviera Maya reach about 28°C in January, and a direct flight from the UK takes around ten and a half hours. That makes it one of the shortest of the long-haul trips here.

Of all the long-haul picks, this is the one we'd book with the fewest second thoughts, and the safety data is why. The US rates Quintana Roo, the state that covers Cancún, the Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, at Level 2. That's the same as Mexico's national rating and lower than several other Mexican states, and one source describes it as "one of the safest and most consistently monitored tourist destinations in Mexico." The local risks that come up are petty theft, drink spiking and scams in crowded areas, rather than violent crime aimed at tourists. That advisory picture dates from April and May 2026, so give it a quick check closer to your trip.

Go or don't go? Go. No other long-haul pick here has evidence this specific that the resort zone itself is rated safe.

10. Colombia (Cartagena and the Caribbean coast)

Cartagena is the most rewarding effort on this list, and we want to be upfront that it is an effort. It's around 31°C in January and the most humid place on this list. January is also the coast's driest month and its least muggy, which is about as comfortable as Cartagena gets.

There are no direct flights from the UK. Every routing goes through at least one stop in Madrid, Bogotá or Panama City, so budget at least 13-16 hours including the connection.

Then there's the advisory, the one on this list that genuinely needs reading carefully. The US rates Colombia Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) nationally, and Level 4 (Do Not Travel) in Arauca, Cauca outside Popayán, Norte de Santander outside Cúcuta and the Colombia-Venezuela border region. The UK advises against all travel to Arauca, Cauca, Nariño outside Pasto and Ipiales, and anywhere within 5km of the Venezuelan border. None of those zones touch Cartagena or anywhere else on the Caribbean coast, Santa Marta included. That's a different part of the country entirely. The national advisory exists for real reasons. It just doesn't point at this coast.

Within Cartagena itself, the picture is neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

The Walled City (Centro Histórico) and Bocagrande are very safe day and night. Pickpocketing and scams are the main things to watch for.

Getsemaní is fine to walk around in the evening.

Take more care in Crespo after dark and in La Boquilla at night.

On Isla Barú, the remote stretches of Playa Blanca come with vendor pressure and theft on isolated sand.

Go or don't go? Go, for Cartagena and the coast specifically, and go knowing it's the longest and most complicated journey of the ten.

Planning your January winter sun trip

How do you pick from ten good options? Start with what matters most to you, then work backward.

Short on time? Morocco, the Canary Islands, Egypt and Cape Verde are all six hours or less direct from the UK.

Want to swim in properly warm water? Zanzibar's sea is around 28°C and the Red Sea's 21-22°C. Cape Town's 19°C is for the brave.

Want the most heat? Zanzibar and Thailand both reach around 32°C, with Cartagena just behind at about 31°C.

Hate connections? Mexico, Thailand and Cape Town all have direct flights, while Zanzibar and Cartagena both need at least one stop.

Once you've got it down to one or two, map out the flights and transfers in the Guided travel planning app so the logistics are sorted before the sun cream is. Then pack one warm layer wherever you're headed, because Marrakech still cools off at night and Cape Town's sea is still 19°C.

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