Where to go in Spring

From wildlife-rich safaris and desert adventures, to Japan's cherry blossom season, rainforest colour and long, sunny road trips, spring is a really special time to travel to so many of our destinations.Below are a handful of our favourites that we genuinely love visiting between March and May, and why! Straight from our experts, with plenty of practical insight to help you decide if spring could be your moment to go. We always find the best way to get to the bottom of where might be right for you is a conversation, so do get in touch if you want to chat more. We'd love to help.

1 - South Africa
2 - Morocco
3 - Egypt
4 - Japan
5 - Jordan

6 - Vietnam
7 - Malaysia & Borneo
8 - Costa Rica
9 - Cambodia

March to May is a really clever window for a South Africa holiday. The heat of summer has eased off, the landscapes are still green, and by May the bush in Kruger National Park and the private reserves around the park starts to thin out a little. With much less greenery to hide behind, wildlife becomes much easier to spot around rivers and waterholes.Down in the Cape Winelands and along the Garden Route, it’s warm without being uncomfortably hot. You’ll likely be treated to long days with lovely, clear skies. These are great months for sunny, coastal road trips and long, laid-back vineyard lunches, with a glass or two of something delicious.We often nudge our clients towards April and May because, as our expert, Lisa, puts it, “you still get the colour in the landscapes, but the animals are out and active again. It’s a great balance.”

The Spring months are when Morocco is at its most comfortable to explore. From March through to early May, the cities of Marrakech and Fes are warm enough for those photo-worthy rooftop dinners and walking tours, but not so hot that you’re constantly having to duck into shade. It can be a little chilly once the sun goes down, so layers will be your friend here!Spring in Morocco is a brilliant time to combine the cities with time up in the Atlas Mountains and on the coast. High Atlas villages are cool and clear, and the landscapes are beautifully lush and covered in wildflowers after the winter rains. Over on the coast, it’s a lovely temperature without being too cold. In the Sahara, you’ll be treated to warm days and crisp nights. It’s the perfect time of year for 4x4 drives, camel rides and sleeping out under the stars before another day of adventuring.Our Destination Manager, Rebecca, loves spring in Morocco. “In spring, you don’t feel like you’re rushing between air-conditioned spaces. It’s perfect wandering weather, and there’s nothing quite like grabbing a fresh mint tea on a rooftop in between all the exploring!”.

March and April are two great months for an Egypt holiday. By May, the heat really starts to build, especially in Upper Egypt around Luxor and Aswan, so that’s worth keeping in mind if you’re not one for the heat!Early spring is a beautiful time of year to explore the big highlights (The Pyramids of Giza, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and the new Grand Egyptian Museum). You can spend time with your local guide - picking their brain as much as you please, explore the sites properly, soak up all the history and take it all in without feeling exhausted by the sun.Our Egypt holiday expert, Cat, is just back from the country and she’s excited to build spring trips around whatever is most important to you. You might want to take the chance to slow things down on the Nile, mixing temple visits with time on the river? And perhaps the idea of finishing up with a bit of R&R on the shores of the Red Sea appeals? The water will be delightfully warm over the spring months, and the snorkelling conditions are excellent at this time of year.

Spring in Japan is the country's most talked-about season for a reason. It’s undeniably such a beautiful time of year to visit. However, the popularity of the cherry-blossom season brings with it a huge number of tourists, so you need to be quite clever if you want to manage to dodge the crowds (that’s where we come in!)Late March into April brings Sakura blossom across much of Honshu, moving like a wave from Tokyo and Kyoto to Kanazawa and all the way up in the mountain towns. By May, the blossom is replaced by fresh green countryside, and the weather is ideal for walking, cycling and getting into more rural areas like the Japanese Alps and the small post towns in the Kiso Valley. But a Japan holiday should never be just about the cherry blossom. With its temples, its ancient traditions, its towns that have retained all of their old-world charm and its cities that glow under the light of a thousand neons, there’s so much to explore. And it’s magic throughout so much of the year.If spring in Japan is on your wishlist though, be sure to chat to us early so our experts have as much time as possible to work their magic and piece together the perfect holiday for you. Our expert Emma says, “we recommend getting in touch at least eight months before you hope to travel (ideally more if cherry blossom is the goal!) so we can design a holiday that’s as perfect for you as can be.” So, if spending next spring in Japan sounds appealing, get in touch with our Emma today.

If we had to pick one season for a Jordan holiday, spring might just have to be our favourite.From March through to May, the whole country is geared up for outdoor adventures. The weather is a lovely temperature for exploring Petra and all its secret spots and history, the trails in the Dana Biosphere Reserve are bursting with wildflowers, and the Wadi Rum desert has clear skies without the fierce summer heat. So, you can take in all of that incredible Jordan history, as well as having a great chance of spending a night under those iconic Wadi Rum skies.

Early spring is one of our favourite times to travel through Vietnam from north to south.We love designing holidays that really get you under the skin of a country, taking in as much of it as possible. If you visit Vietnam in March and April, you have this brilliant window of opportunity for great weather throughout the whole of the country. So, you can do a whole north-to-south Vietnam holiday and theoretically, nowhere should be cold or overly rainy.In the north, Hanoi and Ha Long Bay are warm and clear before the summer humidity starts to build. Central Vietnam (around Hue and Hoi An) is wonderfully dry and sunny. And in the south, from Ho Chi Minh City across to the Mekong Delta, it can get quite hot, but you’ll be visiting before the heavy rains arrive.By May, things start to turn a little more humid and showery in some parts of the country, which is why our Erin is a fan of early spring for multi-centre trips designed to take in as much of the country as possible. “It’s the point in the year when all the regions line up nicely. You’re not battling monsoons or extreme heat anywhere. It’s Vietnam at its best. Plus, visiting in spring means you’ll miss the influx of travellers who visit around Tet in February.”

Spring works brilliantly for exploring Borneo and the east coast of Malaysia.From March onwards, Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo move into a drier, clearer spell, which is perfect for wildlife spotting along the Kinabatangan River and deep in the Danum Valley. Orangutans, proboscis monkeys and birdlife are all more active before the heavier rains due later in the year, and snorkelling conditions are perfect. Plus, by avoiding summer, you’ll be treated to all those wonderful wildlife sightings in the sunshine, with fewer people to share them with.Malaysia is a great holiday destination all year round, but if beaches are what you’re after, we need to be a little selective. On the Malaysian peninsula, April to September is the better window for sunning yourself on the east coast islands, while the west coast (around Penang and Langkawi) starts to get a little wetter from April onwards.

May is the start of Costa Rica’s green season, and it’s one of our favourite months to be there, soaking up all of the Pura Vida magic.You’ll likely wake up to gloriously bright mornings, followed by short, heavy showers later in the day, which keep everything lush and alive. In regions such as Arenal, Monteverde and the Osa Peninsula, the rainforests are at their most vibrant and, as always, they’re full to bursting point with all that incredible wildlife. The animals are particularly active during spring in Costa Rica, so you’re in with a brilliant chance of some unforgettable sightings.Dawn loves Costa Rica in spring because it feels so relaxed. “The forests are greener, the animals are everywhere, and there are fewer people around to share the moments with. If you’re coming for nature, it’s a really lovely time to travel. What’s more, it’s so lovely and calm after the chaos of the high season. I got some of my favourite Costa Rica photos when I visited in May!”

Our favourite time for a Cambodia holiday is between October and April. The earlier months still bring a little rain, while the tail end of the season starts to get hot hot hot. A spring holiday in Cambodia is very much about getting the timing right.March is the sweet spot. It’s warm and dry and not too hot, with clear skies that are perfect for sunrise visits at Angkor and for getting out on two wheels to explore the temples and surrounding countryside.By late April, temperatures climb quickly in Cambodia. If you’re travelling then, we’d simply slow the pace, planning in earlier starts, plenty of shady downtime, and often a lovely mix of temples with island beach time or countryside and riverside stays around Battambang or Kampot.It’s also worth noting that Khmer New Year falls in mid-April. It’s a lively, water-splashing celebration, but we usually recommend travelling before then if you’re keen to avoid crowds, rising temperatures and a fairly closed-for-business capital. As Fenton puts it, “March is the easy win, but even later in spring, Cambodia can still work beautifully if you plan around the heat and the festivities. Angkor without the crowds is always worth it.”