These Off-Beat Winter Sun Destinations Come With a Dose of Adventure

Let’s face it: winter is a tough season to love. It’s dark, it’s cold and the sky’s a gloomy, unflinching grey. We do our best to alleviate the period’s character flaws, seeking out cosy restaurants and hearth-warmed pubs to gather in with our nearest and dearest, but sometimes we just need to get away for a while. In this list, we’ve put together our pick of the best destinations to do just that, all of them offering a mix of adventure and lethargy-busting winter sun — from the jungle-wreathed hiking trails of Sri Lanka to the seafront markets and fishing villages of Zanzibar.

Mauritius

Best for: Beach Days
Average Winter Temperatures: 24C-30C

The first glimpses of Mauritius’s sweeping white-sand beaches and tree-covered volcanic hills come into view as the aeroplane dips beneath the clouds. Located 1,200 miles from South Africa, the island is a remote outlier in the Indian Ocean but served by direct flights from London. This makes its 50-plus beaches an easily accessible long-haul winter option.

In the north, buzzy Grande Baie’s pine-lined and immaculate coastline is a favourite with travellers, while sheltered Flic-en-Flac in the west only tends to fill up at sunset. The south is home to the protected Blue Bay, where the visibility for snorkelling is at its best in winter. Along the same coastline, you can pick up an e-bike from Bel Ombre and ride the smooth palm tree-lined road to Souillac. The route takes you past rural settlements, backing onto lush gardens.

Don’t miss the food in the lively island capital of Port Louis. Local dishes include freshly fried bajahs (pillowy chickpea fritters) and oozing dhal pouri (crispy flatbreads with curried pulses).

Zanzibar

Best for: Culture
Average Winter Temperatures: 24C-35C

Visitors to Zanzibar tend to split their time between the island’s powdery white-sand beaches and Zanzibar City, where Swahili, Persian, Arabic and Indian heritage come together. Though traditionally a Tanzania safari add-on, a raft of new direct flights from the UK will make it a destination in its own right in 2027.

In the capital’s Unesco-listed old quarter of Stone Town, take a walking tour to admire the merchant houses’ large wooden doors, carved with chains, flowers and ferns — a reminder of the wealth that developed here during the early 18th century, through trading spices and slaves. The town’s Old Fort was rebuilt by the Omanis on the site of an old Portuguese church. Nearby, the seafront Forodhani Gardens turns into a food market at sunset, with stalls serving biryanis and bowls of urojo (mango and tamarind soup).

On the coast, Jambiani is the ideal beach on which to settle with a book and watch fisherfolk bring in their catch on dugout canoes. Come afternoon, local women can be seen harvesting seaweed to make local skincare products.

(This Idyllic Tanzanian Island Is the Cradle Of African Swahili Culture—Here's Why.)

Costa Rica

Best for: Wildlife-Spotting
Average Winter Temperatures: 27C-32C

Home to around 5% of the world’s total biodiversity, this Central American nation is one of the world’s most enriching year-round nature destinations. From December to February, it’s high season: temperatures are at their most comfortable for horse-riding beneath volcanoes, wildlife-watching in the jungles or dipping a toe into the country’s Caribbean or Pacific waters.

The boardwalks of Manuel Antonio National Park — where two- and three-toed sloths can be spotted — and the hummingbird-filled Monteverde Cloud Forest are both highlights. Many travellers also take a slow river boat across to the laid-back east coast, where palm-fringed Playa Negra offers immersion in Costa Rica’s Afro-Caribbean way of life. On the Pacific Coast, it’s whale-watching season from January to March, when migrating humpbacks arrive.

Malta & Gozo

Best for: A Short-Haul Escape
Average Winter Temperatures: 13C-18C

Around a three-hour flight from the UK, Malta may not be scorching in the winter, but the island still gets an estimated six hours of Mediterranean sun a day — making it the perfect season for sightseeing or hiking.

Capital Valletta is the place to start. Here, 16th-century Mannerist and baroque architecture sit side by side and touring the opulent Grand Master’s Palace is a highlight. At the harbour, sunsets can be enjoyed with a platter of crispy fried squid, as silhouetted luzzu boats — identified by their brightly coloured stripes — fade into the horizon. Beyond the capital, the hilltop, inland city of Mdina is worth a visit. Its golden limestone walls create a tranquil maze for a stroll.

After touring Malta, take the 45-minute ferry to tiny Gozo. Come winter, the island is alive with wild fennel, thyme and clover. Nine plotted hiking trails snake across the island, taking you between the coast and inland hamlets. The two- to three-mile hikes from Nadur to Ramla Bay and Marsalforn to Wied il-Ghasri, provide a taste of Gozo’s gentle pace of life.

(A Guide To Valletta, the Maltese Capital With An Eye For Art And Entertainment.)

Cape Verde

Best for: Island-Hopping
Average Winter Temperatures: 22C-25C

Situated 370 miles off the Senegal coast, Cape Verde’s landscapes range from desert to volcanic peaks. This small West African archipelago nation also has some of the best beaches in the Atlantic. An increase in direct flights from Europe, coupled with surprising World Cup success, has resulted in a tourism boom, too.

Flights mostly land on Sal Island, where desert landscapes, white sands and salt flats await. With a bit of planning, it’s possible to island-hop. On Boa Vista, the Viana Desert is a base for stargazing and camping experiences, lit up by the Milky Way at night. The bars of cultural capital Mindelo on São Vicente, meanwhile, are the best place to catch the country’s Unesco-inscribed Morna music — the Cape Verdean form of blues, which developed in the 1700s.

(Off The Coast Of Africa, Cape Verde Is A Surprising Hiking Hot Spot.)

Oman

Best for: A Special Occasion
Average Winter Temperatures: 20C-28C

Oman’s blend of whitewashed towns, spice-filled souks, dramatic wadis (gorges) and stretches of sandy coastline make it ideal for touring adventures. Framed by the Hajar Mountains on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other, capital Muscat showcases Omani culture through its mosques, museums and festivals. An hour’s drive outside of the city, towering canyon walls give way to the unmissable turquoise pools of Wadi Qurai. Further west, the Jebel Akhdar mountains is where traditional village life unfolds at altitudes of 2,000 metres, and walks wind through rose and pomegranate terraces.

The gulf’s lukewarm waters are also a draw for winter travellers. Try the soft sands of Mughsail Beach, where a combination of white cliffs and ocean blowholes make for a fine spot to dip your toes.

(A Guide To Wadi-Hopping In Oman.)

La Gomera

Best for: Views
Average Winter Temperatures: 21C-22C

The second-smallest Canary Island might be tiny in size (around 30 miles from east to west), but it has a lot to offer outdoor adventurers. Alongside balmy year-round temperatures, it’s the Jurassic Park-esque views — particularly the extraordinary rock formations blanketed in cloud forest — that makes this island so special. At Garajonay National Park, wandering the tangle of 66-million-year-old trees feels like walking through an enchanted forest.

Fortaleza de Chipude in Vallehermoso, La Gomera’s very own table mountain, is the spot for ethereal sunset views — but the island has more than 30 designated viewpoints and platforms. Perhaps the most famous is Morro de Agando, a 1,246-metre-high volcanic monolith at the centre of the island, which overlooks the Roque de Agando. For those with car hire, there’s an even more dramatic view of the peak on Route TF-713. La Gomera authorities have also created around 373 miles of footpaths and trails, with QR codes and audio guides available for self-guided hikes to all of these spectacular viewpoints.

Sri Lanka

Best for: All-Round Appeal
Average Winter Temperatures: 22C-32C

Cast into the Indian Ocean, this teardrop-shaped island packs a lot into a small package: highland trains, jungle safaris, ancient cities, surf towns and some of Asia’s best hiking can all be experienced here. And with direct British Airways flights from Gatwick to Colombo reintroduced in October, Sri Lanka feels more accessible than it has for years.

Winter is the best time to visit the south west, where the fortified town of Galle acts as a gateway to a necklace of laid-back beach towns and sprawling safari lands including the Udawalawe and Yala national parks. The southern beaches — Mirissa, Weligama and Tangalle — are lined with beach bars and restaurants away from the strip.

Head inland to the central highlands for The Pekoe Trail — an alternative on-foot route to the famous, often fully booked railway journey from Kandy to Ella. The path winds through villages, forests, tea plantations and highland viewpoints. Along the way, hikers can stay at local guesthouses listed on the trail website, helping to support small rural communities.