Where to Travel in February
Carnival season, calving season, and the best value month in the winter-sun belt.
The straight answer
The best places to travel in February are Thailand and the Riviera Maya in peak dry season, Patagonia in high summer, and Cape Town at its most reliably sunny, with Carnival in Rio and Venice for festival hunters.
February is January's slightly smarter sibling. The same dry-season destinations are at their best, Thailand, the Maldives, Mexico's Caribbean coast, Costa Rica, but the New Year price spike has faded and the crowds are a touch thinner outside of holiday weeks. The southern hemisphere is still in full summer, with Patagonia, New Zealand, and Cape Town all wide open.
It is also the great festival month. Carnival lands in February most years, which means Rio at full roar, Venice in masks, and New Orleans building to Mardi Gras. These are bucket-list spectacles and they price like it: if you want Carnival, book months out; if you do not, know the dates and steer around them.
The quiet star of February is wildlife. The Serengeti calving season peaks, monarch butterflies blanket the forests of central Mexico, humpbacks fill Hawaiian waters, and the northern lights season is in prime dark-sky territory. Few months reward the nature-first traveler this well.
The world in February
Our February picks, ranked
- 01
ThailandAsia
Still inside the cool-dry sweet spot, with seas calm on both coasts. Late February starts warming toward the hot season, so earlier in the month is better.
- 02
Riviera Maya, MexicoNorth America
Peak dry season without the holiday markups of Christmas and New Year. Reliable sun, 82F (28C) days, and prime reef and cenote conditions.
- 03
Patagonia, Chile & ArgentinaSouth America
High summer continues: the full trail network open, long days, and slightly thinner crowds than January once southern-hemisphere school holidays end.
- 04
Cape Town, South AfricaAfrica
Arguably the best month: high summer sun with the December and January holiday crowds gone and the southeaster winds often easing late in the month.
- 05
MaldivesAsia
Dry season continues with some of the calmest, clearest water of the year. February is a classic honeymoon month for a reason.
- 06
East Africa Safari, Kenya & TanzaniaAfrica
Calving season peaks on the southern Serengeti plains. Newborn wildebeest, big cats working the herds, and green-season lodge rates in many camps.
- 07
Costa RicaCentral America & Caribbean
Deep in the Pacific-side dry season: dependable sun for beach-and-jungle itineraries and excellent wildlife viewing before the March heat peaks.
- 08
Venice, ItalyEurope
Carnival transforms the city into a masked stage set for roughly two weeks before Lent. Unforgettable, crowded, and expensive; the rest of February is quiet and moody.
- 09
New ZealandOceania & Pacific
Late summer, settled weather, and school holidays over: February is the locals' pick for the South Island's best month.
- 10
VietnamAsia
The south and central coast are dry and warm. Note that Tet, the Vietnamese lunar new year, can land in February and closes many businesses for about a week.
Closer to home
The US in February
New Orleans
Mardi Gras season builds for weeks of parades before Fat Tuesday. Book far ahead for Carnival weekends, or come the week after for a mild, cheap city.
Hawaii
Peak humpback whale season off Maui and the Big Island, with winter surf still pounding the north shores.
Colorado and Utah ski country
Statistically deep snowpack and long-enough days. Dodge Presidents Day week and you dodge the month's only real crush.
Scottsdale and Phoenix
Sunny 70F (21C) golf-and-hiking weather while most of the country shovels. Spring training crowds start arriving late in the month.
The Everglades
The heart of the dry season: peak wildlife concentration around the water holes, minimal mosquitoes, and comfortable paddling weather.
Big Bend National Park
Mild desert days in the 60s and 70s F (upper teens to mid 20s C) in a park that is dangerous heat by May. February is prime time.
Worth flying for
February events and spectacles
The week before Ash Wednesday, usually in February and sometimes early March; the dates move with Easter · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
The biggest party on Earth: samba schools in the Sambadrome, and hundreds of street blocos everywhere else.
Roughly two weeks ending on Shrove Tuesday, so usually within late January and February; the dates move with Easter · Venice, Italy
Venice Carnival
Masks, capes, and candlelit palaces: the world's most elegant carnival, in Venice's most atmospheric season.
Fat Tuesday falls in February or early March, moving with Easter; the parade season builds for weeks before, peaking in the final two weekends · New Orleans, Louisiana
Mardi Gras in New Orleans
America's greatest free party: weeks of parades building to Fat Tuesday, and almost none of it is Bourbon Street.
Late January or February, on the new moon that begins the lunar year; the date moves with the lunar calendar, and festivities run about 15 days to the Lantern Festival · China, plus Singapore, Hong Kong & Taipei
Chinese New Year
The world's largest annual celebration, and the world's largest annual migration, in the same two weeks.
September through March, whenever nights are dark; the equinox months and deep winter each have their own case · Iceland, Norway & Finnish and Swedish Lapland
Northern Lights Season
The aurora borealis runs on dark skies, not luck alone: stack the odds and the sky performs.
The honesty section
Where February works against you
- ✕The Greek islands. Still shuttered for winter: ferries on skeleton schedules, most island hotels and tavernas closed, and cool, windy weather. Wait for May.
- ✕Bali. Rainy season continues with daily downpours and reduced visibility in the water. The dry season starting around May is worth waiting for.
- ✕Northern Vietnam. Hanoi and Ha Long Bay sit under a famously gray, chilly drizzle in February. The south is lovely; the north is not the postcard this month.
- ✕The Inca Trail. The classic trail closes for the month of February every year for maintenance, and it is the heart of the Andean rainy season anyway. Machu Picchu stays open, but this is the wettest window.
Quick answers
February travel FAQ
Where is hot in February?
Thailand, the Maldives, the Riviera Maya, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean are all in dry-season prime with highs in the 80s F (28C to 32C). Cape Town, Sydney, and New Zealand offer true summer heat in the southern hemisphere.
Where should I avoid in February?
Skip Bali and the Greek islands, one for peak rain and one for winter closures. Northern Vietnam is gray and damp, and the Inca Trail is closed for annual maintenance all month.
When is Carnival, and do I need to book early?
Carnival dates track Easter and usually land in February, occasionally early March. For Rio, Venice, or New Orleans at Mardi Gras, book flights and hotels several months out; rates double or worse close to the dates.
Is February a cheap month to travel?
Outside Carnival cities and Presidents Day week, yes. Europe is at its annual price floor, and beach destinations dip between the New Year peak and spring break. February is one of the best value-to-weather months on the calendar.