Where to go in Asia in January: six warm, dry trips and the costs

January at a glance

These six trips are the ones where January's weather suits sightseeing and, on the coasts, swimming. The table compares them, with the mid-range cost of a day.

Every daily cost on this page comes from the country's trip-cost guide: its mid-range all-in total per person, for two people sharing a room, divided by its days and converted to euros at the rate that guide states. That covers rooms, every meal, local transport, sights, a SIM and a buffer; only the international flight is extra. Each guide prices its own route in the month it names, so the figures show the level of a country, not a quote for your dates.

Northern Thailand and the Andaman coast

January is the middle of Thailand's cool season, which the Tourism Authority of Thailand dates from November to February, and the Andaman coast (Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta) is in its November-to-April season. Chiang Mai has warm, dry days and cool nights, and the northern summits can be cold before dawn. On the Gulf side, the October-to-December rains are tailing off, so Koh Samui and Koh Tao become a reasonable second choice by late January.

Our Thailand in 10 days runs Bangkok, Chiang Mai and an island; the Andaman coast itinerary gives seven nights to Krabi, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta.

In Thailand, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 115 a day all-in, from our Thailand trip-cost guide, which prices a January trip.

New Year's Day is the only public holiday in January. High-season prices run through the month: Ban's Diving Resort on Koh Tao, for example, charges its high-season rate from 1 December to 30 April. The Thailand festivals calendar lists the year's events.

Sri Lanka: the south coast and the hill country

January is when both halves of Sri Lanka's classic loop line up. The south and west coast, from Colombo to Galle and Mirissa, is in its calmer November-to-April season, and the tourism board describes the highlands as cool and relatively dry from January to April; Horton Plains is at its clearest from January to March. Only the east coast is out of season: the German Foreign Office puts the north-east rains from December to March.

Our Sri Lanka 7-day itinerary covers Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella and Colombo; with ten days, the 10-day route adds Galle.

In Sri Lanka, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 100 a day all-in, from our Sri Lanka trip-cost guide, which also prices a January trip.

Tamil Thai Pongal falls in mid-January and Duruthu Poya at the January full moon; both are public holidays. On full-moon Poya days the sale of alcohol, meat and fish is prohibited and some shops and businesses close. The Sri Lanka festivals calendar gives the year's dates, and the best time to visit Sri Lanka guide explains the two monsoons.

Cambodia and Laos

Both countries are in the cool, dry heart of their year. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals give Phnom Penh 15.0 mm of rain in January with a mean of 27.0°C, Vientiane 20.6 mm and Luang Prabang 23.5 mm, with Luang Prabang a cooler 20.5°C. That means comfortable dawns at Angkor and a jacket for the evenings in the north of Laos.

Fly between Siem Reap and Luang Prabang or go overland through southern Laos. Our Cambodia in 7 days covers Angkor and Phnom Penh, and Laos in 7 days runs Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane on the railway.

In Cambodia, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 105 a day all-in, from our Cambodia trip-cost guide; in Laos, about EUR 90 a day all-in, from our Laos trip-cost guide. Both guides price a January trip.

Cambodia's January holidays are New Year's Day and Victory over Genocide Day on 7 January. In southern Laos, the Vat Phou festival at Champasak is held each year at the full moon of the third lunar month, in January or February; the Laos festivals calendar has the dates.

India: Rajasthan, the Rann of Kutch and Kerala

January is India's high season in the north-west. The India Meteorological Department's 1991-2020 means for Jaipur give a low of 8.4°C, a high of 22.5°C and 5.9 mm of rain: bright days for forts and palaces, and cold desert nights. Delhi averages 21.6 foggy days in January, the foggiest month, so keep the morning of arrival loose. Kerala, in the south-west, is in the pleasant October-to-March season that Incredible India describes for Kochi.

Our Golden Triangle itinerary does Delhi, Agra and Jaipur in seven days; for Kerala, the 8-day route covers Kochi, Munnar and the backwaters.

In India, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 100 a day all-in, from our India trip-cost guide.

January is full of events. Republic Day is on 26 January, and Pongal, Tamil Nadu's harvest festival, is in mid-January. The Tent City of the Rann Utsav in Kutch, Gujarat, is open through the winter season, and the Magh Mela pilgrimage at Prayagraj is held in the Hindu month of Magh, which begins in January. Chennai's Music Academy holds its annual dance festival in the first week of January. The India festivals calendar gives the year's dates for the national holidays and the big festivals.

The Maldives

The Maldives Meteorological Service names January to March as the dry season of the north-east monsoon, after the changeover month of December. That makes January a sound choice for a beach week, on both local islands and resorts, and the southern atolls share the same season with a wetter year overall.

Our Maldives in 7 days splits the week between Maafushi, a local island with guesthouses, and two resort nights.

In the Maldives, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 215 a day all-in, from our Maldives trip-cost guide. Its budget week is spent in local-island guesthouses and its comfort week in a resort, so your own cost can sit well below or above that figure.

January has no Maldivian holiday that changes a booking. The best time to visit the Maldives guide covers the monsoons and the manta season.

The Philippines: Palawan, Cebu and the January fiestas

January is the driest stretch for much of the western Philippines. PAGASA's 1991-2020 normals give Manila 19.4 mm of rain, Coron 19.2 mm and Puerto Princesa 55.6 mm; Cebu's Mactan is wetter at 135.1 mm, and the Pacific coast at Surigao gets 661.5 mm. Base the trip on Palawan or the western Visayas, not the east coast.

Our Palawan in 10 days runs Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Coron; Cebu and Bohol in 7 days adds the Chocolate Hills.

In the Philippines, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 65 a day all-in, from our Philippines trip-cost guide.

January is the month of the Santo Niño fiestas. Sinulog in Cebu has its main day on the third Sunday of January, and Iloilo's Dinagyang follows on the fourth Sunday. The Philippines festivals calendar has the year's dates.

Also good in January

Four more trips suit the month, with conditions.

• Malaysia's west coast and Singapore, for Thaipusam. Thaipusam falls at the full moon of the Tamil month of Thai, in January or February. In Kuala Lumpur, Batu Caves draws thousands of worshippers; in Singapore, devotees walk from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Road to Sri Thendayuthapani Temple on Tank Road. Singapore's January averages 221.6 mm of rain, less than December. Our Thaipusam guide gives the year's date and the routes.
• Southern Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc are dry, and Da Lat is cool. Tet falls in late January or February, and Vietnam Railways puts its Tet trains on sale months ahead, so book any train near the holiday early. Our Tet guide gives the year's dates and explains what closes.
• Japan for snow and sumo. Sapporo's January mean is -3.2°C, so Hokkaido is for skiing, not touring; Tokyo averages a high of 9.8°C with 59.7 mm of rain. The Grand Sumo January Tournament runs for 15 days at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, from the second Sunday of January. See our Niseko ski guide.
• Hong Kong and Macau. The Observatory's January normals give a high of 18.7°C and 33.2 mm of rain. Light Up Macao, the city's winter festival of light installations, runs into early January; the Macau festivals calendar has its dates, and the best time to visit Macau guide covers the season.

Where not to go in January, and why

In these places January works against an ordinary trip. Each has a better month.

• Bali and Java: the tourism ministry puts the wet season from November to March, including Java and Bali. The best time to visit Indonesia guide gives the dry months.
• Malaysia's east coast (Perhentian, Redang, Tioman): the Malaysian Meteorological Department names November to January as the months of maximum rainfall there; coastal Sarawak and north-east Sabah also peak in January.
• Central Vietnam (Hue, Hoi An): still in the September-to-January rains. Sa Pa and the northern mountains are cold, with occasional snow.
• Brunei: Brunei airport's 1991-2020 normal for January is 337.3 mm of rain.
• Seoul and the north of China, unless you want winter: Seoul's January averages a high of 2.1°C and a low of -5.5°C, and Beijing's a low of -9.4°C. The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, held in January, is the reason to go cold; see our best time to visit South Korea guide.
• Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and northern Uzbekistan: Ulaanbaatar's January averages a high of -15.5°C and a low of -26.1°C, Astana's a high of -12.6°C, and Kyrgyzstan's roads outside Bishkek are often blocked by snow. Samarkand has January highs around 6°C and frosty nights, and with Bukhara makes a quiet winter option for travellers who dress for it.