Where to Go in January for Sun: 10 Destinations Ranked by Sea and Rain
In January the sunny spots close to Europe cool down. Here is where to find 28°C (82°F) and above, with weather service averages for each place.
The short answer
Where to go in January for sun? Close to Europe, January is the coolest month of the year: 21°C (70°F) in the afternoon in Las Palmas, 22°C (72°F) in Hurghada, 24°C (75°F) in Dubai. To go above 28°C with a warm sea, you need to travel further: Phuket, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Zanzibar reach 31 to 33°C (88 to 91°F) with water at about 28°C (82°F). Cape Town has the clearest skies, with 9 mm of rain in the month, but an ocean at 19°C (66°F).
The ten destinations are presented in three groups: very warm sea, the Caribbean, then dry sunshine.
- Warmest seaZanzibar (29°C), then Phuket, Malé and Colombo (28°C).
- Least rainSal (3 mm), Cape Town (9 mm), Ho Chi Minh City (12 mm), Phuket (50 mm).
- Over 240 hours of sunshineCape Town (352 hours in the month), Malé (258), Colombo (248), Ho Chi Minh City (245).
- Closest to EuropeCape Verde: 25°C (77°F) in the afternoon in Sal, with a sea at 24°C (75°F).
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Activities and car hire
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Closer destinations in January: sunshine, less heat
The Canaries, Egypt, the Emirates, Oman and Senegal stay sunny in January, but it is one of their coolest months. That is why they are not in the selection. Here are their averages, to compare before choosing a longer flight.
| Station | High | Low | Rain | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Palmas (Canary Islands) | 21°C (70°F) | 15°C (59°F) | 23 mm | 20°C (68°F) |
| Hurghada (Egypt) | 22°C (72°F) | 12°C (54°F) | under 1 mm | 23°C (73°F) |
| Luxor (Egypt) | 23°C (73°F) | 7°C (45°F) | 3 mm | not applicable |
| Dubai (UAE) | 24°C (75°F) | 14°C (57°F) | 21 mm | 24°C (75°F) |
| Muscat (Oman) | 25°C (77°F) | 17°C (63°F) | 14 mm | 24°C (75°F) |
| Dakar (Senegal) | 26°C (79°F) | 19°C (66°F) | 1 mm | 23°C (73°F) |
For these destinations, the November and December pages cover warmer months.
Sea at 28°C and above: Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea
Four destinations where the air goes above 30°C (86°F) in the afternoon and the sea reaches about 28°C (82°F).
1. Zanzibar (Tanzania)
Off the coast of Tanzania, January sits between two rainy periods: November and December (168 to 201 mm a month) and March to May, which peaks at 409 mm in April.
Good to know: January and February are the hottest months of the year. Expect 5 to 6 rainy days in January, and only 51 mm of rain in February.
2. Thailand, Andaman coast
In Thailand, January is the sunniest month of the year in Phuket, with 236 hours of sunshine. Rainfall is more than three times lower than in November (178 mm).
Good to know: Bangkok also reaches 33°C in the afternoon, with 24 mm of rain over 2 days on average.
3. Maldives
Rain drops sharply compared with December: 87 mm in January against 212 mm the month before. Malé has 258 hours of sunshine in January, more than 8 hours a day.
Good to know: it still rains on 5 to 6 days of the month. February is the driest month of the year, with 38 mm.
4. Sri Lanka, west coast
January and February are the two driest months of the year in Colombo, with 80 and 77 mm. In October and November, more than 340 mm falls each month.
Good to know: these figures are for Colombo, on the west coast. They do not apply to the whole island.
Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico: warm, but not dry everywhere
The Atlantic hurricane season has been over since November 30. These three destinations differ mainly in rainfall and sea temperature.
5. Guadeloupe
In this French overseas department, rain decreases from December (134 mm) and keeps falling in February (60 mm). The sea is the warmest of the three destinations in this section.
Good to know: it rains on 16 days of the month on average in Pointe-à-Pitre. The total is moderate, but showers are frequent.
6. Mexico, Yucatán
In Mexico, the Caribbean coast keeps a sea at 25°C in the middle of winter. Cancún records 217 hours of sunshine in January, 7 hours a day.
Good to know: January is wetter than the following months in Cancún: 105 mm over 9 days, against 41 to 50 mm from February to April.
7. Cuba
In Cuba, January is one of the driest months in Havana, with 56 mm over 6 days on average.
Good to know: it is also the coolest month of the year. The sea is at 25°C (77°F), the same as in Cancún and 2°C lower than in Pointe-à-Pitre.
Dry sunshine: Vietnam, Cape Town, Cape Verde
Three destinations where rain is rare in January. Swimming is not the main argument here.
8. Southern Vietnam
In southern Vietnam, January is in the heart of the dry season: 2 rainy days on average in Ho Chi Minh City, against 13 to 19 days a month from May to October.
Good to know: Ho Chi Minh City is a large inland city. These figures describe neither the coast nor the north of the country.
9. South Africa
In South Africa, January is the hottest and sunniest month of the year in Cape Town: 352 hours of sunshine, more than 11 hours a day, for 2 rainy days on average.
Good to know: the ocean stays cold, around 19°C.
10. Cape Verde
It is the closest destination to Europe in the selection and the driest: less than one rainy day on average in January on the island of Sal.
Good to know: with 25°C in the afternoon and a sea at 24°C, it is also the least hot of the ten. Sal has 183 hours of sunshine in January, close to 6 hours a day.
Comparison table: January in figures
The ten destinations of the selection, from the warmest sea to the coolest.
| Destination | Station | High | Low | Rain | Rainy days | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | Zanzibar | 33°C (91°F) | 25°C (77°F) | 74 mm | 6 | 29°C (84°F) |
| Thailand | Phuket | 33°C (91°F) | 25°C (77°F) | 50 mm | 4 | 28°C (82°F) |
| Maldives | Malé | 31°C (88°F) | 26°C (79°F) | 87 mm | 6 | 28°C (82°F) |
| Sri Lanka | Colombo | 31°C (88°F) | 23°C (73°F) | 80 mm | 5 | 28°C (82°F) |
| Guadeloupe | Pointe-à-Pitre | 29°C (84°F) | 21°C (70°F) | 83 mm | 16 | 27°C (81°F) |
| Mexico | Cancún | 28°C (82°F) | 20°C (68°F) | 105 mm | 9 | 25°C (77°F) |
| Cuba | Havana | 27°C (81°F) | 19°C (66°F) | 56 mm | 6 | 25°C (77°F) |
| Cape Verde | Sal | 25°C (77°F) | 19°C (66°F) | 3 mm | under 1 | 24°C (75°F) |
| South Africa | Cape Town | 29°C (84°F) | 17°C (63°F) | 9 mm | 2 | 19°C (66°F) |
| Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City | 32°C (90°F) | 23°C (73°F) | 12 mm | 2 | not applicable |
Key dates and insurance
- New Year’s Day: Friday, January 1, 2027.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day (United States): Monday, January 18, 2027.
- Caribbean: the Atlantic hurricane season ended on November 30 and starts again on June 1.
Travel insurance
Away from home, medical costs can end up being yours to pay. Check what your bank card already covers first.
We recommend Chapka, a French travel insurer that we used for a trip to Mexico and the United States.
Get a Chapka quoteFrequently asked questions
Where is it hottest in January?
In this selection, Zanzibar and Phuket average 33°C (91°F) in the afternoon, Ho Chi Minh City 32°C (90°F), Malé and Colombo 31°C (88°F).
Where to go in January to avoid rain?
Sal, in Cape Verde, receives 3 mm of rain in January, Cape Town 9 mm and Ho Chi Minh City 12 mm. Among the destinations with a very warm sea, Phuket is the driest with 50 mm.
Can you swim in the Canaries or the Red Sea in January?
The sea is at 20°C (68°F) in Las Palmas and 23°C (73°F) in Hurghada, with 21 to 22°C in the air in the afternoon. It is possible, but far from the 28°C of the Indian Ocean.
Is January the dry season in the Caribbean?
Rain decreases compared with autumn without disappearing: 56 mm in Havana, 83 mm in Pointe-à-Pitre and 105 mm in Cancún in January. February and March are drier in Pointe-à-Pitre and Cancún.
Is it better to travel in January or February?
For rain, February is more favourable in several destinations: 38 mm in Malé (87 in January), 51 mm in Zanzibar (74), 50 mm in Cancún (105) and 60 mm in Pointe-à-Pitre (83).
Sources
- Climate tables on Wikipedia, which reproduce the normals of the organisations named: Zanzibar (NOAA, 1991-2020), Phuket (World Meteorological Organization, 1991-2020, table in the “Phuket (city)” article; sunshine 1981-2010), Bangkok (Thai Meteorological Department and NOAA, 1991-2020), Malé (World Meteorological Organization, 1991-2020), Colombo (NOAA, 1991-2020, sunshine 1961-1990), Pointe-à-Pitre (Météo-France, 1981-2010), Cancún (Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, 1951-2010), Havana (World Meteorological Organization, 1991-2020), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology, period not specified), Cape Town (South African Weather Service and NOAA, 1991-2020), Sal (NOAA, 1991-2020), Las Palmas (AEMET, 1991-2020), Dakar (NOAA, 1991-2020), Dubai (NOAA and UAE National Center of Meteorology, 1991-2020, table in the “Dubai” article) and Muscat (NOAA, 1991-2020), plus the tables in the “Hurghada” and “Luxor” articles (NOAA, 1991-2020).
- World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service: 1981-2010 normals from the Egyptian Meteorological Authority for Luxor and Hurghada, an earlier series than the one used on this page (NOAA, 1991-2020).
- World Sea Temperatures, average January sea temperatures: Zanzibar, Phuket, Malé, Colombo, Pointe-à-Pitre, Havana, Cape Town, Muscat and Hurghada, plus Cancún, Santa Maria (island of Sal), Dakar and Dubai. For Las Palmas, the sea temperature comes from the AEMET table listed above. For Havana, the Wikipedia table gives 23°C and World Sea Temperatures 24.6°C: the page uses the second figure.
- NOAA, National Hurricane Center: dates of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Written by the Advised Traveler team. Last updated: October 2026. Climate averages do not predict the weather during your stay: check the forecast before you leave.
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