Where To Go Now: 8 Destinations For March Through May

As winter’s chill fades and the summer sizzle hasn’t quite set in, the magical, blooming shoulder season of spring offers a window for some truly epic travels. Whether you’re still drawn to icy landscapes or long for sun-kissed tropical shores, and whether you’re pining for charming towns or itching to embark on wild adventures, we offer a list of fresh and exciting destinations to fuel your wanderlust in the coming months.

Turks & Caicos

Set your calendar to island time: in March, this Caribbean country beguiles with clear skies, calm waters, low humidity and little to no chance of rainfall. Plus, the holiday rush is well over, so you’ll basically have the turquoise sea and powdery sand all to yourself.

While Grace Bay Beach is – deservedly – the most popular beach in the archipelago, other hidden gems like Taylor Bay and Leeward Beach offer the same hypnotic waters, relaxing vibes and fun activities. Think: stand-up paddleboarding, sailing, mangrove kayaking, jet skiing. For scuba diving and snorkelling, the reefs around Providenciales are home to incredible marine life, and the clear-as-glass waters provide excellent visibility. But if you really want to see it all, take a boat tour to explore the islands and uninhabited cays from a different angle.

Our Tip: In Grace Bay, you’ll want to make a quick stop at Conch & Coconuts restaurant. Try the conch fritters (their speciality and one of the country’s most iconic dishes) while sipping a refreshing coconut-infused cocktail and enjoying the views – because, whether you’re in the mood for good seafood or a magical sunset, this place knows how to serve up both.

Luxor, Egypt

March is the perfect month to visit the capital of the ancient Egyptian empire: temperatures are mild enough to explore the temples and tombs without melting, and peak tourist season has passed, so you can soak in the city’s history at your own pace without elbowing through a crowd. 

Whether you’re wandering around the Temple of Karnak, the Colossi of Memnon or the impressive tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, beauty and history await around every corner. For a change of perspective, take a hot air balloon ride – even better if it’s at sunrise – or join a Nile cruise for real-life postcard views of ancient Egyptian ruins, along with golden desert landscapes, lush green river banks and temples that seem to rise right out of the water – all as you kick back and relax.

Our Tip: For a literal taste of Egypt, the restaurant at Marsam Hotel cooks up delicious dishes straight from the heart of Luxor, with ingredients sourced from their own garden and farm – against which idyllic backdrop you can savour your meal. 

Ningaloo, Australia

When the Great Barrier Reef is teeming with tourists, head west. Far west. Stretching across 604,500 hectares on Australia’s Coral Coast, in one of the most isolated areas on the planet, Ningaloo enjoys Unesco World Heritage status for its captivating landscapes and seascapes – including one of the world’s longest near-shore reefs. Her, peach-pink earth melts into sugar-sand beaches that disappear beneath azure waters in which highly sought-after marine protagonists, from manta rays to sea turtles and the elusive dugong, can be glimpsed year-round. March through June, however, is the time to go if you want to take one of the most memorable dips of your life: that’s when the whale sharks are in town. 

Growing as long as 18 metres, these titans of the deep are a gentle bunch, happy for you to join them as they glide through the crystalline water. Ningaloo is one of the best places to experience this phenomenon, boasting a reliably high rate of encounters during the season. The chances are so great, in fact, that most local whale shark tour operators have a ‘no sighting’ policy – if you don’t get to hobnob with a whale shark, they’ll take you back out for free on the next available day. With so much to offer, one would expect Ningaloo to be clogged with visitors snorkelling, diving, surfing, bushwalking and kayaking, but thanks to its remoteness – a four-hour flight or 12-hour drive from Perth – you might just be alone in this natural haven.

Our Tip: You’ve come all this way, why not treat yourself to a slice of paradise? The 16 spacious safari tents at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef are barefoot luxury at its finest, set just 50 metres from the reef and the warm waves of the Indian Ocean.

Greenland

An old saying holds that “when you’ve seen the world, there’s always Greenland.” But we say you shouldn’t wait so long to visit the top of the world. With uninterrupted strips of unspoiled nature, an abundance of incredible wildlife and some of the most photogenic towns on earth, there are plenty of reasons to make the (now more accessible) trip. And while there’s never a bad time to visit Greenland, March and April are tough to beat. After months of darkness, the temperatures become pleasantly milder, but you’ll still get magnificent snowscapes – and far fewer crowds. Not to mention that, by April, Greenland is already experiencing 15 hours of daylight and a sun that never fully sets, perfect for non-stop adventures in the Arctic. 

Make your way straight to the west coast and visit the town of Sisimiut, Greenland’s adventure capital and the host of the famous Arctic Circle Race that takes place in late March. Stop by Kangerlussuaq, located at the head of a fjord, and explore the ice cap and Russell Glacier. If you’re lucky, you may even catch the Northern Lights. Finish off in Ilulissat, where you can hike to the famous Ilulissat Icefjord, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Our Tip: Discover the iconic flora and fauna of the Arctic by hopping on a tundra safari in Kangerlussuaq, where you’ll get to see musk oxen, reindeer, polar foxes and various species of birds, all while taking in pristine landscapes along the way.