January is shakeup time. The party’s over and reality bites. You can, however, turn that bite into bliss by planning an escape into nature. Swap carousing at New Year with exploring new horizons or spend the winter getting into training for a trek of a lifetime, such as Mount Aconcagua or the Kumano Kodo in Japan. Whether you choose to push your personal boundaries in January, or just emerge gently out of your cosy cocoon into the likes of Portugal or Puglia, Andalucía or Bosnia-Herzegovina, start the year as you mean to continue. Being sustainable, staying open to what the world has to offer and keeping things natural. We hope that these places to travel in January will inspire you to do so.
Snowshoeing in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH)
BiH is bliss in winter and, even better, you can explore it on a small group, fully guided snowshoeing tour in January and February. Famous for having hosted the Winter Olympics back in 1984, the Dinaric Alps have still got it, and also got a lot fewer people compared with the Alps. You really immerse yourself in these snowscapes too, starting on a trail in the Bjelašnica Massif, where you’re based in a mountain hut for three nights. From here, you are guided to natural wonders such as Rakitnica Canyon and Crveni Kuk (1,733m). For the last part of the tour, you get some city time based in the magnificent city of Sarajevo, but with transfers to the most perfect of peaks. So, if you’re thinking of hibernating, don’t balk at the idea of winter, Balkan it instead.
Walking the Kumano Kodo in winter
Japan’s ultimate spiritual trail, the Kumano Kodo, has carried pilgrims for centuries across the peaks and valleys of the Kii Peninsula, to worship at three magnificent Grand Shrines en route: Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha and Hayatama Taisha. The Kii Mountains are still considered by many to be sacred landscapes, and in winter they are crisp and quiet. This 258km walking route has various subsections and it’s the inland, mountainous Nakahechi section that is the most popular. Walking it in winter is extra special, with generally crisp, clear weather and steaming thermal baths at the end of the day. Temperatures range from the coastal Wakayama Prefecture (daytime averages 5-10C) to the mountains around Hongu, for example (daytime averages 0-5C, and going below freezing at night).
MTB in Morocco
If you want to work off all that Christmas chocolate, crisps and couch time, but it just feels too dreary to get back on your bike, the Atlas Mountains will give you the push you need. This mountain biking holiday takes you up winding steep slopes, past ochre Berber villages that merge with the rock faces of the same hue, following in the tracks of shepherds or goat herders and their trusty pack mules. Cycling highs along the way including a ride up to Kik, a plateau in the High Atlas foothills of Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest mountain. Or a challenging ascent to Tadmamt Pass (1,800m), with views across the vast Haouz Plain or Ourika Valley.
Aconcagua, Argentina
Aconcagua is actually the highest trekking peak in the world (6,960m), as you don’t need technical climbing skills, and it is also considered one of the planet’s most spectacular treks. Walk for 18 days with a small group, guided by a team of mountain experts on a seriously strenuous but extraordinary January journey. Located in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes, close to the border with Chile, you trek on what’s called the Normal Route, although there is nothing banal about this beauty. The tour is available between November and February, and on the upper slopes, temperatures can drop to -20C or more, with a wind chill factor. So you will want to get some serious winter trekking gear on your Christmas list.
Sintra and Cascais, Portugal
Lisbon is a treat at the best of times, and New Year’s Eve is no exception, with music and fireworks galore at Terreiro do Paco, overlooking the Tagus River. Given that the capital is only 23km and a quick train journey from the colourful and colossal Pena Palace at Sintra and surrounding mountains, you could mark the new year in the most joyous way, on our Sintra to Cascais walking holiday. Temperatures aren’t soaring in January, but you’ll feel like you are on cloud nine when you spend eight days walking through Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, trekking up to its iconic castles and palaces, and down through vineyards and pine forests to the coast. With plenty of stops to raise a toast of Portuguese fine wine to having more wild moments like this throughout the year.
Sierra de Grazalema, Andalucía, Spain
If you want to get off the beaten path, then Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park is a January gem. Start your journey in Málaga and then hit the limestone peaks, deep gorges, and lush valleys of Andalucía at its most adventurous. The main village of the area is also called Grazalema, just one of many traditional towns known as pueblos blancos with their white-washed houses, narrow cobblestone streets and village squares. This is where you stay on your first night, after which you have a week to enjoy being tranquilo on the trails, your bags being transported from one posada to the next.
Matera to Lecce, Puglia, Italy
This eight day walking holiday between Matera and Lecce in Puglia pulls off a perfect duet of both cultural and natural heritage. Walk between the two UNESCO towns of Matera and Alberobello, with their respective ancient rock churches and trulli stone houses, and then leave buildings and bustle behind to saunter through the coastal idyll of Dune Costiere Regional Natural Park. You will certainly blow away the Christmas cobwebs at the end of this tour, arriving at Cape of Otranto, Italy’s easternmost point, where the currents of the Adriatic and Ionian seas come together.
We hope that this blog has given you good reason to knock January blues on the head and go in search of coastal or sky ones instead. If you like the idea of combining New Year in a famous city with a walking holiday afterwards, you may enjoy our blog Walking breaks to combine with city breaks. Or if you’d like to aim high in Morocco to embrace the new year, read Climbing Toubkal, Morocco’s highest mountain. And if you are planning to spend the winter getting ready for one of our more strenuous trekking holidays, read our How to prepare for a hiking trip blog. For any other enquiries about our other January adventure holidays, or any other month of the year, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
