Just imagine yourself floating down a river in Tokyo, Japan, as you are flanked by a seemingly endless number of cherry-blossom trees in full bloom. Or have you ever considered celebrating Holi, arguably the world’s most colorful and sociable religious holiday, in Fiji? Go off the beaten path, and travel to the Galapagos Islands off the shores of Ecuador. Enjoy jazz? Travel to South Africa for “Africa’s Grandest Gathering,” the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.

No matter what you’re looking for, read on for our list of the best places to travel to in March.

Aruba

Flag and Anthem Day celebrates the country’s “status aparte” every year on March 18. A folkloric production takes place at Plaza Betico Croes in Oranjestad, as well as cultural and sporting events around the island.

Bali

The Hindu New Year’s Eve is more raucous than Times Square. Using cymbals, gongs, drums and fireworks, the Balinese scare away monstrous ogoh-ogohs: huge papier-mâché figures representing evil spirits. Everyone keeps very quiet the next day so the spirits can’t find their way back.

The Balinese Hindu New Year, also known as Hari Raya Nyepi, takes place on March 25, 2020.

St. Maarten

The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta takes place in March. Not only is this the chance for world-class competition, it’s also time for the biggest nightly after-parties, plus culinary events; however, this is within the island’s peak season, so don’t expect a discount on rooms.

The 2020 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta takes place from March 5, 2020, to March 8, 2020.

Galapagos

In the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador, March sees the flattest seas and warmest water. It’s not peak season, so rates are down, but it is the rainy time of year, a bonus if you prefer an in-bloom landscape to an arid one. Note to wildlife photographers: This month, land birds mate, as do sea lions; you’ll also see their pups.

Montserrat

The island of Montserrat is the only place besides Ireland, Northern Ireland and parts of Canada where St. Patrick’s Day is an official government holiday. While traditional St. Patrick’s Days are Christian-based and celebrate Irish heritage, Montserrat celebrates the holiday to commemorate a quelled slave uprising. It’s a 10-day festival that puts Montserratian culture at the center while honoring the 18th-century rebellion.

Locals wear their national dress, predominantly dawning green and orange. Bars serve Guinness, green Heineken and traditional rum punch cocktails. You’ll also get a shamrock stamp in your passport and a chance to try the national dish: goat water. Really, it’s delicious.

Tokyo, Japan

In Japan, it’s a sure sign that spring has arrived when the country’s national flower starts to bloom. Since the famed pink blossoms can only be viewed for two weeks, “hanami” (blossom viewing) is a big deal throughout the country.

Time a trip to the country’s capital of Tokyo, and attend one of its many cherry-blossom festivals scattered throughout March and early April. Some of the best viewing spots include Ueno Park, Inokashira Park, Sumida Park and along the Meguro River. Temperatures range from the 40s to 50s during this time of year, so come prepared.

Fiji

Don’t wear your finest threads in Fiji during Holi, the Festival of Colors, when the Indo-Fijian locals toss colored powder at one another to celebrate the arrival of spring. Dancing, singing and bonfires are also part of the late-March party, which is the least religious and most social of the Hindu holidays, making Fiji one of the best places to travel to in March.

Holi lasts for one day and one night, taking place on March 9, 2020, and March 10, 2020.

Exumas, Bahamas

These 365 cays lie just 35 miles south of Nassau. On Staniel Cay, the yacht club has a handful of bungalows on stilts at the water’s edge, as well as obliging kitchen staff who’ll give you scraps to take to nearby Big Major Cay. This one is uninhabited, except for feral but friendly swimming pigs who live on the beach and dog-, er, pig-paddle out to greet visitors and beg a snack. Help them celebrate National Pig Day on March 1, 2020. Hint: They’re fond of watermelon rinds.

National Pig Day is a U.S. holiday that started in 1972. It celebrates the pig as one of the smartest of the domesticated animals. Apart from the Bahamas, this holiday is mostly celebrated in Midwestern America.

Riviera Maya, Mexico

Take a day trip inland to Chichén Itzá to celebrate the Spring Equinox. During this time, the sun creates the astonishing illusion of a snake slithering up El Castillo pyramid. Tip: It’s also visible a week before and after the Equinox, and crowds are smaller then.

The Spring Equinox is on March 20, 2020.

St. Croix

St. Croix is one of the few islands in the Caribbean where St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated from sun-up to long after sunset in Christiansted with a street parade and live bands. Also, all month long, migrating whales can often be spotted along the north shore. Creative types will appreciate the Starving Artists Day at Whim Estate when pieces are priced to move. (Note: March is one of the driest months.)

South Africa

If you like jazz and want to travel to another continent, South Africa could make for one of the best vacations in March. Cape Town, the country’s capital, hosts “Africa’s Grandest Gathering,” the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Enjoy photography? The festival also hosts a jazz-photography workshop.

Come for the jazz, but stay for the many other events Cape Town has to offer. There’s a popular free community concert with thousands of attendees and some big names. The main jazz festival, however, is still the main attraction, as it hosts nearly 40,000 fans over the two days.

The 2020 Cape Town International Jazz Festival takes place from March 27, 2020, to March 28, 2020.

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In early 2008, ISLANDS contributor Jad Davenport traveled to the Caribbean island of Montserrat to capture its rebirth after the volcanic eruption of 1995. Here you can watch a video essay of his experience there. The photo essay appears in the June 2008 issue of ISLANDS.

Download the Quicktime movie (44 MB)

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Into the Light** For centuries, visitors to Montserrat had discovered what the locals already knew: the “Emerald Isle” was a paradise. Here in the British West Indies, clear mountain springs watered the terraced banana plantations. Trade winds cooled the quaint colonial streets of Plymouth, the capital. The slumbering volcano called Soufriere Hills rose above the descendants of African slaves and Irish and English immigrants who called Montserrat home. One morning nearly 15 years ago, the paradise they knew ended. A visit today reveals a new beginning.

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Forces of Nature** Soufriere Hills awoke in a series of deadly eruptions in 1995. Plymouth was evacuated and eventually buried in mudslides and ash, like a modern-day Pompeii. The southern two-thirds of the island was condemned as an off-limits “exclusion zone.” More than half of Montserrat’s population left forever. But 4,000 islanders have made their stand in the northern “safe zone.” Scientists think the area is beyond the reach of the volcano, which is still active. “There’s hope,” says one islander whose village was lost. “Nature has a way of healing herself.”

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Strength of Spirit** “We called him Brother Hammy,” says villager James Roach. “He came around telling us to repent. If we didn’t, he said the devil was gonna come down from the mountain and pay us a visit.” The wrath of Soufriere Hills is seen in the ruins, and scientists from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory are now the only ones visiting. But the faith of the people here – while sorely tested – remains strong. “Rather than dwell on what they’ve lost,” says Father George Agger, a priest with St. Patrick’s Parish, “the people say, ‘Thank God we have life.'”

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Rising From the Ashes**The abandoned artifacts of daily life, the empty homes, the gray hillsides – all are ghostly reminders frozen in time. But then a peregrine falcon is seen on this island for the first time in years, finding and hunting its prey on the ashen plain. Wild cattle, feral pigs and enormous frogs reclaim the land abandoned by people. The rainforest begins to spring back with vibrant strength. The morning sunshine lights up Jack Boy Hill as travelers return again and discover the true beauty that endures here on Montserrat.

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Learning to Triumph** Many families did not expect a permanent evacuation and left behind every- thing. Now they understand better the power of the volcano and how to live with it. Every school child is a geology expert and knows the definitions of lahars, andesite and pyroclastic surges. The new capital is planned for Little Bay in the safe zone. Fresh red- and blue-roofed homes already dot the ridge. Soufriere Hills is one of the most studied volcanoes on Earth. Although the mountain refuses to fully sleep again, Montserrat is awakening to a promising future.

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