8. Mozambique
Being bereft of the crashing waterfalls and major wildlife zones which symbolise Africa at its best, Mozambique still feels somewhat undiscovered. All the more reason, then, to encounter the safari secret of Gorongosa National Park, the Portuguese colonial heritage of Ibo Island, and a coastline that ebbs for some 1,535 miles.
Trailfinders offers a nine-day itinerary combining South Africa’s Kruger National Park with the beaches of Mozambique, from £5,605pp.
Travellers must present a negative PCR test, regardless of whether they have been fully vaccinated, issued within 72 hours of arrival. Children under five years old are exempt. See the FCDO website for more details.
9. Maldives
Let’s deal in statistics. Some 1,192 islets and coral outcrops – stretched across 26 atolls and 35,000 square miles of water – make up this archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean. Very few of these soft shards veer away from the template – golden sands, swaying palm trees, azure shallows. If you want variety of terrain, do not visit the Maldives. If you want temperatures in the thirties Celsius and unrestrained beach luxury, you have chosen well.
A seven-night holiday to the five-star Anantara Kihavah Maldives Resort costs from £4,000 per person, with flights, via Scott Dunn (020 3733 4841; scottdunn.com).
All travellers over the age of one are required to present a negative PCR test result taken no more than 96 hours before departure. See our country-by-country Covid restriction guide for more information.
10. Jamaica
The resorts and hotels dotted along Jamaica’s north coast at Montego Bay and Ocho Rios proffer the sort of sunny escapes where the European winter feels like a bad dream. Throw in an afternoon on Seven Mile Beach, at Negril, on the west coast, and the thought of Britain still shivering in March seems even more distant.
A one-week all-inclusive holiday at couples-only Sandal Negril costs from £1,908pp with Thomas Cook.
All travellers aged 12 years and above must present a negative Covid test result. Unvaccinated arrivals must stay at a hotel within the island’s “resilient corridor” and may only join approved excursions. See the FCDO website for more details.
