Where to go on holiday in February 2015

February is the perfect time to visit the 'jewel of Arabia'

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For beach bums...

Short haul: Rye Bay, England

While you’re unlikely to be in your Speedos along the Camber Sands shoreline this February, the wonderful wind-woven sand dunes are ideal for walking off a decent dinner.

And that’s exactly what you’ll get as the scallop season starts to swing. Rye’s restaurants and inns will schuck into life during Rye Bay Scallop Week (21 Feb-1 Mar), with cookery schools, tasting menus, live music and enough scallop lunches to keep you clamed up until next Christmas.

The medieval East Sussex town is a picture, with its cobbled walkways and wheezing old-world dwellings, but little beats a walk along its golden sands out of the summer season.

Rye Bay Scallop Week is about golden sands and golden clams
Creative Commons / Matt Baume

Long haul: Kingston, Jamaica

Blowing out the candles for what would have been Bob Marley’s 70th birthday, the city of Kingston in Jamaica will become a bass-heavy haven in early February as locals celebrate the reggae star’s legacy with music, movies and plenty of rum.

Lime Cay, a 15-minute boat ride from the Jamaica’s capital city, is the perfect tonic to the carnival spirit with dozing palm trees, snow-white sands and super clear snorkelling spots. Pay a Kingston fisherman to take you to the island during the week and you’ll have the sands to yourself.

Bob Marley would have been 70 years old in February 2015
Creative Commons / Franceso - Creative Commons / Chris Jackson - JulieHewitt / Thinkstock

For adventure seekers…

Short haul: Carpathian Mountains, Slovakia

Fancying studying animal poo in the Carpathian Mountains? Didn’t think so, but perhaps Biosphere Expeditions can change your mind. In February the non-profit ecotourism organisation will relaunch its annual expedition to snowy Slovakia, taking willing participants on an adventure through the mountains in search of bears, wolves and lynxes.

The purpose of this expedition is to study these mammals – which involves following footprints, inspecting cats and possibly radio collaring them – with a view of helping conserve these predators and their habitat. An adventure indeed – and all for a worthy cause.

Help conserve the elusive Eurasian Lynx in snowy Slovakia
Kjekol / Thinkstock

Long haul: Muscat, Oman

Pack your Lycra and head to Muscat this February, where the great and the good of world cycling will be battling it out in the Tour of Oman. We’re not saying you should try and keep up, but following in their wake you will find out exactly why the country’s smooth desert roads and epic scenery are so popular with cyclists. 

February is the perfect time to visit the 'jewel of Arabia'. Not only is the temperature tolerable, but it’s also prime time for spotting whale sharks, which flirt with Oman's limpid coastline. Other welcome distractions include dune bashing in the Wahiba Sands, swimming in Wadi Shab and camel racing at Bidiyah.

Find out why Oman is so popular with the Lycra brigade
Frozenmarshmallows / Thinkstock

For city slickers...

Short haul: Battle of the Oranges, Italy

How does the tiny Italian city of Ivrea celebrate carnival season? By pummelling each other with 500,000 kilos of oranges, of course. Spain’s La Tomatina may get all the attention, but Italy’s largest food fight has a better backstory.

Legend has it that some time between the 12th and 13th centuries, Ivrea’s lord attempted to rape the daughter of a miller on the eve of her wedding, but the plan backfired – the defiant young woman decapitated him, setting the town free from his oppression.

Today, teams wage a full-on fruit war over four days (14-17 Feb) with carts representing the king's fortress and the orange throwers the revolutionaries. And yes, being pelted with oranges hurts.

Forget La Tomatina - Italy's Battle of the Oranges is more fun
Creative Commons / Giò-S.p.o.t.s.

Long haul: Barranquilla Carnival, Colombia

Hot girls, live music and four days of undiluted revelry - if that sounds like your bag, then don't miss Colombia’s barnstorming Barranquilla Carnival. 

The second largest street party in South America, the jamboree (14-17 Feb) dates back to 1888 and features folkloric dancers, extravagant parades and some of the most outlandish fancy dress costumes in the Southern Hemisphere. It can also lay claim to being a ‘UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity’. Take that Rio.

If you love a good party, try Colombia's Barranquilla Carnival
Creative Commons / Michele Mariani