Best place to go in Feb/Mar/April

[hlb34]

Hi,

I was hoping that people could come up with some exciting suggestions of where would be a great place to go touring in Feb to April. I'm thinking maybe down the pacific coast of america, going from the south to the north, does this sound sensible?

Any other suggestions and ideas would be wonderful and much appreciated. I want to go and explore.

Thanks

[shane]

I've cycled Thailand and Uganda in Jan/feb well worth the effort, for slightly longer you could do quite a chunk of SE Asia. Warm weather and cheap:).

The pacific coast may be ok with the weather but make sure you take good waterproofs:). IMO a route like this might get boring after a while, how much cliffs, sea and sand can one see in one trip:) (And its not as flat as you might think...)

I assume you already know about the ACA Maps?

Have fun:)

[slowpeddler]

Extramadura in March

[Hypocacculus]

I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from going to Africa but when I was in Uganda in February '93, it was just after the rains, wet, hot, humid and with mosquitos like zeppelins. The night time temperatures were something else and I'd lie there in a pool of my own sweat. The bird life was second to none but it's not a time of year I'd choose to tour. A little further south in Malawi, the rains were so hard in February '97, the lower Shire River broke its banks, huge chunks of the roads and railways were washed away and we only just got out again (in a Landrover). So be prepared in that part of Africa at that time of year!

[hlb34]

Oooooooo, Thailand could be good, is there any good maps / books people recommend or is it just find a road atlas when you are there. Shane, where did your trip take you?

I'm assuming it'd be relatively safe for a lone female?

[simonhill]

SE Asia is pretty good in Jan to March, but getting hot by end of March into April. Still do-able, especially if you have acclimatised. Ther should be virtually no rain.

If you are going for 3 months, then you will want to go to more countries than just Thailand. Lao is very popular. I also like Vietnam and then there is Cambodia and Malaysia - all fairly cheap, with excellent roads, good food, plentiful accom (no tent needed), etc, etc. I often go to this part of the world 'cos it is just so good! I can also recommend southern China - wonderful , but you need to like mountains.Three month should cost you (a lot?) less than £2000 including flights and everything.

You can start with a good guidebook - the Lonely Planet ones are probably best for cycling or poss the Rough Guides. Go to local library and borrow for free. Then just have a look and see where you fancy. There is lots to see, scenery, culture, people, etc.

You need to plan a bit re visas, but it is a fairly well cycled place so loads of info out there. Search through www.crazyguyonabike.com for blogs.

Re maps - the Nelles are the best one you can get here, but there are also good cheap maps available there - so just look in the guide books for now and buy when you arrive.

Go and enjoy (and you may even see me on the road!).

[iviehoff]

Central America and adjacent parts of Mexico have a similar climate to SE Asia. By April you could be moving up into more northerly parts of Mexico as it warms up further south. Though security issues less good than SE Asia.

Feb to April would also allow a temperate southern hemisphere tour, starting somewhere far south in the summer and heading north as the autumn came in, whether in Tasmania/Australia, NZ or Arg/Chile.

[rualexander]

South India maybe?
I cycled from Madras (as it was then) to Goa between february and april a few years ago, weather was excellent, great food, good scenery, and surprisingly quiet roads once you got out into the country.

[toyotakev]

What about Albania, Macedonia, Greece, ferry out to Corfu, back via Italy?

[shane]

@hlb34

http://www.shanecycles.com/cycling-info ... iland-2009

I love Thailand, its great and easy for backpacking/cycling Though the hilly NW is quite a challenge There's thousands of female backpackers travelling in SE asia alone, so I'm surwe you'll be ok...

And what Simon(h) said

[takeonafrica]

Cuba - it's brilliant for cycling and that's a great time of year to go: http://helenstakeon.com/take-on-cuba/

Or if you fancy Africa and heading off road (technically they are roads, but they are not tarmac) then why not tour Guinea Bissau - another great place if you like a bit of adventure, beautiful scenery and friendly people: http://helenstakeon.com/take-on-africa-2/journal/

[TonyR]

The Pacific Coast in Feb and March can be very wet. Its the time they tend to have all the landslides in California.

What about heading south to New Zealand or Australia where its the tail end of the summer? You'll have to wear a helmet though.

[iviehoff]

What about Albania, Macedonia, Greece, ferry out to Corfu, back via Italy?

In general you'll find coastal locations in the Med very wet in the winter. Inland you'll find it rather cold. The weather in Skopje (Macedonia) in Feb is not very different from London in Feb. Tirana is a bit warmer, perhaps more like London in March, but a lot wetter, like Scottish wet. In Feb, you really need to be at the very southern extremities of Europe to find reasonably pleasant weather, and wait out a fair bit of rain. If you go into mountainous areas, you'll find them skiing: a little further north, I know, but Sarajevo once held a winter Olympics. I was in the southern Greece in April: temperatures were pleasant for cycling in coastal areas, though it was quite damp. Well inland, in the hills, from time to time it was quite cold and unpleasant in the rain. I have been to Sardinia in April - it rained a lot; temperatures on the coast were mostly pleasant, though occasionally cold winds blew. It was mostly rather cool inland in the hills. The best of the flowers was in late April, though in mild coastal areas they are earlier.

[simonhill]

Australia and New Zealand are very expensive at the moment for anyonwe with £s. The prices are high anyway, add to that the awful exchange rate in the last couple of years and it is now a rich man's destination. SE Asia would be half to a third of the cost (and in my opinion, much more interesting).

I say this as someone who has visited both areas frequently including 2½ months in China, Lao and Thailand and 2 months in Oz last winter.

[toyotakev]

You could always get a cheap flight out to Lanzarote, with your bike, on Easyjet or Ryanair, and then ride and ferry around all the main islands!
Beaches, hills, mountains, deserts, lots of booze, lots of sunshine, guaranteed wind ha ha ha !
Kevin