Where to go in Asia in March

Vietnam

Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Saigon

Mild across most of the country. Hanoi warms up, Hoi An is dry and bright, and the south is hot but still dry. A good month for combining the north and centre, before the summer heat and rains.

The Philippines

Manila, El Nido, Cebu, Bohol

Dry and getting hotter. Clear water and calm seas make this one of the best months for island hopping and diving. Palawan and Boracay are busy. By the end of the month, the heat in Manila is strong.

Sri Lanka

Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella, Galle

Hot but dry, and a good month for Galle, Yala and the cultural sites. Leopard sightings at Yala are among the best of the year as water becomes scarce. Colombo and the coast are humid, and the hills are comfortable.

India

Rajasthan, Kerala, Delhi

Warming up. Holi, the festival of colours, falls in March and is joyful and messy. Rajasthan is hot by the end of the month, and Kerala is humid. A good month at the start, a hot one by the end.

Nepal and Bhutan

Kathmandu, Pokhara, Paro, Thimphu

Spring begins. Rhododendrons start to flower in Nepal's hills, and Bhutan's valleys come alive with festivals, the tshechus, at Paro and Thimphu in spring. Days are warm and increasingly hazy in the lowlands.

Japan

Kyoto, Tokyo, Hokkaido

Still cool and changeable, then the cherry trees begin to open in Tokyo and Kyoto in the last week or so. The date moves by a week either way each year, so a trip built around a precise day can miss. Plum and early blossom fill the gap.

Taiwan

Taipei, Taroko, Tainan

Warming up, with a mix of sun and showers. Cherry blossoms bloom at Alishan and in the north. A comfortable month for Taipei, Tainan and the east coast. Humidity rises toward the end of the month.

Cambodia and Laos

Angkor, Luang Prabang

Getting hot, and in northern Laos the burning of fields starts to put smoke and haze in the air. Angkor is still workable if you visit at sunrise and late in the day and rest in the middle. Fewer visitors than in winter.

Thailand

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Samui

Getting hotter. Island beaches are still excellent, and the sea is calm. Chiang Mai's air quality is at its worst, with smoke from burning fields, so the north is the place to skip. Bangkok is hot but dry.

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Borneo

Still dry on the west coast, with heat building. The east coast islands start to reopen toward the end of the month. Borneo's rain eases. A solid month for Penang and for most of the peninsula.

South Korea

Seoul, Gyeongju, Jeju

A slow thaw. Early March is cold, and yellow dust from China can haze the air. Jeju begins to flower. By the end of the month the first cherry blossoms appear in the south, and the mood in Seoul turns hopeful.

China

Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai

Winter loosens its grip slowly. Beijing is dry and windy, with the odd dust haze. Shanghai is grey and damp but starts to warm. A quiet time at the big sights, if you can live with cool weather.

Bali and Indonesia

Bali, Komodo, Lombok

Rain eases toward the end of the month. Nyepi, the Day of Silence, falls in March or April: the whole island stops for a day, the airport closes and tourists stay indoors. Check the date before you book.

Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar, the Gobi, the steppe

Still winter, with the first signs of thaw late in the month. Camps remain closed. The Gobi can be windy and dusty. Roads on the steppe are muddy as the snow melts.