10 Best Tropical Places to Travel in February (When You Need to Feel Again)

February always feels like a month caught between—between resolutions that are already fading and spring that hasn’t shown up yet. When I start to forget what the sun feels like on my skin, I go somewhere tropical. Not for the cocktails or the tan lines—but for the way warm air and ocean salt rearrange something inside me. If you’re looking for a February escape that feels more like a rebirth than a vacation, here are 10 places where the heat feels honest and the light stays a little longer.

1. Maui, Hawaii – Whales, Warmth, and Quiet Awe
February is one of the best months to visit Maui. It’s warm (averaging 79°F), dry, and alive with migrating humpback whales. I spent a week here once without a watch—letting the days blur into hikes along Iao Valley, slow swims at Napili Bay, and drives on the Road to Hana that felt like time travel. February means fewer crowds than peak holiday season, and there’s something magical about hearing a whale breach while the sun drops behind the Pacific. Visit Lahaina for history and humpback sightings, and Haleakalā at dawn if you’re craving altitude and stillness.

2. Maldives – Sun-Drenched Solitude on the Water
Dry season in the Maldives runs from December to April, making February ideal—sunny skies, 85°F temperatures, and bathwater-warm lagoons. This is where you go when you want to be surrounded by nothing but blue: blue sky, blue sea, and the space to just be. Resorts range from ultra-luxe to rustic eco stays, often with private bungalows built right over the reef. Snorkeling in February means good visibility and calm seas, and if you time your visit right, you might even spot manta rays or dolphins sweeping past your deck at dusk.

3. Costa Rica (Pacific Coast) – Forests, Beaches, and Golden Days
February is prime time for Costa Rica’s Pacific coast: dry, sunny, and lush without the rain. Temperatures hover between 80–90°F. Head to Tamarindo or Santa Teresa for a laid-back surf vibe and beaches that glow gold at sunset. Want more jungle? Visit Manuel Antonio, where monkeys and sloths laze above you as you walk to hidden coves. This is a month where everything feels easy—no muddy roads, no sudden storms, just that raw natural beauty Costa Rica wears so well. Don’t skip the coffee plantations in the hills or the night walks that turn the jungle into another world.

4. Phuket, Thailand – Island Spirit with a Side of Spice
Phuket is in its dry season in February, with 86°F highs and cool evening breezes. It’s one of the easiest tropical escapes for travelers from across the world, with a mix of comfort and chaos. Visit the south end—like Kata Noi or Nai Harn—for gentler beaches and fewer crowds than Patong. Go island-hopping to Phi Phi or James Bond Island for limestone cliffs rising from turquoise water. The street food here is its own reason to go—grilled squid, fresh coconut ice cream, mango sticky rice—and everything tastes better when you’re sun-warmed and slightly salt-crusted.

5. Belize – Reefs, Ruins, and Rhythms of the Caribbean
February is dry season in Belize—mid-80s, low humidity, and skies that stretch endlessly above aquamarine water. Snorkel at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, dive the Blue Hole if you’re brave, or stay on Caye Caulker and forget what day it is. Inland, explore jungle ruins like Caracol or cave systems like Actun Tunichil Muknal, where ancient relics and bones lie deep underground. Belize is bilingual, laid-back, and unpretentious. It’s easy to travel here without a plan and still end up exactly where you’re meant to be.

6. Seychelles – Granite Dreams and Rain-Washed Colors
Though technically wet season, February in Seychelles still brings long stretches of sunshine between short, dramatic rains. Highs hover near 87°F, and the landscape looks freshly rinsed—verdant, surreal, and impossibly lush. Beaches like Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette are among the most photographed in the world for good reason: powdered sand, towering granite boulders, and water so clear it reflects your thoughts. Go hiking in Morne Seychellois National Park for jungle silence or take a ferry to La Digue where bicycles outnumber cars. This is a place that slows you down until your breath matches the tides.

7. Tulum, Mexico – Cenotes, Ruins, and Off-Track Escapes
Tulum in February is dry, warm (85°F), and blessedly breezy. It’s more than its reputation. If you avoid the touristy beach clubs and influencer photo traps, you’ll find places that feel raw and rooted. Swim in cenotes like Dos Ojos—underground rivers lit by shafts of light—and explore the ancient Mayan ruins that sit perched above the sea. The town itself offers artisan markets, tacos that taste like fire and lime, and jungle paths that make you forget what the internet is. Stay outside the hotel zone for better prices and more soul.

8. Sri Lanka (South Coast) – Surf, Temples, and the Smell of Cinnamon
February on Sri Lanka’s southern coast is peak season—dry, warm (highs in the 80s), and full of color and noise and quiet all at once. From Galle’s colonial fort to the sleepy surf town of Weligama, this coastline offers something for everyone. Watch the stilt fishermen at dawn. Drink tea in the highlands if you’ve got time to wander inland. And if you’ve never watched elephants cross a road like it’s the most normal thing in the world, February is the month to go. Sri Lanka doesn’t shout—it hums.

9. Dominican Republic (Samaná Peninsula) – Whales, Waterfalls, and Wilderness
The Samaná Peninsula is often skipped for Punta Cana, but that’s a mistake—especially in February. This is when humpback whales come here to breed, and you can watch them breach and spin in the bay from small boats or even the shoreline. The beaches in Las Terrenas and Las Galeras are rustic and wild. El Limón waterfall requires a short hike or horseback ride, but the pool beneath it is cool and deep. You’ll hear bachata on the breeze and smell coconut in the air. This is the D.R. before it’s been filtered.

10. Queensland, Australia (Whitsundays) – Southern Summer in Full Bloom
While it’s winter in the northern hemisphere, February is high summer in Queensland. The Whitsunday Islands bloom under bright skies and warm seas. Yes, it’s technically stinger season, so wear a protective suit when swimming, but the coral is radiant, and the beaches—especially Whitehaven—are unreal. Think 88°F days, tropical rain that rolls in and rolls out, and sailing between islands under stars that feel closer than usual. Add a side trip to the Daintree Rainforest or Great Barrier Reef and you’ve got a February that feels like a full reset.

February doesn’t have to be gray. It doesn’t have to be cold or crowded or dull. It can be ocean spray and ripe fruit and naps under fans. Whether you’re running toward something or away from it, these places hold space for both. Just go where your skin can breathe again—and the rest of you might follow.