Where is hot in February, from the Maldives to Costa Rica

By February, the British winter has gone on long enough for most people, and the tropics are at their most dependable. Across a broad band of the world north of the equator, from the Indian Ocean to Central America, this is the dry season. The rain that falls through the northern summer has stopped, skies are clear, and the heat has not yet built to the sticky levels of April and May. If there is a single month to go looking for warmth without much risk of a washout, this is a strong candidate.

The choice is mostly one of direction, and of what you want to do once you are warm.

The Maldives, by boat rather than resort

The Maldives are the archetype of the warm escape: some twelve hundred small coral islands strung in a double chain of atolls across the Indian Ocean, few of them more than a couple of metres above the sea. February sits in the middle of the north-east monsoon season, which in the Maldives is the dry one, with calm seas, clear water and long hours of sun. It is about ten hours from London on a direct flight.

The usual picture is of a resort island with water villas. But the islands can also be seen by dhoni, the traditional wooden boat of the Maldives, moving between local inhabited islands rather than staying on one. G Adventures' Maldives Dhoni Cruise, six nights, sails among the islands of the Vaavu atoll south of Malé, including Fulidhoo and Felidhoo, and runs from October to March. It is a way to see how Maldivians live, on islands with mosques, schools and fishing boats, as well as the reefs.

Sri Lanka, and the dry zone

Sri Lanka, a short flight from the Maldives, has its own complicated monsoon pattern. February is a good month across much of the island. The north-central dry zone, where the ancient royal cities lie, is reliably dry and warm. Explore Worldwide's Sri Lanka in Depth, fourteen nights, spends its time in this part of the island. It starts with the leopards and lakes of Wilpattu National Park, then moves to Anuradhapura, the great ancient capital with its huge brick stupas, and Mihintale, where Buddhism is said to have arrived on the island. Further on come the standing Buddha at Aukana, the cave temples of Dambulla, the ruins of Polonnaruwa, the elephant gatherings of Minneriya and Kaudulla, the rock fortress of Sigiriya, and Kandy.

Costa Rica in the dry season

On the other side of the world, Costa Rica's dry season, which locals call verano, or summer, runs roughly from December to April on the Pacific side and in the centre of the country. February is right in the middle of it. The roads are drier, the cloud forest is less cloudy, and the Pacific beaches are hot and sunny. It is the country's busiest time for visitors, and for good reason.

Explore Worldwide's Highlights of Costa Rica with a Beach Extension, nine nights, runs all year round. In February it is at its most comfortable. The route goes from San José to the Doka coffee estate and the volcano country around Arenal and La Fortuna, then to the cloud forest of Monteverde and the Carara reserve. It finishes in Manuel Antonio, where the national park's forest runs down to the beach and the extra nights give time to enjoy both.

The Caribbean, from Manchester

The eastern Caribbean, too, is in its dry season, which runs from roughly December to May, and February is one of its most popular months. Ambassador's Caribbean Explorer: Tropical Isles flies from Manchester to join the ship in Bridgetown, Barbados, for fourteen nights. Its ports include Martinique and Guadeloupe, St Kitts, Dominica, St Lucia and St Vincent, Antigua and the British Virgin Islands, and the Dutch islands of Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire. It runs in January and February.

Whichever way you go, February has one more thing in its favour: you come home to the first signs of spring rather than the depths of winter.