Five Unaccustomed Countries for Christmas Holidays

The New Year is probably the only holiday when many important subjects pale into insignificance. You think over the future holiday and sometimes you want to spend it in an unusual way. You can try to meet the New Year in the tropics. Moreover, when using such services, like AVIS USA, the trip will not cause problems.

If you want to have a romantic trip with your loved one, then try to celebrate the New Year in countries where it is not particularly celebrated. Usually hotels only arrange dinner and a small show in such countries, but you can fully enjoy the gentle waters of the sea or ocean, admire the underwater world and just disconnect from the noisy world. Here is the list of five countries, where you will not meet many tourists during the Christmastime.

• Peru

In the winter months, while the indigenous inhabitants of the Andes are wrapping themselves in coats from the skins of Peruvian lamas, the inhabitants of the coast enjoy moderately hot weather and warm wind from the Pacific Ocean.

The ancient cities and fortresses of Peru are scattered far from each other. Between them, you will see the mountains, reserves with animals. Moreover, there are colorful descendants of the ancient Incas, who cook guinea pigs and speak the ancient Quechua language. If there is a couple of extra weeks on the trip along the coast from Arequipa to Lima and around, you can watch closer the pyramid ornaments. It will be possible to celebrate the New Year during an unforgettable sunset over Lake Titicaca. Start your journey from Lima and do not forget about cycling tours – a spacious and flat city with buildings of the XIX century is the most pleasant to watch on the go.

If you are not afraid of many hours of travel, you can, having reached Arequipa, the colonial city of the XVI century, make a tour of the Catholic sights. Here the Spanish trace is felt like nowhere else. It is felt even in the cuisine, but nourishing Creole soup made from milk, noodles and beef will be served here as well. You can also explore the world-famous Machu Picchu.

• Mexico

The rainy season in Mexico ends in November, and the shores of Yucatan are welcoming the holidaymakers. Cozumel, a small island facing Cuba, gained fame as the most picturesque place for diving, not only among amateurs, but also among legendary professionals. The researcher Jacques-Yves Cousteau made more than one documentary about the beauty of the second largest coral reef. Small in size (48 per 16 km), the island is perfectly safe for walking on wild beaches: in the New Year, you can have a seat on the white sand and open a bottle of local tequila. Holidays can be spent watching the karst caves with the purest water and amazing relief.

You can even hide from tourists in the island’s popular reserve, Chankanaab Park (entrance fee is about $ 10). You can go to San Miguel de Cozumel, a cozy colonial town, where the streets are washed with soap, to the El Mercado morning market, which is working from 6 to 12 in the morning.

It is better to walk with your phrasebook and get ready to explain your thoughts with facial expressions and gestures: the locals are very warm towards tourists, but they do not want to speak English.

• New Zealand

‘The land of a long white cloud’ – this is the way the native inhabitants call New Zealand. By the way, there are dozens of wonders of nature on both islands. Hot lakes, mountains with ragged tops, bizarre boulders scattered along the shores and valleys – it all will surprise and please the guests of the country.

For independent travel, the North Island is the most suitable place: good roads, proximity of cities to nature reserves, ubiquitous English and a beautiful coast where you can try any extreme ride – from hang-gliding to surfing. By the way, the New Year holidays are the best time for such an experience.

Arriving in Auckland, do not stay in the city for a long time – watch the marvelous Coromandel rocks, similar to smooth white elephants, and dolphins in the Island Bay. Giant and perfectly round stones, washed by the sea, and sand dunes, as from Dali’s paintings, can be found in the very north of the island. In the area of Lake Taupo, there are picturesque Huka Falls, and a few miles away is the top of Tauhara, which is not difficult to climb: if you meet the New Year on the mountain, such a holiday will not be forgotten for sure. In addition, there are three volcanoes of national park Tongariro – not far from Taupo.

• Thailand

The Koh Chang Island will give you the bliss of tender sea, the warmth of the sun and beaches, the beauty and greens of the jungle, peace, and tranquility! This island is one of the largest and most popular among tourists of Thailand, which will provide you a complete rest in this truly heavenly place.

You will have no time to think about what to do and where to go during your holiday: this place is at the real tropics and it will fill every day of your stay with adventure!

Moreover, here, in Thailand, the New Year is celebrated three times a year: according to the European, Chinese, and Thai calendars. Thai New Year (Songkran) is celebrated on April 13. On the first day of the year, leaving the street be prepared to get wet through. By tradition, on this day it is customary to pour water on all oncoming. Water pistols, buckets – everything is used. Therefore, put the mobile phone and wallet in a plastic bag, take a container of water and join the fun. If strangers are tying the laces on your wrist – it should bring you happiness next year.

• South Africa

The land of the Zulus is where road signs with a crawling giant tortoise are commonly seen, and there are two hours by car with an open top to get from civilization to primitiveness. The entire coast of KwaZulu-Natal and the city of Durban is an endless beach with sail wings and surfers winging away through the waves of the Indian Ocean.

In case you do not like a beach holiday, you can go deep into the continent: look at the herds of wild elephants in Maputaland, watch the terracotta Drakensberg Mountains and the pictures of cave dwellers, dine with locals and look for oases in the deserts. In the most exotic scenario, it is better to leave a few days to Durban, a colonial and cheerful city, where hunting for rarities can also become a kind of safari. Watch the Hindu temples and Muslim mosques, ride a rickshaw with a driver in a meter-colored motley hat that looks like a wonderful plumage.

If it happens that in January you cannot go on a trip, do not worry, as you can meet the New Year in February. In order to do this, just go to Vietnam and meet the New Year on the lunar calendar. The holiday here lasts four days. Do not forget to pick a peach branch early in the morning. This way happiness will accompany you for the whole year.