Photo by Simon Clayton from Pexels
If you long for sunshine from dawn until dusk, you’re spoiled for choice. It turns out that there are destinations worldwide where you can bask in sunlight all day long. And they’re all less expensive than you might think.
A Note To Read Before Visiting A Sunny Destination
Just before we get into the destinations themselves, it’s worth taking a moment to talk about some of the prep you’ll need to do before you get there.
The first is sun-damage mitigation. Many of these spots are near the equator, which means that the sun sits high in the sky, blasting you with UV rays. You’ll need plenty of mineral-based sunscreen to protect your skin when you go outdoors. You’ll also need sunglasses to stop ultraviolet light from damaging the sensitive retina at the back of your eyes. Finally, you’ll need to think about getting a hat that protects your face and the back of your neck – two areas that are especially prone to damage from long days in the sun.
The second thing you need to think about is hydration. Although high temperatures and unbroken sunshine don’t always run in tandem, they usually do. Therefore, you’ll want to pack a large water bottle for everyone in your party – particularly if you’re doing something active.
Okay, so with all the safety instructions out of the way, where should you visit?
Marseilles, France
Marseilles is France’s third city, after Paris and Lyon, so it’s a pretty big place. What’s more, it just happens to sit on the country’s Mediterranean coast, making it the ideal spot for holidaymakers looking to indulge in a little sunlight.
The city gets an incredible seven and a quarter hours of sunshine year-round. So most days are sunny almost all the time. There is hardly a cloud in the sky.
Marseilles is popular among the French themselves. During August, the north of the country clears out and takes the highways south to the city. Once there, literally hundreds of thousands of people line the beaches and go on voyages on their yachts.
The city offers all sorts of attractions for the curious tourist. These include incredible restaurants around the harbor, a museum that showcases Med culture, and the Vieux Port, the old part of town. You can also arrange a variety of tours, including to the Parce Balneaire du Prado.
Belle Mare, Mauritius
Mauritius is a stunning location, replete with incredible beaches, tropical islands, and geological formations that will make your eyes fall out of their sockets from staring so much.
The nice thing about the country – a chain of islands strung out in the Indian Ocean – is how few people actually visit it. Prices here are high enough to prevent it from becoming mainstream, meaning that you usually get grand vistas to yourself.
Mauritius is located in a unique spot, which means that it gets around seven and three-quarter hours of sunshine per day – even more than Marseilles. And since it is in the tropic of Capricorn, the sun shines directly overhead for part of the day – something that can seem a little strange to people used to living in temperate zones.
This African country is the place you go if you want to experience watersports at their best. The island chain sits atop a raised ocean floor, meaning that the seas around most of the islands are shallow and predictable. Mostly, you can see through the turquoise water to the bottom. Swimming around your toes is exotic sea life, especially in the lagoons.
Tulear, Madagascar
Madagascar is one of the most exciting places in the world. The world’s fourth-largest island separated from the rest of Africa hundreds of millions of years ago. And since then, life has been evolving on its own course.
Perhaps the country’s most interesting feature is the unusual “spiny forest” that features trees with massive trunks but very little foliage.
The country gets an impressive nine and a half hours of sunshine every day on average, making it the ideal location for exploring outside. You’re also guaranteed good weather if you travel to Madagascar. The region offers a massive amount of indigenous life as well as sanctuaries where you can find it in even greater concentrations. There are botanical centers that focus on native flora. And there are places where you can view the country’s famous lemurs up close and personal.
Perth, Australia
It’s not often you can travel to a western country in the tropics and get continuous sunshine year-round. But that’s precisely what Perth, Australia, offers.
Perth is the largest city in Western Australia – and it is thousands of miles from the next major city. It gets around nine hours of sun per day on average throughout the year, making it one of the driest and sunniest cities in the world.
But, of course, since it is in a western country, you get all the conveniences that go with it. You have access to exceptional transportation for getting around and seeing the sights. And you have excellent law enforcement, meaning that you always feel safe when you’re getting around town.
Perth is perhaps best known for its urban artwork and light shows. It’s also somewhere you can check out Australia’s unique wildlife, particularly marsupials. Remember, Perth has a “public art strategy,” so it means you can check out all kinds of modern art. For some, what they’ve done to the city is beautiful. For others, it is an abomination. You decide.
The Costa del Sol, Spain
It’s not called the “sunshine coast” for no reason. The Costa del Sol has some of the most prolonged sunshine hours of anywhere on mainland Europe – a continent known for its relentlessly lousy weather.
The region of Spain gets around seven and three-quarter hours of sunshine every day on average – which is more than some parts of the Sahara. It offers everything, from beautiful, modern hotels to white sandy beaches and more. Here you can try your hand at things like bungee jumping, zip-lining, and hand gliding.
You can also spend hours and hours waltzing up and down the beautiful beaches or merely baking yourself in the sun.
There are more than one hundred beaches along the Costa del Sol, so choosing which you want to visit is a fun game in itself. There are famous beaches that attract thousands of people every day, plus others that are less accessible and well-known that you can sometimes have to yourself.
In terms of food, you’re spoiled for choice. After a day of activity, you can go back and grab some tapas from the many outlets that line the seafront. You can also find some international restaurants too, providing everything from curries to fish and chips.
Fresno, California
In the past, people moved to California for the freedom the frontier state offered. Today, that’s not so much the case. Even so, holidaymakers love the destination for the sheer amount of sunshine that it provides.
If you head to Fresno, you can enjoy an incredible, mind-boggling ten sunshine hours per day.
The locals call Fresno California’s “year-round playground.” And given the amount of sunshine the city gets, they’re not far wrong.
So what can you do here? Well, most people head on out to the Yosemite National Park for a day of hiking or biking. There are also plenty of opportunities here to go camping under starlight.
If you’re looking for something a little more sedate, you can just stay in Fresno and visit the Shinzen Friendship Garden. Yes – there are ideological undertones here. But that’s beside the point. It’s a place where you can relax, unwind, and enjoy a little bit of Eastern culture.
If you’re into animals, you should also check out the Fresno Zoo. Here you’ll find some of the rarest species in the world, particularly birds.
The Atacama Desert, Chile
The Atacama desert in Chile is so dry, experts think that some parts only get rain once every three hundred years.
Hours of sunshine here are around 8.4 per day, making it one of the Western hemisphere’s sunniest places.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the area is ancient monuments from civilizations built thousands of years ago. The place is also utterly deserted. If you go hiking in the desert, you won’t see another soul, no matter how far you go. All you’ll see are barren landscapes and fascinating rock formations.
Heading westwards a little, you’ll want to check out the Chaxa Lagoon in the Los Flamencos National park. Here you’ll find a big salt plan and millions of migrating flamingos who call it their home.
The entire area is bathed in a pink hue, making it one of the most magical and unique sights on Earth. There is also practically zero light pollution here, making it ideal for people who want to catch a glimpse of the epic Milky Way.
So, as you can see, these sunshine-heavy locations offer a host of advantages. When are you going to visit?
