Where to travel in April: to where spring has already arrived

Japan: the blossom, and after it

Cherry blossom in Tokyo and Kyoto usually begins in late March and runs into early April, peaking later further north and in the mountains. The exact dates move a little every year, and the bloom itself lasts only a week or two, so hanging a whole journey on one week is a gamble. We'd suggest the opposite: plan a trip that's good without the flowers, and treat the blossom as a gift if it coincides.

The second half of April has its own rewards. The petals fall, but the trees turn that especially bright spring green that the Japanese value as much as the blossom. Mountain roads and trails – into Kamikōchi in the Japanese Alps, for instance – usually open only around mid to late April, and the Kumano Kodo pilgrim paths are cool and quiet in spring.

What to watch: late April brings Golden Week, a run of Japanese holidays when the whole country travels and trains and hotels are packed. Blossom weeks in Kyoto are also among the busiest and priciest of the year, so plan at least six months ahead.

Nepal: rhododendrons climbing the mountain

Spring is Nepal's second trekking season after autumn. In March and April rhododendrons – Nepal's national flower – bloom at mid altitudes, and the forests around Ghorepani and in the Annapurna foothills turn red, pink and white. Days are warmer than in autumn, which makes walking pleasant even for families or first-timers.

In fairness, there's another side: in spring the air lower down is often hazier than in October, so the great mountain views are sometimes clearest only in the morning. On higher routes, such as towards Everest, it's also expedition season and busier. Before any trek at altitude, it's worth talking to a doctor.

Morocco: a green Atlas and a warm desert

In April everything in Morocco looks its best at once. In the High Atlas valleys the terraces and walnut trees are green, the highest peaks are often still white, and between Imlil and the Aït Bouguemez valley you can walk calmly from village to village. In the desert beyond the mountains the days are warm but not yet hot, the camp nights cool and starry. The medinas of Fes and Marrakech aren't yet oppressive with heat.

Just remember that mountain weather in spring is changeable, and there can be snow higher up. In some years Ramadan also falls in spring, changing the rhythm of the day – check the dates.

Plan a journey that works without the blossom, and treat the blossom as a gift.

A warm exception: Guatemala

In Guatemala April is the end of the dry season, and it's then – in March or April, depending on when Easter falls – that Antigua lives through Holy Week. Semana Santa here is among the most remarkable in Latin America: overnight, residents cover the cobbles with carpets of dyed sawdust, flowers and fruit, and in the morning processions in purple robes pass slowly over them. Within hours the carpets are gone – and the next night they're made again.

It's a deeply religious occasion, not a show, so be respectful and unhurried. Antigua's hotels for Holy Week are often booked a year ahead, and prices rise. Afterwards, Lake Atitlán is a good place to rest, with mornings usually clear in April, while the jungle around Tikal to the north is already hot and humid.

A warm exception: Egypt

For Egypt April is the last comfortable month before summer. Cairo is still pleasant for walking the Islamic old city, and a slow sail down the Nile on a traditional dahabiya from Aswan to Luxor shows the river as it has changed over millennia. Luxor's temples are still best early in the morning: in the south the heat climbs quickly in April, especially late in the month. In spring a hot, dusty desert wind sometimes blows, which can haze the sky for a day or two.

If you only have a week

An April trip often coincides with the Easter break and is short. In that case the wisest choice is what's closer: Morocco and Egypt are reached without a big time difference, so even seven or eight days in the High Atlas or the Nile valley don't feel too little. For Japan, Nepal and Guatemala we'd allow at least two weeks: the flights are long, the time difference large, and at altitude the first days need more calm.