Where to go in July
Ride 'em in, cowboy! Start a stampede in Canada or saddle up to send arrows flying in Mongolia during July
The start of scorching summer… well, in the northern hemisphere, anyway – on the flipside of the world, winter brings snow to ski slopes in Argentina, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, and dry season access to some of Africa’s finest game reserves. And all that sunshine – 24 hours a day, above the Arctic Circle – means it’s prime time to explore the far north.
Events & festivals
BLAZING SADDLES – Don your Stetson for Canada’s Calgary Stampede, an Alberta celebration of rodeo ridin’ and steer wranglin'. Over in Italy, ten bareback rides compete the Palio around Siena’s Piazza del Campo in Tuscany.
NATIONAL PRIDE – Visit Canada (1 July), the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao (2 July) or of course the USA (4 July) for patriotic celebrations. Or for a more muscular event, head to Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, for the Naadam Festival, lauding the ‘manly sports’: horseriding, archery and wrestling – watch 1,024 big blokes in colourful pants tussle for the title of arslan (lion).
WORLD MUSIC – The Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak Borneo, brings together top acts from around the globe. Over in the Caribbean, the Fiesta de Merengue sees Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, jive to Latin sounds on the Malecon.
WEIRD & WONDERFUL – Get down and dirty at Boryeong Mud Festival, South Korea, for mud wrestling, mud massage, mud marathon… all in the name of smoother skin! Meanwhile, in Australia you can slap a wager or two on the Boulia Camel Races in Queensland’s Outback.
Wildlife
WILDEBEEST & ZEBRA – Vast herds sweep across the plains of Kenya’s Masai Mara during the Great Migration between July and September.
MARINE LIFE – Green and hawksbill turtles nest on the Caribbean beaches of Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica. Whales breach in the waters around Hermanus, South Africa, while humpback whales are spotted around Tonga. Elsewhere, manta rays fly over Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef and dolphins frolic around the Azores.
KILLER WHALES – Each summer killer whales gather near the San Juan Islands, USA. Take in the fresh island air, marvel at the scenery, all while admiring the orcas in their natural habitat. Wildlife watchers can also spot porpoises, seals, sea lions and bald eagles.
OTHER WILDLIFE – Brown bears gorge on salmon swarming up the rivers of Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. Huge herds of caribou migrate from the treeline to calving grounds in the Arctic Tundra. And Brazil’s Pantanal is at its wildlife-rich best from July to September, offering the best chances of spotting jaguar.
Activities
TREKKING – Climb Africa’s highpoints – Tanzania’s driest time of year means you have a great opportunity to summit Africa’s highest peak, Kilimanjaro, while the wildlife-bustling slopes of Mt Kenya also beckon. Walk the Inca Trail, Peru – this is the dry season, ideal for trekking the trail to Machu Picchu along with routes throughout the Peruvian Andes. Europe's Alps, Pyrenees and Tatras all entice trekkers during the summer.
CRUISING – Sail around Svalbard – during high summer the sun never sets, and sea ice allows cruises to circle Spitsbergen and the other islands of the archipelago.
SKIING – Pack your skis and head for New Zealand – the Austral winter means there’s white stuff here pretty reliably during July-September, especially on the Southern Alps and peaks around the South Island.
Natural phenomena
WETLAND FLOODS – Massive rains in Angola earlier in the year wash down into Botswana, spreading through this vast inland Okavango Delta, bringing highest water from June to August.
RAINING FISH – Every year witnesses claim that between May and July in Honduras the sky becomes overcast, followed by lightening, thunder, strong winds and heavy rain – but this is no normal storm. Once cleared, hundreds of living fish are found on the ground, that are then taken home and eaten by locals. Whether this fishy phenomena is real or not, it certainly has its place in Honduran Folklore.
The weather is nice in...
SALZBURG, Austria 25-30°C
LOME, Togo 24-28°C
CALGARY, Canada 17-24°C
ISTANBUL, Turkey 19-29°C
ANDORRA, Andorra 13-27°C
Long days, clear skies and bright sunshine reign in the northern hemisphere – a stark contrast to many part of Asia that are in the midst of monsoon season. July is a lovely time to visit Corsica, France, with warm temperatures on the beach and cool refreshing breezes in the mountains. This month also marks the sunniest time of the year for Denmark and parts of the UK such as south Wales.
Spitsbergen, Norway enjoys 24-hour sunshine in July so it is the perfect time for an Arctic wildlife exploration with temperatures at a comfortable 18°C.
Conventional wisdom says:
Travel always breaks the bank.
Wanderlust says:
Even the priciest cities around the world have freebies, check out Stockholm, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore on a budget.