Late winter escapes: The world’s best places for an August holiday

Keen to escape Australia in August? Here are the countries and cities to visit for their summer, winter or welcoming dry season.

COUNTRIES

Indonesia

Stunning: Morning at Borobudur, Java.Credit: iStock

Why you should go: The winter chills in Australia create peak season in Bali, but you can escape crowds and higher prices by getting beyond the obvious. In starfish-shaped Sulawesi, mountains and ocean collide and the scuba-diving is outstanding. Flores, one of the gateways to Komodo National Park, has magnificently crumpled coastlines, smoking volcanoes and incredible rice terraces. Sumba is another up-and-coming island hotspot.

Don’t miss: Never been to Java? Indonesia’s chief island by population and culture has plenty to offer including Mount Bromo hikes, stunning Buddhist temples at Borobudur, and canyons, jungle and beaches around Pangandaran. Sultan-ruled, palace-dotted Yogyakarta and Surakarta (or Solo), known for batik, music and festivals, are prominent cultural centres. See indonesia.travel

Tanzania

Ngorongoro Crater: The world’s largest inactive volcanic caldera.Credit: iStock

Why you should go: August is dry season, the best time to visit southern and western national parks, since wildlife spotting is easier as animals congregate around waterholes. You could also visit Mount Kilimanjaro, relax on the beach-strung coastline, and explore fabled spice-trading island Zanzibar.

Don’t miss: Ngorongoro Crater is both a conservation area and World Heritage Site. The world’s largest inactive volcanic caldera has open grasslands, salt lakes and springs that supply sustenance to wildlife. Rhinoceros, hippos, zebras, cheetahs, lions and leopards are among animals spotted on safari, and thousands of flamingos populate the lakes. See tanzaniatourism.go.tz

Finland

Olavinlinna Castle.Credit: iStock

Why you should go: When you’ve survived a freezing dark winter, the arrival of summer boosts spirits, and in August the Finns enjoy their season of merrymaking and festivals. Try urban-music and arts celebration Flow Festival in Helsinki, month-long August Festival in Oulu for music, cinema and performance art, and Turku Music Festival in Turku for everything from classical concerts to jazz.

Don’t miss: Finland’s collage of forest and lakes, at its green best in summer. The 10-hour ferry ride between Savonlinna and Kuopio in eastern Finland is a scenic sail along canals and lakes. Take in beautiful island town Savonlinna and picturesque Olavinlinna Castle. Linnansaari National Park is a great wilderness for kayaking. See visitfinland.com

Peru

Beyond Machu Picchu: Colca Canyon. Credit: iStock

Why you should go: Winter in Peru is the driest and best time to visit Cuzco and Machu Picchu. Peru has other fabulous sights including Lake Titicaca and Colca Canyon, nicknamed the Valley of Wonders for its plunging gorges, green valleys, snow-capped volcanoes and desert landscapes.

Don’t miss: South America’s Inca Trail takes four days of high-altitude walking from subtropical jungle through cloud forest into dazzling Andes scenery, reaching altitudes of 4200 metres. Some of the route is along paved paths laid by the Incas a half-millennium ago, and you’ll pass several Incan ruins, but the highlight is the arrival at legendary Machu Picchu. See peru.travel

Kyrgyzstan

Soak up the scenery in Kyrgyzstan.Credit: iStock

Why you should go: Although it’s peak tourist season, there’s good reason to be here, since the weather is warmest and days at their longest. You’ll want all the time you can to soak up the high-mountain scenery, flower-filled meadows and sheer beauty of destinations such as Lake Issyk-Kul and Ala-Kol. This is a country for hearty hikers, but Bishkek and Osh have a lively urban vibe.

Don’t miss: Sary-Chelek, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with classic Kyrgyz landscapes: glorious lakes, mountain peaks, walnut forests and lush greenery. Hiking is easy, and doesn’t require the long treks needed to see some of the Tien Shan mountains’ other top sights. See discoverkyrgyzstan.org

Netherlands

The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. August offers great weather in the Netherlands. Credit: iStock

Why you should go: The country of chilly winds and frequent rain does get a summer, and August is it. The Dutch are out in force, enjoying café terraces, beer gardens and festivals. In Amsterdam alone, the 10-day Grachtenfestival features 150 classical music concerts. Gay Pride is in full glitter, and World Cinema Festival presents independent films from around the globe.

Don’t miss: For a quick escape from Amsterdam, head to Edam. The pretty town, bisected by canals, once flourished on maritime trade, and is famous for its red-rind cheese. Yachts scud along the water, sun slants through clouds, and a fresh sea breeze blows the blues off hikers following dyke-top footpaths. See holland.com

CITIES

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Home of the tango: Buenos Aires.Credit: iStock

Why you should go: What’s not to like about this city in August, with cool but sunny winter skies and fewer visitors than in the summer high season? Not hard to keep warm in a nation known for huge steaks and red wine. You can also get steamed up at the Buenos Aires Tango Festival, which hosts two weeks of foot-stomping competitions and performances, as well as free tango lessons. Incidentally, this is also the best time to visit Argentina’s national parks for a spectacular add-on holiday.

Don’t miss: Bohemian San Telmo district, known for art and antique dealers. Locals sit at cafés under the trees and play chess and cards. In the evenings in Plaza Dorrego, tango dancers twirl to the accompaniment of accordion players. The busy Sunday antiques and handicrafts market is especially good for silverware, leather and curios. See turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar

Taipei, Taiwan

August is hot in Taipei.Credit: iStock

Why you should go: Although hot and humid, August is a great month for festivals in Taipei, which include the Fringe Festival and Taipei Arts Festival (which runs into September). The shopping is excellent, with malls offering respite from the heat. Meanwhile, the National Palace Museum is the world’s greatest repository of Chinese culture, and the city’s street markets and street food are fabulous.

Don’t miss: To keep cool eat baobing, a traditional snack of shaved ice and various fruits, especially watermelon and mango. Elaborate versions are topped with wafers, sweetened peanuts, marshmallows, syrups, condensed milk or sugarcane juice, and have names such as Strawberry Blizzard or Mango Avalanche. See travel.taipei

Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn’s Old Town.Credit: iStock

Why you should go: If you want a (relatively) affordable European break in August, head to the southern Baltic. Estonia’s capital rises in an impressive World Heritage pile of fortified walls, towers, red roofs and church spires above modern Rothermann Quarter, where redeveloped factory buildings and contemporary architecture clash. August is the time to soak it up, since the city erupts in fireworks, food stalls and open-air events, and evenings are long.

Don’t miss: Tallinn is small, so get out into the surroundings, where you’ll find waterfalls, castles, beaches, hiking trails and Lahemaa National Park. Little islands make for pleasant excursions. The Viimsi Peninsula provides a dose of history with its Open Air Museum and Estonian War Museum. See visittallinn.ee

Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh is home to the Fringe Festival, the world’s biggest arts festival, in August.Credit: iStock

Why you should go: You get the best of Scottish weather, and the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival runs all month, offering a smorgasbord of some 3000 shows across 250 venues, featuring everything from theatre and dance to circus and comedy acts. The equally famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a celebration of army bands, precision marching and music, is also in August.

Don’t miss: The National Museum of Scotland provides an eclectic collection of steam locomotives, dinosaurs and the original cloned sheep Dolly, suitably stuffed for posterity and testament to the ongoing inventiveness of Scotland’s scientists. The National Galleries hold works by the European greats but have a particularly interesting section on Scottish painters. See edinburgh.org