Where to travel in July

July marks the start of the great migration in Kenya and Tanzania, where 1.5 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra follow the rains through the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Kenya’s Maasai Mara. From mid July, chances are good to see the huge herds from the northern serengeti/Kogatende area gathering at the Mara River to cross over to the Maasai Mara.

The dry winter months are the best time to visit Namibia. It can get cold at night but you’ll wake up to beautiful blue skies and the days become nice and warm. Water levels are very low so the animals in the national parks, such as Etosha, congregate around the few man made waterholes, making game viewing much better.

While a lot of Thailand experiences rain at this time of year, Hua Hin and Koh Samui are better in the summer months. This is the perfect time to relax on white sandy beaches and dip into the aquamarine waters. Diving around Koh Tao is wonderful this time of year, whilst Hua Hin is another great beach destination where you can explore beaches, parks, caves and waterfalls.

Although July falls in the middle of Costa Rica’s rainy season, there’s usually a mid-year dry season at the end of July when rainfall decreases for a few weeks. It’s a lovely time to visit, as the beaches are nice and warm and it will be less busy than Costa Rica’s peak months. It’s still cool higher up in the mountains, so you can head up there for some relief from the heat and do a bit of exploring as well while you’re up there.

Get off the beaten track and into the great outdoors in one of Europe’s most beautiful destinations, Slovenia, where the summer weather lends itself perfectly to hiking and other outdoor activities. Where else can you start the day with a coffee in the Italianate main square of Piran, and finish watching the sun set over the mountains from the balcony of an alpine chalet?

This is the middle of the dry season in Java, and the perfect time to hike the country’s famous volcanoes (of which there are an impressive 121 in total). Lose yourself in the ethereal magic of the region’s beautiful Hindu temples, including 9th century Borobodur (contender for the eighth wonder of the world) and watch the sunrise from the top of Mount Bromo for a daybreak you’ll never forget.

English gardens and beaches are in full force during the summer with sweet smelling roses, colourful hydrangeas, and the weather as good as it’s ever going to get in this part of the world. This is a great time to visit England’s quaint coastal towns and the rambling Cotswolds, which are particularly beautiful bathed in the summer sunlight.

If you can brave peak season, there’s no better time to head for the sun-drenched islands of Greece. For beach luxury and glamorous nightlife, Santorini and Mykonos are hard to beat, whilst Milos, Spetses and Folegandros are lovely spots for a laid-back family vacation or off-the-beaten-track escape.

In July, Provence in the South of France bursts into bloom for lavender season. Unlike the large majority of France (where the locals all jet off on holiday for “la grande vacance” in July, leaving ghost towns behind them) you’ll find Provence at its liveliest and most beautiful at this time of year.