There’s
no way around it: late summer is one of the most popular times to
travel. The season may be entering its twilight phase, but the climate
remains warm and balmy, the trees are green and lush, and the thought of
another school year is still a distant reality. For many, August is the
last chance to sneak in one final vacation before the warm weather
draws to a close.
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The month’s steadily comfortable temperatures and abundance of vegetation allows for some of the best opportunities to spot wildlife in their natural habitats. The cool, dry atmosphere of Kenya in August spurs the great migration, when herds of wildebeest and zebra shift their grazing territory from the Serengeti to the Mara plains. If marine life is more your speed, August is considered one of the better times to head to the Galápagos, where playful whales, sea lions, penguins, and albatross make regular appearances.
As September—and fall—looms ever closer, many travelers scramble to pack in some last-minute summer fun. Luckily, August hosts some of the year’s most exciting events. Out west, Nevada’s third largest city rises from the dusty desert into Burning Man, a social gathering that lasts a week but draws thousands more attendees each year. Even bigger are the competitions and celebrations surrounding the Summer Olympics, hosted in August every four years, where tickets sell out at record speed. Rio de Janeiro takes the spotlight in 2016, the first city in South America to host the games.
[post_ads]If it’s culture and cuisine you’re after, look to Berlin or Ljubljana, Slovenia, each with their own vibrant mix of European history and innovative chefs and vintners reinventing the local menu. Portland, Oregon, one of America’s best food towns, is always a great option for reimagined global cuisine—not to mention its famous coffee and craft beer.
Of course, there’s no better time than summer to take in the great outdoors. Few destinations offer as much versatility in the way of active adventure as Vancouver, from nature walks in Stanley Park to hiking, camping, and kayaking off Vancouver Island. Are you more of a night owl? Places with dark-sky-park status like Big Bend, Texas, become a hot ticket in August for stargazing, when the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.
Itching to maximize your late summer exploits before the season transitions into fall? Take a look at the best places to see and be seen this August.
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The month’s steadily comfortable temperatures and abundance of vegetation allows for some of the best opportunities to spot wildlife in their natural habitats. The cool, dry atmosphere of Kenya in August spurs the great migration, when herds of wildebeest and zebra shift their grazing territory from the Serengeti to the Mara plains. If marine life is more your speed, August is considered one of the better times to head to the Galápagos, where playful whales, sea lions, penguins, and albatross make regular appearances.
As September—and fall—looms ever closer, many travelers scramble to pack in some last-minute summer fun. Luckily, August hosts some of the year’s most exciting events. Out west, Nevada’s third largest city rises from the dusty desert into Burning Man, a social gathering that lasts a week but draws thousands more attendees each year. Even bigger are the competitions and celebrations surrounding the Summer Olympics, hosted in August every four years, where tickets sell out at record speed. Rio de Janeiro takes the spotlight in 2016, the first city in South America to host the games.
[post_ads]If it’s culture and cuisine you’re after, look to Berlin or Ljubljana, Slovenia, each with their own vibrant mix of European history and innovative chefs and vintners reinventing the local menu. Portland, Oregon, one of America’s best food towns, is always a great option for reimagined global cuisine—not to mention its famous coffee and craft beer.
Of course, there’s no better time than summer to take in the great outdoors. Few destinations offer as much versatility in the way of active adventure as Vancouver, from nature walks in Stanley Park to hiking, camping, and kayaking off Vancouver Island. Are you more of a night owl? Places with dark-sky-park status like Big Bend, Texas, become a hot ticket in August for stargazing, when the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.
Itching to maximize your late summer exploits before the season transitions into fall? Take a look at the best places to see and be seen this August.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Caribbean
Westman Islands, Iceland
During
Iceland’s harsh winter, daylight is scarce, museums are closed, and
many of its interior roads are clogged with ice and snow, closing much
of the island to travelers. Summer is a different story, when days
experience up to 20 hours of sunlight and routes to some of the island’s
most spectacular settings—the Highlands, the Westfjords—reopen, their rolling green landscapes primed for mid-day hikes and horseback rides.
Come August, bird-watching enthusiasts make a beeline for the Westman
Islands, in the south, to watch adolescent puffins take flight from
their cliff-side nests for the first time. And in late summer, another
local pastime resumes: berry picking, when the blueberry-like wild
bilberry ripens to ideal sweetness.