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Seasons planner · 26 destinations · Updated October 2026

When to go

The month you travel decides more of a trip than the hotel does. Here are the places we plan most often, each month marked Best, Good, Possible or Avoid, with the reason in one line.

Pick a month to see what is at its best, or read the full table. We have kept the codes conservative: Best means the conditions most people come for, not the only good weeks.

Go to the full table →Destination guides →

Destinations
26, in five regions
Codes
Best · Good · Possible · Avoid
Last checked
October 2026
Hemispheres
Both, so every month has a Best

Month by month

What is at its best, month by month

Places at their best come first, ranked so the shortest windows lead, because those are the ones that will not wait. Places in a good month follow.

Month

Region

Best in October

5 places at their best and 10 in a good month. Showing the top 8.

Every place, every month, in the full table →

The full table

Twelve months, 26 places, one line each

Each cell carries a letter as well as a colour and pattern, so it reads in print and without colour. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways inside its own frame.

  • Best. The conditions most people come for
  • Good. Works well, with a small trade
  • Possible. Workable, with a clear trade we will name
  • Avoid. Does not run well, or does not run
When to go: 26 destinations by month, coded Best, Good, Possible or Avoid, with the reason. Updated October 2026.
DestinationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecWhy
Polar
AntarcticaBest: Dec to FebBestBestGoodAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidGoodBestShips sail November to March only. November brings fresh ice and courtship, December and January chicks and long light, February and March whales.
South GeorgiaBest: Nov to JanBestGoodGoodAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidBestBestVoyages run early November to early March. November and December for breeding king penguins and seals, February and March for fur seal pups and whales.
Arctic and SvalbardBest: Jul to AugAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidPossibleGoodBestBestPossibleAvoidAvoidAvoidShip season runs late May to early September. Pack ice recedes through July and August, opening the north and east where the bears hunt.
Latin America
GalapagosBest: Feb to MayGoodBestBestBestBestGoodGoodPossiblePossibleGoodGoodGoodGood all year. December to May is warm with calmer seas and the best snorkelling. June to November is cooler and choppier, with richer seas and active seabirds.
PatagoniaBest: Dec to FebBestBestGoodPossibleAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidAvoidPossibleGoodBestSummer runs November to March, with the longest days December to February and the wind that comes with them. Many lodges close in winter.
PeruBest: May to SepAvoidAvoidPossibleGoodBestBestBestBestBestGoodPossiblePossibleMay to September is the Andean dry season, busiest June to August. The Inca Trail closes every February, the wettest month.
ColombiaBest: Dec to MarBestBestBestPossiblePossibleGoodGoodGoodPossiblePossiblePossibleBestTwo drier spells, December to March and a shorter one June to August. The Lost City trek closes every September. April, May, October and November bring more rain to the Andes and coffee country.
Mexico, YucatanBest: Dec to MarBestBestBestGoodGoodPossiblePossiblePossibleAvoidAvoidGoodBestDecember to April is dry and settled. Hurricane season runs June to November and peaks September and October; seaweed can reach the Caribbean beaches in spring and summer.
Costa RicaBest: Jan to MarBestBestBestGoodPossiblePossibleGoodPossiblePossibleAvoidPossibleGoodThe dry season runs December to April on the Pacific side. September and October are the wettest months; the Caribbean coast runs on its own pattern.
PanamaBest: Jan to MarBestBestBestGoodPossiblePossiblePossiblePossiblePossibleAvoidAvoidGoodThe Pacific side and Panama City are dry December to April. The Caribbean coast and Bocas del Toro see rain in most months, with a drier spell around September and October.
Mexico, Baja whalesBest: Feb to MarGoodBestBestPossiblePossiblePossiblePossibleAvoidAvoidAvoidPossiblePossibleGrey whales are in the Magdalena Bay lagoons from about mid January to late March, mothers and calves peaking in February. Late summer and early autumn are hot, with the hurricane season.
Africa and the Middle East
Botswana, OkavangoBest: Jun to SepPossiblePossiblePossibleGoodGoodBestBestBestBestGoodPossiblePossibleThe flood peaks June to August in the dry season, the classic months for mokoro and game. October is very hot. November to March is the green season, best for birds.
Rwanda, gorillasBest: Jan to Feb, Jun to SepBestBestPossiblePossiblePossibleBestBestBestBestPossiblePossibleGoodTrekking runs all year. The dry seasons, June to September and mid December to February, give firmer trails. Permits are limited daily and sell out early in peak months.
Kenya and Tanzania, the migrationBest: Jan to Feb, Jul to SepBestBestGoodAvoidPossibleGoodBestBestBestGoodPossibleGoodCalving on the southern Serengeti plains in January and February. River crossings from July, on the Mara River mostly August to October. April brings the long rains.
JordanBest: Apr to May, Oct to NovPossiblePossibleGoodBestBestPossibleAvoidAvoidGoodBestBestPossibleSpring and autumn are the months for Petra and Wadi Rum. July and August are very hot in the desert, and winter can bring cold nights and rain.
Egypt, Red SeaBest: Mar to May, Oct to NovGoodGoodBestBestBestGoodPossiblePossibleGoodBestBestGoodThe sea is warm enough to swim most of the year. Spring and autumn are the easiest months; high summer is very hot on land.
Europe, Iceland and Canada
ItalyBest: May to Jun, Sep to OctPossiblePossibleGoodGoodBestBestPossiblePossibleBestBestPossiblePossibleMay, June, September and October for walking, gardens and long lunches outdoors. August is hot and crowded, and much of the country is on holiday.
Portugal and the DouroBest: May to Jun, Sep to OctPossiblePossibleGoodGoodBestBestPossiblePossibleBestBestGoodPossibleSpring for green terraces and mild days. The grape harvest runs September into early October. The valley floor is very hot in July and August.
IrelandBest: May to Jun, SepPossiblePossiblePossibleGoodBestBestGoodGoodBestGoodPossiblePossibleMay, June and September bring long days and fewer coaches. July and August are busiest. Rain is possible in any month.
Canadian RockiesBest: Jul to SepGoodGoodGoodPossiblePossibleGoodBestBestBestPossiblePossibleGoodJuly to September for open trails and thawed lakes; some high lakes stay frozen into June. December to March is winter, for snow and quiet lodges.
IcelandBest: Jun to AugPossibleGoodGoodPossibleGoodBestBestBestGoodGoodPossiblePossibleJune to August for the highlands, long light and open roads. September to March for northern lights, with short days and changeable winter roads.
Asia
Indonesia, Raja AmpatBest: Nov to MarBestBestBestGoodPossiblePossibleAvoidAvoidPossibleGoodBestBestOctober to April for calm seas and manta cleaning stations. From about June to September the wind picks up and the south becomes hard to reach.
Indonesia, KomodoBest: May to Jun, Sep to OctPossiblePossiblePossibleGoodBestBestGoodGoodBestBestGoodPossibleApril to November is the dry season. July and August are busiest; May, June, September and October are calmer and quieter. December to March brings showers and greener hills.
Indonesia, BaliBest: May to Jun, SepPossiblePossiblePossibleGoodBestBestGoodGoodBestGoodPossiblePossibleApril to October is drier, with July and August the busiest weeks. November to March brings heavy afternoon rain, though the island stays open.
LaosBest: Nov to JanBestGoodAvoidAvoidPossiblePossiblePossiblePossiblePossibleGoodBestBestNovember to early February is dry and mild. From mid February smoke from field burning builds, worst in the north in March and April. May to October is green and wet.
JapanBest: Apr to May, NovPossiblePossibleGoodBestBestPossiblePossiblePossiblePossibleGoodBestPossibleSpring and autumn, with blossom in late March and April and leaf colour in November. June is the rainy season, July and August are hot and humid, and typhoons peak in August and September.

Updated October 2026. Conditions vary year to year; we confirm the current picture when we quote.

Months are for the main experience named. Regional detail is in each line.

How we think about seasons

The best month is the one that suits the trip you want

A table can only say so much. When we plan, timing is the first conversation, before the hotel, because it decides what you will see and who you will share it with.

Shoulder seasons

The weeks either side of a peak usually keep most of the weather, with fewer people and a wider choice of rooms, cabins and guides. May and September in Europe, November and March in Antarctica, October in Raja Ampat. We build in a spare day where the trade is a little more weather risk.

Crowds against weather

The driest month is often the busiest. Machu Picchu in July, the Mara in August and Kyoto in blossom week are worth it with the right timing inside the day: early entries, quieter camps, a guide who knows when the coaches leave. Sometimes a good month beats a best one.

Wildlife keeps its own calendar

Animals do not move for school holidays. Penguin chicks, wildebeest calves, mantas at a cleaning station and bears on the pack ice each have a window. When wildlife is the reason for the trip, we plan around their calendar first and ours second.

A manta ray gliding above a diver over the reef
Manta and diver, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
A llama and its young among green wetland tussocks
Llamas in the wetlands, Colca Valley, Peru

Plan ahead

Windows worth booking a year out

Some of the best months are limited by permits, cabins or camp beds rather than by weather. These are the ones we start early.

Antarctica, Dec to JanSmall expedition ships and the best cabins on them go first. Twelve to eighteen months ahead is normal for the peak weeks.
Rwanda, Jun to SepGorilla permits are limited each day. We secure the permit date first and build the rest of the journey around it.
Mara River, Aug to OctCamps close to the crossing points are small and fill early. Crossings are never guaranteed on a given day, so we allow several days in the area.
Japan, Apr and NovBlossom and autumn colour bring the year's busiest weeks. Good ryokan rooms in Kyoto go many months ahead.
Svalbard, Jul to AugThe season is short and expedition ships are small. Early booking gives the best choice of ship and route.

Questions

Common questions about timing

When is the best time to go to Antarctica?

Expedition ships sail from November to March, during the southern summer. November brings fresh snow and penguin courtship, December and January bring chicks and the longest light, and February and March are the strongest months for whales. Outside those months no passenger voyages run.

When is the best time to see the Great Migration?

It depends on what you want to see. Calving happens on the southern Serengeti plains in January and February. River crossings begin in June and July on the Grumeti, and on the Mara River mostly from August to October. April is the heart of the long rains, when some camps close.

When should we go gorilla trekking in Rwanda?

Trekking runs all year. The dry seasons, June to September and mid December to February, give firmer and less slippery trails. Permits are limited each day and peak months sell out early, so we plan the permit first and build the trip around it.

When is Raja Ampat best for diving and snorkelling?

October to April, when seas are calm and manta rays visit cleaning stations most reliably. From about June to September stronger winds make crossings rough and the southern islands around Misool hard to reach.

Is it worth travelling in a shoulder season?

Often, yes. The weeks either side of the peak usually keep most of the good weather with fewer people and more choice of rooms and guides. The trade is a little more weather risk, which we plan around with spare days and flexible routing.

Can you still travel somewhere marked Possible or Avoid?

Possible means the trip works with a clear trade, such as heat, rain or rougher seas, and we will say what it is. Avoid means the trip does not run well or at all in that month, for example Antarctica in winter or northern Laos in the burning season.

Read further

Guides, journeys and field reports for these places

The table tells you when. These tell you how: where to stay, how to move between places, and what it was like when we went.

Destination guides

Journeys with a season

From the journal

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A short first note is enough: the month, who is travelling and what you hope to see. Nothing is booked until you have a written quote in front of you.