Best Countries to Visit in August and September from India (2027)

August and September are two very different months for travel abroad. August is peak season in Europe and peak dry season across much of Southeast Asia and East Africa: crowded and pricey, but everything is at its best. September is the turning point. Europe's crowds thin after the first week, prices fall and places that were overwhelmed in August get their character back.

This guide covers budget to luxury, solo to family, beach to safari. Some places return from the June and July guides with a different angle; others appear because August or September is exactly when to go. All visa notes are for Indian passport holders, and fares and budgets are rough guides at today's prices, with the dollar at about ₹96.

August is for the peak. September is for the smart traveller.

Southeast Asia: August Dry Season, September Value

Bali, Indonesia

Bali's dry season runs from May to September, so August and September are both excellent. August brings Galungan (11 August 2027) and Kuningan (21 August), when villages line the streets with tall bamboo penjor and temples fill with offerings, a lovely time to see Balinese life beyond the resorts.

September may be even better for Indian travellers. Crowds drop after the first week, rates fall 15 to 20 percent and the dry, slightly cooler weather continues.

Vietnam: Hoi An and Da Nang in August

Vietnam's central coast is dry from about February to August, and its rains arrive from September. That makes August the last good month for Hoi An's lantern-lit lanes, the beaches of An Bang and My Khe, and tailors who make clothes to measure in a day or two. Da Nang's Marble Mountains are an easy half-day trip, and central Vietnamese food, from cao lau noodles to white rose dumplings, is a highlight.

Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

July to mid-September is peak season in Central Asia: mountain passes are open, yurt camps are running and the high valleys are green.

Kyrgyzstan

In August, Song-Kul, the lake at 3,016 metres ringed by nomad yurt camps, is at its most accessible, and the Tien Shan is clear and spectacular. September may be the best month of all: fewer travellers, the first autumn colours in the high pastures and stable weather into early October. Kyrgyzstan's Community Based Tourism network makes it easy to arrange homestays, horses and drivers.

Tajikistan

Over 90 percent of Tajikistan is mountains, and the Pamir Highway, crossing passes above 4,600 metres, is one of the world's great road journeys. August and September are the most reliable months to drive it end to end. Dushanbe is a pleasant capital, Iskanderkul is a deep blue lake named after Alexander the Great, and the Wakhan valley along the Afghan border is one of the most remote landscapes on earth.

Europe: September Is the Month

If you have any flexibility, choose September over August for Europe. European schools reopen after the first week, domestic holidaymakers go home, hotel prices fall 20 to 40 percent and queues shorten. The weather across southern Europe is often the best of the year: warm without August's extremes. Visa centres are also quieter than in June and July, so appointments are easier to get.

Greece: September Over August

August in Greece means Santorini at its most crowded and prices at their annual peak. September brings the same scenery, a sea still at about 25°C and a fraction of the people, with temperatures easing from 35°C to a comfortable 27 to 30°C. Athens is pleasant for the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum, and the islands of Milos, Naxos, Paros and Crete are all excellent.

Turkey: August Beaches, September Culture

August is peak beach season on the Turquoise Coast, from Bodrum and Fethiye to Kaş and Antalya, and the best time for a gulet cruise on a traditional wooden yacht. September turns towards culture: Cappadocia's balloons fly in clear, cool mornings (20 to 26°C by day) with better availability, and Ephesus is far more comfortable than in midsummer.

Africa: The Safari Window

Kenya: The Great Migration

August and September are when Kenya stages the most famous wildlife event on earth. Over 1.5 million wildebeest, with zebra and gazelle, move from Tanzania's Serengeti into the Masai Mara, and the Mara river crossings, with crocodiles waiting below, usually peak in August and early September.

Beyond the migration, the Mara's lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants and hippos make it one of the finest reserves in the world. A dawn balloon flight over the plains is unforgettable. In Nairobi, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's elephant orphanage is a highlight. Mid-range tented camps have proper beds, bathrooms and good food.

Further Afield: Iceland, Morocco, New Zealand and Georgia

Iceland

August is Iceland's last month of very long days, with 16 to 18 hours of light, green hills and hiking trails open. From September the northern lights return in dark, clear skies, tourist numbers fall and the landscape turns gold and amber. The Golden Circle and the South Coast, with Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and the black sand at Reynisfjara, are excellent in both months.

Morocco

Marrakech and Fes reach 38 to 42°C in August. September cools to a manageable 28 to 33°C, which makes it the month to walk the medinas. Marrakech's Jemaa el-Fna square comes alive in the evening, the Majorelle Garden is best in the morning and Fes's medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world. Chefchaouen, the blue town in the Rif mountains, is an easy trip from Fes.

New Zealand

September is early spring in New Zealand: snow on the Southern Alps above green valleys, and shoulder-season prices around Queenstown. Fiordland's Milford Sound cruise, between sheer cliffs and waterfalls, is one of the world's great boat trips, and the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin has yellow-eyed penguins, sea lions and the only mainland royal albatross colony in the world.

Georgia

Georgia, between the Black Sea and the Caspian, is one of the most underrated trips for Indian travellers, and September is its best month. The grape harvest, rtveli, runs through September in Kakheti, the main wine region, and many wineries let you join in and taste wine made the ancient way, in qvevri clay jars.

Tbilisi mixes Persian, Russian and Soviet styles on hills above the Mtkvari river, with carved wooden balconies, sulphur baths and lively lanes. Kazbegi, about three hours north, has the classic view of Gergeti Trinity Church at 2,170 metres beneath snowy Mount Kazbek.

Visa Guide for Indians Travelling in August and September 2027

• Visa on arrival: Bali (or e-VOA).
• Online authorisation: Kenya (eTA).
• e-visa before you fly: Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Georgia and Morocco (both visa-free with a valid US, UK or Schengen visa), Turkey (only with those visas).
• Visa through a visa centre or online application: every Schengen country including Greece and Iceland, New Zealand, Turkey (without a US, UK, Schengen or Irish visa).

September is an easier month for Schengen appointments than June or July, so if you missed Europe in summer, September is very doable.

Tips for August and September Trips

• Book August early, September later. August needs flights and stays booked six to eight weeks ahead; September often works with three to four weeks.
• Choose September for Europe if you can: it wins on price, crowds and often weather.
• Kenya books out. The best river camps for August fill three to six months ahead.
• Central Asia closes in October. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have four to six good weeks left after early September.
• Watch the exchange rate. Budgets here assume about ₹96 to the dollar; a weaker rupee makes Europe, Iceland and safaris costlier.

August and September cover the widest range of good trips of any two months in the year: the safari, the Central Asian road trip, the Mediterranean at its warmest, the northern lights returning to Iceland, Georgia's harvest and the last of Bali's dry season. Places that are good in August are often better in September. The exceptions are the ones tied to August itself: the river crossings, Galungan and Iceland's long days.

Go in August if you must. Go in September if you can.