Best Places To Visit In August Outside India

If you’ve been waiting to take an international tour, August is undoubtedly the best month to do that. There are many places in Europe that can be jam-packed, but one can still take refuge in a handful of heavenly secret spots! Here’s a list of the best places to visit in August outside India that reinforces the belief we all have in the beauty of nature:

Zakynthos, Greece

Explore the Greek islands’ best-kept secret – Zakynthos’ splashy side. Last year, the all-suite Olea hotel on the east coast filled a yawning gap in the island’s design. It almost blends into the sleepy hillside where it sits, surrounded by jagged mountains, fragrant pine forests and serene, sandy shores. Yes, it sizzles here in August, but that’s what the hotel’s extravagant, lake-like pool is for; not to mention the Ionian’s cooling waves. In fact, in these circumstances, booking one of the Olea’s swim-up suites makes sense. Without a doubt, Zakynthos is one of the best places to visit outside in India in the month of August.

Svalbard & Vesteralen Archipelagos, Norway

Those looking for their next big adventure are increasingly turning to Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago halfway between the mainland and the North Pole. The number of cruises making the journey here has rocketed by a steady 20 per cent every year for the past decade, according to officials in the area. You can even view the polar bears in the height of summer when the ice melts enough to allow ships through. Then there’s the beauty that goes with being one of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas - infinite ice fields, pristine snow-cloaked peaks, and electric-blue icebergs. These Norwegian archipelagos are one of the most beautiful places to visit in August outside India. If you are not up for a big expedition, you can try Vesteralen instead. Closer to civilisation but still wild and isolated, these islands are all forested mountains and immaculate fjords, and a high chance of seeing whales.

Devon & Dorset, United Kingdom

The best of English seaside and countryside fuse in Devon and Dorset, where a crop of exciting new openings are adding a dash of glamour to the sweeping biscuit-coloured beaches, rolling moorland, fine country houses, and even finer cream teas. In Devon, Art Deco marvel the Burgh Island Hotel is getting a multimillion-pound makeover, which the new owners say will restore it to its 1950s heyday as ‘the best hotel west of The Ritz’.

Dorset’s Jurassic Coast needs no introduction, but there are some spiffy things happening inland too; see the new Abbot’s Court in Winterborne Kingston, a lovely Victorian farmhouse renovated under the patronage of Farrow & Ball, where the restaurant’s locally grown, reared and foraged dishes shoot for Michelin glory.

The perfect balance of nature and extravagance make it one of the top places to visit outside India in August.

Anambas & Riau Islands, Singapore

Singapore is quite often considered a stopover en route to down under which makes it an even better jumping-off point for a quartet of sensational private islands. Just 150 nautical miles northeast, Pulau Joyo is a beautiful barefoot retreat in the Anambas, where guests stay in ‘driftwood palaces’ sporting an aesthetic you might call Robinson Crusoe like. Also in the Anambas, Bawah Reserve’s teak overwater bungalows venture across a trio of remote, protected lagoons. Further east, the Riau Islands offer Cempedak, where two-floor, eco-chic villas have huge decks and spiral staircases; and Nikoi, with its own rainforest alongside bleach-white sands and stilted beach houses. The islands near Singapore are one of the must go to places to visit in August outside India.

Ecuador, South America

For a country of its size, Ecuador sure packs a punch. You can climb volcanoes, trek the Amazon, surf around the Pacific coast’s sleepy seaside towns, zip line through the cloud forest and then dive into Quito, one of South America’s most compelling capitals. Be sure to dip into the city’s 16th-century Old Town, Latin America’s largest and best-preserved one. For Piscos (and other alcoholic beverages), it’s got to be Cafe Mosaico, where the terrace view swoops over red rooftops and toward volcanic slopes. You could also catch cool bands at guerrilla-style gigs by keeping up with Sesiones al Parque. Ecuador makes a strong case for itself as one of the best places to visit in August outside India, and can also be more than a gateway to the Galápagos. It’s a dream destination in its own right.

Papua New Guinea

The infrastructure of Papua New Guinea is so sparse that visitors have to join an organised tour. It’s a place that feels unrealistically exotic. It’s a land of steaming volcanoes and remote and pierced-and-feathered tribes! It is undoubtedly one of the best places to visit outside India in August as the dry season is in full swing, and when the country is host to two jaw-dropping cultural carnivals - the Sepik River Crocodile Festival and the Mount Hagen Cultural Show. At the latter, more than 100 communities gather to share traditional costumes, rituals, and music including the likes of terrifying masked ‘mudmen’, vividly painted chiefs and the eerie skeleton dancers of the Chimbu tribe. Meanwhile, on the Sepik River, clans gather to celebrate their bond with local wildlife.

Channel Islands

With their champagne-toned sand beaches, cobalt-blue waters and a laid-back approach to life, the Channel Islands are compared surprisingly often to the Caribbean. Slightly French, slightly British but completely unique, the islands are perfect for a quick getaway or a week of lolling around on the sand and exploring the quaint seaside villages. Channel Islands rank high in the list of the best places to visit outside India in August. Jersey and Guernsey remain charmingly eccentric and twee, with a maritime, riviera-feel to their towns which bustle with seafood restaurants and harbour cafés. Even the smaller islands of Alderney, Herm and Sark are as beguiling as they are beautiful.

August in India is not nearly as hot as it is outside of it. It makes for a great reason to utilise the month of August by travelling to the places mentioned above. Not only is it an absolutely fantastic way to round off your summer in style but an amazing opportunity to explore places that are generally less travelled to. So what are you waiting for; it’s time to disconnect before you connect with yourself.