Is June over already?! We are ready to welcome the next month with open arms with our hotlist of holiday destinations for July and what to pack.
Be it a wind-swept road trip along stunning coastal drives, a sunrise hike up mystical mountains or perfecting your yee-haw with some dapper cowboys, we’ve got you covered for a July of adventures. Look no further for our top destinations to get booking for the most memorable summer yet.
The Azores
These windswept, volcanic islands that erupt out of the horizon in the mid-Atlantic are a playground for adventure travellers. Formed by ancient seabed volcanoes, these lands are beautiful, diverse and abundant with natural wonders. Black sand beaches, crater lakes, lava tubes, hot springs, magma cones and incredible rock formations are just a handful of the sites to see on these nine wild islands. Aptly named Flores is the place for plant life and animal enthusiasts, Pico has the archipelago’s highest peak, and São Miguel is home to the town of Punta Delgada, a melting pot of rich culture and delectable Portuguese cuisine.
While July is the driest and hottest month, its also when the seas are calmest, creating perfect conditions for whale watching. If your sea-legs cant cope with a boat trip then the land is peppered with clifftop vigias – old whale-hunter lookout towers that are now used by conservationists and eco-tourists to enjoy the majestic sights of sperm whales breaking the waves.
Renting a car and island-hopping on the ferries is highly recommended to see the most of these islands – stopping off for hikes in the mountains, stepping into ancient cave mouths or taking a break at a beautiful beach. The ‘lilac isle’ of Terceira is superb for cycling.
Philadelphia, USA
There’s nowhere like the nation’s birthplace to get involved in the Independence Day celebrations on the 4th July. Over the week encompassing America’s most important calendar date you’ll experience noble colonial re-enactments, exciting and emotional parades and of course booming and glittering firework displays. Sunny Philadelphia will be positively buzzing to the beat of military drums and folksy tunes.
The famous Liberty Bell is housed in Independence National Historic Park along with Independence Hall where the Declaration was signed in 1776, ending Britain’s colonial rule. The week will see various outdoor musical performances, street art, markets, sporting events and other cultural offerings celebrating the rich history of this region.
If you prefer a more leisurely pace, then join onto the Constitutional, a 2 km walking tour around the city that takes in 20 historic sites. Joining the locals by catching an evening game of baseball while chowing down on a hot dog is a must do, or chill out in the sun on the banks of the Delaware River with a famous Philly cheese steak and beers.
Okavango Delta, Botswana
In southern Africa’s winter time, the Okavango is in fact ‘wettest when its driest’. The delta is fed by rains that fall far away in neighbouring Angola’s hills and mountains and take half the year to trickle down into Botswana’s lowland basin, where the vein-like channels, left crisp and crumbly dry by a hot six-month summer, turn lusciously verdant in the sudden flood. Anyone with an addiction to BBC’s Planet Earth knew that already of course…
When the waters arrive in June and July, the skies should be brilliant blue and void of clouds, a winning combination for drawing out hordes of animals to view from safari, including the giraffes, zebras, leopards, cheetah and the infamous Big Five.
As well as bushwalking, horse-riding or motoring in between the fauna in a 4×4, professional guides can take you through the tangle of waterways in wooden dugout canoes –mokoro – to spot hippos, crocodiles, water birds, plant life and other wondrous creatures that come to the water’s edge to drink. Chobe National Park is known as the place to see African bush elephants and potentially the more elusive and endangered black rhino.
Luxury lodges are abundant here and serve as ideal bases for an adventure into the wild, or more keen adventurers might prefer to sleep under the stars and glamp in tented accommodation for a truer savannah experience.
Mount Fuji, Japan
The iconic symbol of Japan is the nation’s favourite peak. With four routes to the top that open from 1st of July until 14th September – the official climbing season – visitors can get trekking up the trails while they’re snow-free. You wont be alone, mind. Scores of locals and tourists alike will pack the routes, but its all part of the fun, and everyone will be in high spirits. Interacting with locals about their traditions and heritage on the way up is a must. The Japanese are exceptionally proud of their land and its beauty, and it’s very easy to see why.
The ancient volcano of Mt Fuji is considered sacred in Japanese culture and Shinto religion, so whether you’re making a pilgrimage or just going for a big tick off the bucket list, be sure to relish in the busy and exciting atmosphere. At dawn, as the sun breaks over the horizon, there’ll be a certain magic in the air as the throngs of people hush to take in the striking orange illumination. The goraiko (arrival of the light) is practically a ritual through the summer months, enjoyed from numerous lookout points in the volcano’s foothills.
Getting there from Tokyo is easy, with many forms of public transit taking happy travellers to the Mount’s base.
Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
The Wild Atlantic way is exactly that – wild winds and waves from the vast Atlantic Ocean have formed the Emerald Isle’s famously rugged coastline, offering visitors an adventure like no other that’s closer to home. A road trip from north to south or vice versa is ‘great craic’ as the locals will tell you. 2400km of stunning scenery such as dune banked beaches, hidden stone harbours, pretty fishing villages, fjords and the legendary Cliffs of Moher. To think you’ve stepped into a fantasy land would be totally accurate – the verdant, rocky landscapes have inspired tales of fairies, trolls, leprechauns and other mystical creatures from ancient history right up to modern blockbusters such as Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings.
Along the fabled route are 157 Discovery Points that teach the history and culture of this untameable environment. Must do’s along the way include Blarney Castle (and kissing the stone!) the scenic Ring of Kerry road and tabletop dancing to live music in a pub in Cork.
And while July might be the warmest month with potential of 18 hours of light, storms often roll in off the ocean. Think of the lightning as a theatrical welcome…!
Alberta, Canada
Another hit of North America in one summer? We won’t say no, especially if there’s the chance to convene with cowboys…
The 10-day Calgary Stampede is a carnival of Wild West spirit, where cowboys and cowgirls compete at lassoing stallions, steer wrestling, riding bucking broncos (real ones, with horns!) and chuckwagon racing. Don your blue jeans and ten-gallon hats and join the locals for a hoedown! This a stereotype that they are seriously proud of.
Aside from the big city, Alberta’s spectacular scenery and wildlife will leave you totally agog. The ski town of Banff has well and truly thawed by July, trading in slopes for majestic hiking trails among pine forests and craggy peaks, overlooking impossibly sapphire blue lakes. Lake Louise just over the range is a sight to behold. To not take to the water on a traditional canoe is out of the question! A road trip through the mountains, barbecuing at dusk and sleeping under immense cosmic skies, or glacier-walking and spotting brown bears (from a safe distance) will make for an utterly memorable summer vacation.
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