When each destination in the BGGD library is at its best. Specific months, not seasons.
January
Best: Morocco (the Sahara at dawn without the summer heat), South India (Kerala backwaters, cool and clear), Peru (Machu Picchu crowds at their annual low, dry in the Sacred Valley), New Zealand (the southern hemisphere summer, the Milky Way visible from the South Island), Sri Lanka west coast (dry season). Avoid: UK, northern Europe generally, Iceland (short days, though the Northern Lights are excellent).
February
Best: Iceland (peak Northern Lights probability, the aurora season at full intensity), Japan (no crowds, the plum blossom before cherry season, the ryokan in winter mode), Ethiopia (the best trekking weather in the Simien Mountains), Jordan (the cool desert, the Wadi Rum night sky without the summer heat). Avoid: Southeast Asia rainy season is over — February is actually excellent for Thailand and Vietnam.
March
Best: Japan (the cherry blossom window — typically last week of March in Tokyo, the most specific travel experience in the country, book 4-6 months ahead), Georgia (the spring flowers, before the summer tourist peak), Portugal (green from winter rains, the almond blossom in the Algarve, cheaper than June), Oman (the Jebel Akhdar rose harvest begins). Avoid: Iceland (the spring equinox produces the largest geomagnetic storms and thus the finest Northern Lights of the year — but the snow can close the highland roads).
April
Best: Japan (cherry blossom in Kyoto, one week typically, book immediately when available), Greece and the Cyclades (before the summer peak, the islands at their greenest from winter rain), Bhutan (the Paro Tsechu festival, the rhododendrons in full flower), Nepal (the pre-monsoon trekking season, the Himalayan views at their clearest), Morocco (the spring wildflowers on the Atlas foothills). Avoid: Southeast Asia — April is the hottest month of the year in Thailand (42-44°C in Bangkok), the Songkran water festival makes normal travel in Thailand very difficult.
May
Best: Italy (before the summer crowds, the temperatures perfect for the cities and the Dolomites, the olive oil harvest still available from previous autumn), Greece (the sea warm enough to swim in Crete by mid-May, the Cyclades island circuit at its best before peak), Iceland (the puffins have arrived, the highland roads begin to open, the midnight sun approaching), Croatia (the Adriatic warm but not the August density). Avoid: Anything in the Middle East desert in late May — the summer heat establishing. Indian subcontinent: May is among the hottest pre-monsoon months.
June
Best: Scotland and the NC500 (the longest days, the midges not yet at peak, the landscape green), Iceland (the midnight sun at full effect, the highland roads open), the Azores (the whalewatching season for blue and fin whales), Bolivia (the Salar de Uyuni in the dry season, the best photography conditions), the Balkans (before peak season crowds, the Adriatic warm). Avoid: Southeast Asia — June-August is the rainy season in Thailand and Vietnam (it’s manageable but the daily rain pattern disrupts outdoor plans).
July
Best: Norwegian Fjords (the midnight sun visible north of the Arctic Circle, the fjords at their most accessible), Greenland (the hiking season, the icebergs at their most spectacular from the Disko Bay), the Azores (the sea temperature at its peak, the laurisilva forests at their most lush), Canada (the national parks accessible, the Rocky Mountains in summer condition), Mongolia (the Naadam Festival, the steppe at its most accessible). Avoid: Rome, Florence, Venice (40°C and maximum tourist density — the worst version of the finest Italian cities), Rajasthan India (the monsoon), Southeast Asian beaches (rainy season).
August
Best: Switzerland (the Alpine hiking season peak, the Jungfrau accessible without snow), The Faroes (the puffins still present, the dramatic Atlantic landscape), Finnish Lapland (the midnight sun, the lake swimming, the sauna culture), Santorini and the Cyclades (peak season in the sense that the boats and the beaches are all operational — expensive and crowded but the sea is warmest now). Avoid: Anywhere in the Gulf (45°C+ in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat), coastal Mediterranean cities (the crowds are absolute — Barcelona and Rome are at their worst by the second week of August).
September
Best: The best month overall across the widest range of destinations — the European cities post-summer (the temperature still warm but the crowds reduced by 30-40%), Southeast Asia (the rainy season ending in Thailand and Vietnam, the prices lower than the peak season that follows), the Scottish Highlands (the heather turning, the midges gone, the light in September quality in the highlands), Japan (the summer heat easing, the cicadas giving way to silence), Morocco (the air cooling but still warm, the beaches accessible, the Sahara manageable). Avoid: Caribbean hurricane season (September is the statistical peak month — Barbados, Antigua, St Lucia all have elevated risk).
October
Best: Japan (the autumn leaves — koyo — typically late October in Kyoto and Nikko, the most photographed seasonal event in the country), Georgia (the rtveli wine harvest, Kakheti in full colour), the Dolomites (the larch trees turning gold, fewer hikers than summer), India (the post-monsoon season beginning, the air washed clean, the Rajasthan circuit beginning), Jordan (the cool desert, the Petra crowds lower than the spring peak). Avoid: Iceland’s tourist peak (July-September) is over — October is actually excellent for Iceland, particularly for the Northern Lights beginning to be visible.
November
Best: Cambodia and Laos (the post-rainy season — the landscape green, the waterfalls full, the Angkor Wat crowds at their autumn low), Egypt (the Nile Valley cooling to the comfortable 25-30°C after the summer extremes), Madeira (the levadas at their most flowered, the island quiet), Bolivia (the rainy season beginning to transform the Salar), Ethiopia Lalibela (the Timkat preparation period, the pilgrims arriving, the churches most atmospheric). Avoid: The Maldives (November-December is the rainy season for the southern atolls).
December
Best: Sri Lanka east coast (the west coast is wet in December; the east coast — Arugam Bay, Trincomalee — is dry and warm), Bolivia and Peru (the mountains clear, the Salar occasionally flooded for the mirror effect), Chiang Mai (the cool season, the best weather of the Thai year, the flower festival in December), South Africa (the Cape summer, the whale watching ending but the wildflowers still visible in Namaqualand). Avoid: European cities (the Christmas markets attract crowds and inflate prices; the days are short). Northern Japan (the heavy snow closes many outdoor sites).
