Where to go to beat the crowds or where it is is worth paying the peak season prices for a summer adventure...
The Norwegian Arctic
To search for polar bears
The Norwegian Arctic is one of our favourite July holiday destinations, not only because of the 24-hour daylight to experience this stunning landscape and search for wildlife, but as the pack-ice retreats north, it opens up more navigable arctic seas.
For most people the big ticket animal to search for in this part of the world is the iconic steward of the arctic - the polar bear. Your chance of seeing a polar bear is best on a small-ship expedition cruise encompassing daily excursions to explore by zodiac, on foot or by kayak.
By going earlier in the season and choosing a ship with a high ice-class rating you may have the chance to be able to delve north into the ice, perhaps encountering polar bears actually hunting on the sea ice.
Very strict rules are in place regarding the viewing of polar bears to avoid disturbing these vulnerable but formidable animals, as well as to keep everyone safe. While new rules state that between the 1st of July and the 28th of February you shouldn’t be closer than 300m from a bear, it is still a magical experience seeing them in their natural habitat among the snow and ice.
We’d recommend at least 7 nights on a cruise.
Trips start at £3,500 per person, excluding flights.
Colombia
Encounter ocean giants and explore the Amazon
Colombia enters a mini dry season in July so it is the perfect month to discover the country’s staggering array of landscapes including Caribbean beaches, mountains, jungle and desert.
Along with the coffee farms, dramatic landscapes and ancient history it is one of the best times of year to visit for wildlife viewing in the country.
Between June and November ocean giants arrive along Colombia’s pacific coast as humpback whales come to calve, feed and teach their young in the tropical waters, having travelled 5,800 miles (8,500 km) from Antarctica. There are three main locations to consider, Malaga Bay and Nuquí, and Gorgona Island, the latter is where you may see the whales giving birth and watch calves swimming for the first time.
Colombia’s slice of the Amazon in the south-east of the country covers almost a third of its land area, it is one of the best times of year for dazzling birdlife, sloths and pink river dolphins.
Accessible from the capital of Bogota via a two hour flight is the gateway town of Leticia, it would then be a 1.5 hour transfer to the likes of Calanoa Amazonas Lodge - a stand out accommodation in this region. As well as the wildlife keep a lookout for the largest water-lilies in the world - Victoria Regia - and soak up the rich cultural patchwork and ancient traditions of those that have long called the Amazon their home.
We’d recommend at least 10 nights.
Trips start at £4,500 per person, excluding flights.
Calanao Amazonas Lodge
Indian Himalaya
For view-seekers
While most of India is under the deluge of the annual monsoon rains and wrapped in a hot, humid blanket at this time of year, conversely at altitude in the remote state is Ladakh it is one of the best times to visit.
The snow has melted and between June and September the area is accessible for landscape lovers, keen hikers and those wanting an insight into rich Buddhist culture and the history of the “Land of High Passes”.
Fly from Delhi to Leh to visit the town’s Tibetan-style palace and medieval old town stupas before taking the Khardung La mountain pass (one of the world’s highest motorable roads at a jaw-dropping 5,349m/17,852ft) into the isolated Nubra Valley. Once a key stop on the silk route it has an unique alpine ecosystem at 3,000m/ 11,500ft and at this time of year wildflowers bedeck meadows in contrast to the towering snow-dusted peaks that surround.
July offers some of the clearest skies allowing for panoramic views across the Great Himalaya and Kashmiri Mountains at every turn as well as some sensational star-gazing.
We’d recommend at least 10 nights.
Trips start at £4,200 per person, excluding flights.
Namgyal Tsemo Monastery, Leh
Zambia's Busanga Plains
Safari goers looking for something different
In the North of Zambia’s vast Kafue National Park, sits the ephemeral and ethereal Busanga Plains. Highly seasonal, this flat grassland is underwater for much of the year, but as the waters recede, between June and November, a magical safari destination opens up.
Just a handful of lodges are hardy and unique enough to have colonised this stunningly remote area and for the travellers who make the effort to come this far a safari experience like no other awaits.
Lions are the dominant predators here, tracking the large concentrations of puku, lechwe, oribi, buffalo, hartebeest, wildebeest and zebra across the plains. Cheetah and hyena are also often seen and leopard can be found on the fringes of the grassland.
It is going to be chilly in July, so the mornings and afternoons are going to require several layers as you head out in the open safari vehicles. But what we particularly like about this time of year is the mysterious mist rising from the plains that gets caught in the cold of the morning, just waiting for a lumbering herds of elephants to pass through for the perfect photo opportunity.
Our 10-night Wild Zambia Safari includes Musekese Camp in the central Kafue and can be easily tweaked to include a further stop north in the Busanga Plains or instead of Musekese.
We’d recommend a safari of at 6 nights.
Trips starts at £5,000 per person, excluding flights.
Image credit to Green Safaris Chisa Busanga Camp
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