Where to go in Asia in August: Tohoku festivals, the steppe and Bali

August at a glance

These six trips are the ones where August's weather or festivals work in your favour. The table compares them, with the mid-range cost of a day.

Every daily cost on this page comes from the country's trip-cost guide: its mid-range all-in total divided by its days, per person, for two people sharing a room, converted at the rate that guide states and rounded to EUR 5. That covers rooms, every meal, local transport, sights, a SIM and a 10% buffer; only the international flight is extra. Each guide prices its own route in the month it names, so the figures show the level of a country, not a quote for your dates.

Hokkaido and the Tohoku festivals

August is hot in most of Japan: the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals give Tokyo a high of 31.3°C and Kyoto 33.7°C. Sapporo is cooler, with a high of 26.4°C, a low of 19.1°C and 126.8 mm of rain, and the north of Honshu, Tohoku, has its biggest festivals in the first week of the month.

Our Tohoku in 7 days runs from Sendai to Aomori; Hokkaido in 7 days starts in Sapporo, a short flight or train ride further north.

In Japan, a mid-range day costs about EUR 150 all-in, from our Japan trip-cost guide.

Aomori Nebuta Matsuri runs from 2 to 7 August every year: giant illuminated nebuta floats parade through central Aomori on the evenings of 2 to 6 August, and again by day and in the evening on 7 August. Akita Kanto Matsuri runs from 3 to 6 August every year, and Sendai Tanabata Matsuri from 6 to 8 August. Mountain Day, 11 August, is a national holiday. Obon, usually around 13 to 16 August, is not a public holiday, but JNTO says seats on planes, trains and highway buses sell out in advance. See the Japan festivals calendar.

Mongolia

August is still summer on the steppe, with the Naadam crowds gone. In the World Meteorological Organization's 1981-2010 figures, Ulaanbaatar averages a high of 22.4°C and a low of 10.5°C in August, with 71.7 mm of rain, and Dalanzadgad in the Gobi a high of 26.6°C. At Khatgal on Lake Khövsgöl the August low is 4.5°C. View Mongolia says the seasonal ger camps are fully open from 15 May to 20 September.

Our Mongolia in 14 days adds the north to the Gobi; Mongolia in 10 days covers Ulaanbaatar, Terelj and a Gobi loop to Kharkhorin.

In Mongolia, a mid-range day costs about EUR 255 all-in, from our Mongolia trip-cost guide.

August has no national holiday in Mongolia. See the best time to visit Mongolia guide for the camp seasons.

Kyrgyzstan and Almaty

August is Bishkek's driest month, with 14 mm of rain on average. Destination Karakol calls June to early September the high season for trekking, and Issyk-Kul's beach season is high summer, with July and August the warmest months. Almaty, across the border, averages a high of 28.8°C. The UK Foreign Office warns that mountain weather can change very quickly.

Our Issyk-Kul and Karakol guide covers the lake and the trekking base; Central Asia in 14 days runs from Tashkent through Almaty to Bishkek.

In Kyrgyzstan, a mid-range day costs about EUR 80 all-in, from our Kyrgyzstan trip-cost guide. In Kazakhstan, it costs about EUR 90 all-in, from our Kazakhstan trip-cost guide.

Community Based Tourism Kyrgyzstan holds village festivals through August, among them national horse games, birds of prey festivals and a yurt festival, and posts each year's dates on its events page. Independence Day, 31 August, is the national day and a public holiday. See the Kyrgyzstan festivals calendar.

Bali and Java in the dry season

August is the dry season in southern Indonesia. Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism says that in most of the country, Java and Bali included, the dry season runs from April to October, though it calls both seasons relative. Its Bromo page says the sunset is best during the dry season from July to October.

Our Indonesia in 14 days runs from Yogyakarta to Bromo, Ijen and Bali; Bali in 7 days splits the week between Ubud and the south coast.

In Bali, a mid-range day costs about EUR 90 all-in, from our Bali trip-cost guide.

Independence Day, 17 August, marks the 1945 proclamation and is a national holiday. Islamic holidays such as the Prophet's Birthday move about 11 days earlier each year, so check them in the festivals calendar. The Dieng Culture Festival in Central Java is an annual event, usually held in August. See the Indonesia festivals calendar.

Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle and Kandy

In August the south-west monsoon still rains on Sri Lanka's south-west coast and hills, but the dry zone is on the other side of the island's weather. The German Foreign Office puts the south-west rain from June to October. Sri Lanka Tourism says May to October is a popular time to visit Minneriya, in the dry zone near Polonnaruwa, for the elephant gathering.

Our Sigiriya and Dambulla guide covers the Cultural Triangle, and the Kandy guide the city of the Temple of the Tooth.

In Sri Lanka, a mid-range day costs about EUR 100 all-in, from our Sri Lanka trip-cost guide.

The Sri Dalada Maligawa holds its Esala Perahera in July or August, and fixes the nights anew each year. Nikini Full Moon Poya, usually in August, is a bank and public holiday. See the Kandy Esala Perahera guide for the nights and the Sri Lanka festivals calendar for the Poya dates.

Sabah's west coast

Sabah's rainfall changes over short distances. MET Malaysia records the north-west coast's two lower-rainfall months as February and August, with rainfall peaks around June and October. August is the wetter of the two, but it is still a good month for Kota Kinabalu and Kinabalu Park.

Our Sabah in 10 days covers Kota Kinabalu, Kinabalu Park, Sepilok and the Kinabatangan River.

In Malaysia, a mid-range day costs about EUR 80 all-in, from our Malaysia trip-cost guide.

National Day (Merdeka), 31 August, commemorates independence. See the Malaysia festivals calendar for the state holidays.

Also good in August

Two more places suit August, with conditions.

• Koh Tao and the Gulf islands: the Tourism Authority of Thailand puts the Gulf's rains from October to December, and Ban's Diving Resort on Koh Tao charges its high-season rate from 1 July to 31 August. In Thailand, a mid-range day costs about EUR 115 all-in, from our Thailand trip-cost guide. See Gulf islands in 7 days.
• Singapore for National Day, 9 August, if you accept the south-west monsoon showers; Singapore averages 146.9 mm of rain in August. See the best time to visit Singapore guide.

Where not to go in August, and why

In these places August works against an ordinary trip.

• Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, if you mind heat: highs of 31.3°C in Tokyo and 33.7°C in Kyoto. JNTO says the big cities are far less crowded than usual over Obon.
• Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau: typhoon season; Kaohsiung averages 512.4 mm of rain in August and Hong Kong 453.2 mm, and Macau's tourism office names July to September as the months most seriously affected by tropical cyclones. See the best time to visit Macau guide.
• South Korea and eastern China: hot and wet; Seoul averages 348.2 mm in August, and Shanghai a high of 31.5°C.
• The Philippines: Baguio averages 963.2 mm of rain in August, and Manila and Coron are in the wet season. See the best time to visit the Philippines guide.
• Nepal, Bhutan and India: the monsoon; the Nepal Tourism Board says the June-to-September monsoon brings about 80% of the year's rain. See the best time to visit Bhutan guide.
• Uzbekistan's desert cities: Bukhara's August mean is 27.6°C. Go in spring or autumn.
• Laos, Cambodia and northern Vietnam: the wet season; Vientiane averages 329.5 mm in August.
• The Maldives and Thailand's Andaman coast: the south-west monsoon, which the Maldives Meteorological Service dates from mid-May to November.