Where to go in Asia in July: Naadam, Hokkaido, dry islands

July at a glance

These six trips are the ones where July'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.

Mongolia for Naadam

July is the heart of Mongolia's summer. In the World Meteorological Organization's 1981-2010 figures, Ulaanbaatar averages a high of 24.6°C and a low of 12.7°C in July, with 67.8 mm of rain, and Dalanzadgad in the Gobi a high of 28.8°C. In the north, Khatgal on Lake Khövsgöl averages 19.2°C by day and 6.4°C at night, and July is its wettest month, with 92.8 mm.

Our Mongolia in 10 days covers Ulaanbaatar, a Terelj day and a six-camp loop through the Gobi to Kharkhorin; the Lake Khövsgöl guide covers the north.

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

Naadam is celebrated every year from 11 to 13 July across Mongolia, and UNESCO lists it as intangible heritage of humanity. Mongolia's public holidays law makes the whole of 10 to 15 July a holiday. District and provincial centres hold their own naadams too, smaller and less crowded. See the Mongolia festivals guide for the programme and the tours.

Hokkaido

While Tokyo and Kyoto are hot and humid, Hokkaido is warm. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals give Sapporo a July high of 25.4°C, a low of 17.9°C and 90.7 mm of rain, against a high of 29.9°C in Tokyo and 32.0°C in Kyoto.

Our Hokkaido in 7 days starts in Sapporo; the Sapporo guide covers the city itself.

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

Marine Day, the third Monday of July, is a national holiday and gives a three-day weekend. The Grand Sumo July Tournament runs for 15 days in the middle of the month at IG Arena in Nagoya. See the Japan festivals calendar.

Kyrgyzstan's lakes and mountains

July is high summer in the Kyrgyz mountains. Destination Karakol calls June to early September the high season for trekking, and Kyrgyz Railways runs a summer train from Bishkek to Balykchy, at the western tip of Issyk-Kul; in 2026 it ran daily from 26 June to 13 September. Bishkek averages only 19 mm of rain in July. 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 ends in Bishkek after Uzbekistan and Almaty.

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

Community Based Tourism Kyrgyzstan holds village festivals through the summer, among them the Jaichy agro-festival and Kochkor Fest in July, and posts each year's dates on its events page. Issyk-Kul's beach season is high summer, on the north shore around Cholpon-Ata. See the best time to visit Kyrgyzstan guide.

Bali, Java and Lombok in the dry season

July 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, when fog does not block the sky.

Our Bali and Lombok in 10 days adds Lombok to Bali; East Java's volcanoes in 5 days covers Bromo and Ijen.

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

Bali's provincial tourism office describes the Bali Kite Festival as an annual July event on the coast at Padang Galak, Sanur. The Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar has run from mid-June to mid-July in recent editions. See the Indonesia festivals calendar.

Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle and Kandy

In July the south-west monsoon rains on Sri Lanka's south-west coast, but the dry zone of the north and east is on the other side of the island's weather. The German Foreign Office puts the south-west rain from June to October and the north-east rain from December to March. 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 and Polonnaruwa guide cover the Cultural Triangle.

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. Esala Full Moon Poya, usually in July, is a bank and public holiday. The Kataragama festival, in the south, is held in July each year, by its temple's account. See the Kandy Esala Perahera guide for the nights and the Sri Lanka festivals calendar for the Poya dates.

Malaysia's east coast and Koh Tao

MET Malaysia records June and July as the driest months in most east-coast districts, but a climatological average is not a promise of calm water on a particular day. Across the Gulf of Thailand, 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, as well as from December to April.

Our Malaysia islands guide compares Perhentian, Redang and Tioman; Gulf islands in 7 days covers Samui, Phangan and Tao.

In Malaysia, a mid-range day costs about EUR 80 all-in, from our Malaysia trip-cost guide. In Thailand, it costs about EUR 115 all-in, from our Thailand trip-cost guide.

Sarawak Day, 22 July, is celebrated across Sarawak. In Thailand, Asarnha Bucha falls on the full moon of the eighth lunar month, usually in July, Buddhist Lent starts the day after, and the King's Birthday is 28 July. See the Thailand festivals calendar.

Also good in July

Two more places suit July, with conditions.

• Kyoto, Fukuoka and Osaka for the summer festivals, if you accept heat and rain: Yasaka Shrine's Gion Matsuri in Kyoto lasts the whole of July, with the float processions on 17 and 24 July; the Hakata Gion Yamakasa runs from 1 to 15 July; and the Tenjin Matsuri peaks on 24 and 25 July. Kyoto averages a July high of 32.0°C. See the Japan festivals calendar.
• Astana, in northern Kazakhstan: it averages a July high of 27.0°C, and Capital Day is 6 July. Almaty is hotter, at 29.7°C. See the best time to visit Kazakhstan guide.

Where not to go in July, and why

In these places July works against an ordinary trip.

• South Korea: the rainy season; the Korea Meteorological Administration's 1991-2020 normals give Seoul 414.4 mm of rain in July.
• Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai: hot and wet; Beijing averages a high of 30.8°C and 176 mm of rain, and Shanghai a high of 31.6°C. See the best time to visit China guide.
• Hong Kong and Macau: Hong Kong averages 385.8 mm of rain in July, 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.
• Nepal, Bhutan and India: the monsoon; the Nepal Tourism Board says the June-to-September monsoon brings about 80% of the year's rain, and Paro averages 119.8 mm in July. See the best time to visit Bhutan guide.
• Uzbekistan's desert cities: Bukhara's July mean is 29.8°C and Samarkand's 27.5°C. See the best time to visit Uzbekistan guide.
• The Philippines, northern Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos: the wet season; Baguio averages 772.7 mm in July, Vientiane 296.6 mm and Phnom Penh 171.3 mm.
• The Maldives and Thailand's Andaman coast: the south-west monsoon, which the Maldives Meteorological Service dates from mid-May to November.