Where to go in Asia in June: the north and the dry islands

June at a glance

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

Every daily cost on this page is the mid-range level of the country's trip-cost guide: its all-in total per person, for two people sharing a room, divided by its days. 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 season it names, so the figures show the level of a country, not a quote for your dates. Euro amounts use the rate each guide states.

Hokkaido

While the rainy season reaches mainland Japan, Hokkaido stays mild and much drier. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals give Sapporo a June high of 21.8°C, a low of 13.4°C and 60.4 mm of rain, against 167.8 mm in Tokyo and 199.7 mm in Kyoto.

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

In Japan, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 150 a day all-in, from our Japan trip-cost guide, per person with two sharing a room.

There is no national holiday in June, so it is an ordinary month for crowds and prices. Kanazawa's Hyakumangoku Festival, the city's biggest event, is held every June, with its costumed procession over an early-June weekend. See the Japan festivals calendar.

Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar and the Gobi

June opens Mongolia's summer, and it is quieter than July. In the World Meteorological Organization's 1981-2010 figures, Ulaanbaatar averages a high of 22.7°C and a low of 9.5°C in June, with 48.7 mm of rain, and Dalanzadgad in the Gobi a high of 26.7°C with 15.7 mm. Gobi camps are fully open from 15 May. In the north, Khatgal on Lake Khövsgöl averages a low of 2.6°C.

Our Mongolia in 10 days covers Ulaanbaatar, a Terelj day and a six-camp loop through the Gobi to Kharkhorin; Mongolia in 14 days adds more time.

In Mongolia, a mid-range trip, on a private tour, costs about EUR 255 a day all-in, from our Mongolia trip-cost guide, per person with two sharing a room.

The Khuree Tsam Danshig Naadam near Ulaanbaatar is held in June; View Mongolia's June group tour ends at it in the last days of the month. National Naadam follows on 11-13 July. The Mongolia festivals guide has this year's dates.

Kyrgyzstan and Almaty

June is when the Kyrgyz valleys turn green and the mountains open up. Destination Karakol calls June to early September the high season for trekking. Bishkek averages 33 mm of rain in June. The UK Foreign Office warns that mountain weather can change very quickly. Almaty, across the border, averages a high of 26.5°C and a low of 15.2°C.

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

In Kyrgyzstan, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 80 a day all-in, from our Kyrgyzstan trip-cost guide. In Kazakhstan it is about EUR 90 a day all-in, from our Kazakhstan trip-cost guide. Both are per person with two sharing a room.

Community Based Tourism Kyrgyzstan lists summer festivals of horse games and birds of prey around Lake Issyk-Kul and in the valleys, with the first of them usually in late June; it publishes each year's dates on its events page. See the Kyrgyzstan festivals calendar.

Bali and Java in the dry season

June is the middle of 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 and the wet season from November to March, though it calls both seasons relative.

Our Bali in 7 days splits the week between Ubud and the south coast; Indonesia in 14 days starts in Yogyakarta and crosses to Bali by ferry.

In Bali, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 90 a day all-in, from our Bali trip-cost guide, per person with two sharing a room.

The Bali Arts Festival (Pesta Kesenian Bali) is held every year in Denpasar for about a month, with Balinese dance, music, parades, exhibitions and workshops, usually from June into July. Pancasila Day, 1 June, is a national holiday, and the Islamic New Year, which moves about 11 days earlier each year, can fall in June. The Indonesia festivals calendar has this year's dates.

Samui, Phangan and Tao

When the south-west monsoon reaches the Andaman coast, Thailand's beach trip moves to the Gulf. The Tourism Authority of Thailand gives the Gulf a tourism window from December to June, with the rains coming in from October to December. That is a seasonal description, not a promise of calm water on a given day.

Our Gulf islands in 7 days covers Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao by ferry.

In Thailand, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 115 a day all-in, from our Thailand trip-cost guide, per person with two sharing a room.

Queen Suthida's Birthday, 3 June, is a public holiday. Inland, the north and Bangkok are in the green season. See the Thailand festivals calendar.

Malaysia's east-coast islands and Kuching

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. Tourism Malaysia says Tioman's resorts generally operate from March to October and are busiest in June and July. Coastal Sarawak has its rain minimum in June or July, which suits Kuching and Bako.

Our Malaysia islands guide compares Perhentian, Redang and Tioman; Sarawak in 7 days starts in Kuching.

In Malaysia, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 80 a day all-in, from our Malaysia trip-cost guide, per person with two sharing a room.

In Sarawak, Gawai Dayak, the harvest festival, is a state holiday on 1 and 2 June; when another holiday falls on one of those days, the state moves the second day. Visitors should not assume they can join a longhouse celebration without an invitation. Malaysia's mid-year school holidays fall around the turn of May and June, so book the islands early for the first week of June. See the Malaysia festivals calendar.

Also good in June

Three more places suit June, with conditions.

• South Korea, early in the month: Seoul averages a high of 27.6°C, and the rainy season, jangma, normally starts about 25 June in the centre and about 19 June on Jeju. Memorial Day, 6 June, is a public holiday. See the best time to visit South Korea guide.
• Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle: Poson Poya, the full moon that usually falls in June, commemorates the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka from India, a major observance at Anuradhapura. The rain falls on the south-west from June to October, so stay inland or on the east side.
• Singapore, for the arts: the Singapore International Festival of Arts runs from late May into early June, and i Light Singapore, the light festival around Marina Bay, is held in June. Singapore averages 135.3 mm of rain in June. See the Singapore festivals calendar.

Where not to go in June, and why

In these places June works against an ordinary trip.

• Taiwan: Taiwan's Central Weather Administration calls May and June the Mei-Yu season; Taipei averages 345.0 mm in June and Kaohsiung 416.2 mm.
• Hong Kong and Macau: June is the wettest month of the year, with 491.5 mm in Hong Kong and 363.0 mm in Macau. The Dragon Boat Festival (Tuen Ng), a public holiday in both, falls in late May or June. See the best time to visit Macau guide.
• Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa: the rainy season; Okinawa averages 284.4 mm in June. Go to Hokkaido instead.
• Kerala, Nepal and Bhutan: the south-west monsoon normally reaches Kerala around 1 June; the Nepal Tourism Board says the June-to-September monsoon brings most of the year's rain, and Bhutan's National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology dates its rainy summer from June to September; see the best time to visit Bhutan guide.
• Delhi and Rajasthan: Delhi averages a June high of 39.0°C and Jaipur 39.7°C.
• Uzbekistan's desert cities: Bukhara's June mean is 28.3°C; Samarkand and Bukhara are best in spring and autumn. See the best time to visit Uzbekistan guide.
• The Maldives and Thailand's Andaman coast: both are in the south-west monsoon, which the Maldives Meteorological Service dates from mid-May to November.