Whether you’re in the United States, Canada, or somewhere in Europe, if you’re currently anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, there’s a solid chance that frigid winter temperatures have you craving a sunnier season. Summer, with its long days and warm evenings, is all about relaxing and enjoying life outdoors. If you can’t wait until the summer solstice (June 21) to revel in warmer weather above the equator, here are seven places in the Southern Hemisphere where you can escape winter’s dreary chill and travel straight to summertime.
Australia
Australia’s massive territory and wildly diverse terrain means that there’s a summer experience for every kind of traveler: surfing in Byron Bay, lounging poolside at the iconic Bondi Icebergs Swimming Club in Sydney, road-tripping along the Great Ocean Road, snorkeling among sea turtles at Ningaloo Reef, or attending the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Increasingly accessible due to new direct flights from the United States is Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane, which enjoys seasonal highs in the mid-80s Fahrenheit during this season. The often-overlooked city is set to host the 2032 Summer Olympics, and it’s preparing for its turn on the international stage with major developments like the $2.3 billion Queen’s Wharf district.
From this northern gateway, you can have your pick of the state’s varied offerings. Go north for the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef; south for the Gold Coast and its collection of beachfront resorts (like the new Langham); east for offshore islands like Moreton Island, with its shipwrecks and the world’s tallest coastal sand dunes; and west for the Outback, where you can visit the largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils.
For slightly more moderate temperatures, head south to Tasmania, where you’ll find Hobart’s boundary-breaking Museum of Old and New Art (which boasts architecture almost as daring as its collection) and the design-forward Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel. To truly immerse yourself in the area’s abundant wildlife, consider a multi-day “great walk” on Maria Island, where the wombats are so plentiful that visitors are asked to sign a cheeky pledge that they won’t try to pick up or take a selfie with the cuddly-looking marsupials.
Follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin as you spot species like this waved albatross, which can have a wingspan of more than eight feet.
Courtesy of HX
Ecuador
Straddling the equator, Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands experience stable warm weather throughout the year. The volcanic island chain sees some light rainfall from December through May, which actually produces a calmer ocean—better for cruising, scuba diving, and snorkeling. On Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Floreana, and Isabela—the only islands inhabited by humans—restaurants and hotel accommodations are simple (one reason why some people opt to explore the archipelago by ship). Still, most travelers don’t visit the Galápagos for a swanky experience: A trip to these islands is all about viewing the incredible variety of species that coexist within the region’s ecosystem.
Bird lovers might want to consider an expedition with HX, which recently became the official cruise partner of the National Audubon Society. While aboard, keep your eyes peeled—toward the horizon and at the sea—for feathered members of the Big 15, which include the Galápagos penguin, the blue-footed booby, and the Gálapagos flamingo.
On land, Galápagos tortoises, sea lions, and marine iguanas bask casually and comfortably under the sun on white-sand beaches and in mangrove forests. And underwater, a colorful world filled with fish, rays, sharks, and turtles awaits. To explore those waters, sign up with a local, PADI-certified shop for a day of scuba diving at world-class sites off the coast of islands such as Fernandina and Darwin.
Buenos Aires is filled with revered historic cafés like La Perla de Caminito, which has been open for more than 140 years.
Courtesy of Eduardo Sánchez / Unsplash
Argentina
Summer temperatures in Argentina’s capital city are sweltering, which is why many Buenos Aires residents, known as porteños, clear out of the city during January and February. However, those who remain can be found sipping café con leche at sidewalk eateries or sharing maté with friends at green spaces across the city. Although summertime is quieter than usual in the sprawling Latin American city, peak porteño culture still heats up after the sun goes down. In hip neighborhoods such as San Telmo and Palermo, local dancers crowd the floors of traditional milongas (tango clubs); imaginative DJs mix cumbia, hip-hop, and house music in the city’s late-night dance clubs; and those “in the know” flock to speakeasy-style lounges such as Florería Atlántico, a cocktail and wine bar hidden beneath an unassuming flower shop in the upscale Retiro neighborhood.
If partying isn’t your idea of a good time, don’t cross Argentina off your list just yet. Instead, head south to the country’s Lake District, known for its spectacular hiking, well-established microbreweries, specialty chocolate shops, and traditional Argentine asado restaurants. Stay in San Carlos de Bariloche, a Swiss-style town on the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi, which anchors the country’s oldest national park. From Bariloche, neighboring alpine towns are easily reachable by car or bus, and day hikes to nearby volcanoes, lakes, and glaciers are plentiful.
The colorful Muizenberg Beach Huts are located in St. James, about 30 minutes from Cape Town’s city center.
Photo by Andrea Willmore/Shutterstock
South Africa
South African cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg offer more than Southern Hemisphere sun. In recent years, South Africa has become a hub for fine art, fashion, food, and wine. After climbing Table Mountain and wandering through the colorful Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, visit the esteemed Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. This is also the season when many South Africans decamp to the beach, and coastal pleasures in these parts include the penguin-dotted Boulders Beach and the surfer-friendly Muizenberg Beach, which is beloved for its candy-colored beach huts.
If you have time, head to the Cape’s vineyard-strewn mountains to spend a weekend sipping world-class vintages at estates in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Paarl. Lodging in wine country doesn’t come much more stylish or immersive than Babylonstoren, a sprawling garden and farm stay that dates back to 1692.
Only a two-hour flight from Cape Town, Johannesburg also warrants a visit. What the inland city lacks in the beach department, it makes up for with its frenetic energy and cosmopolitan culture. During the day, soak up Joburg’s fashion scene in Newtown, a suburb located just over the city’s iconic Nelson Mandela Bridge. Then hit up the markets in Braamfontein and Maboneng, where the sounds of DJs playing Afrobeats from nearby rooftops set the background to your shopping experience. Any visit to Cape Town or Johannesburg should also include a guided township tour to learn more about apartheid and its lasting impact.
Channel your inner shepherd at Flockhill Lodge, an ultra-luxe retreat on a working sheep station in the Southern Alps.
Photo by Stefan Haworth
New Zealand
If you love adventure sports, stunning natural beauty, and world-class wine, New Zealand is the summer escape for you. On the North Island, explore craggy coves and cliffside beaches along the Coromandel Peninsula, located across the gulf from Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. (Waiheke Island, which produces world-class chardonnays and syrahs, is a short ferry ride from Auckland.) Visit Rotorua’s geothermal landscape—with its boiling mud pools and gushing geysers—to learn more about the country’s Indigenous Maori culture, and head to Tongariro National Park for an epic hike in Lord of the Rings territory.
In December 2023, United Airlines expanded its Pacific service with the first nonstop flight between the United States (San Francisco) and Christchurch, the South Island’s largest city. Now it’s easier than ever to enjoy the otherworldly landscape of fjords, snow-capped peaks (even in the summer!), rainforests, and alpine lakes. The best way to tackle the terrain is via one of the country’s epic long-distance hiking trails known as the Great Walks, and the country welcomed its newest, the Hump Ridge Track, in October 2024. The three-day, 37-mile loop in Fiordland National Park follows the rugged southern coastline, along boardwalks and through sub-alpine terrain, where you might encounter curious kea and kākā parrots.
For a considerably more luxurious experience, the sprawling Flockhill Lodge, set on a 36,000-acre sheep station in the Southern Alps, expanded in December with a series of new villas, a four-bedroom “homestead” with a private chef, and the open-flame restaurant Sugarloaf, which draws seasonally from the on-site gardens.
During Botswana’s rainy season, the Makgadikgadi salt pans practically turn pink with the arrival of thousands of flamingos.
Courtesy of Natural Selection
Botswana
January and February might not immediately seem an ideal time for safaris. The summer rainy season means the flora gets lush and overgrown—great for a gazelle trying to escape a lion’s gaze, not so great for a human trying to spot wildlife.
One of the few exceptions is Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, the largest salt flats in the world and the remains of an ancient lake that was bigger than Switzerland. During the dry season, the pans are flat, white, vast, and practically lunar, but when the rains start in November, the landscape shifts almost overnight, turning into a vibrant grassland. Flamingos flock here by the thousands to feed on the brine shrimp that have been trapped in the dry salt like pre-watered Sea-Monkeys, and zebras and wildebeest pass through as part of Africa’s second-largest mammal migration.
Natural Selection runs a series of safari camps in these parts, including the laid-back Camp Kalahari, the family-friendly Meno a Kwena, and the impeccably styled, tented Jack’s Camp, which combines a 1940s campaign style with an impressive new eco-friendly ethos. Tent poles, for instance, are made from trees that have been naturally felled by elephants, and the whole camp runs on solar power.
Rio de Janeiro shines extra brightly in the summer, when its beaches are packed with revelers.
Courtesy of Agustin Diaz Gargiulo/Unsplash
Brazil
If you’re really craving the summer heat, you can dive headfirst into Rio de Janeiro—which, appropriately, is named for the month of January. The weather is toasty, with average highs in the upper 80s and very high humidity. In other words, the perfect excuse to spend all your time on the beach. Each of the city’s beaches has its own character, including quiet Praia Vermelha for calm waters and a hiking trail along the rocky shore in the shadow of Sugarloaf Mountain and Copacabana for caipirinhas and people-watching along the famed mosaic promenade. Of course, the city really comes alive in February, when Carnival celebrations draw millions of visitors to see the spectacle of parades and colorful costumes, all set to a pulsing samba beat.
For a different kind of coastal vibe, head to the boho beach town of Trancoso in the state of Bahia. Much like Tulum, this once slow-paced fishing village is now attracting jet-setters with stylish stays like the Uxua Casa Hotel & Spa and Hotel Fasano Trancoso.
This article was originally published in 2019; it was updated on December 17, 2024, with current information.
