August is peak season almost everywhere. Airports full, beaches crowded, restaurants overbooked. And yet — if you know where to look — there are destinations that are at their very best this month, precisely because everyone else has gone somewhere else.
Here are five that Séquence is recommending right now.
🌍 Zanzibar & Tanzania — The perfect combination
July and August are dry season in East Africa. The Great Migration is in full swing in the northern Serengeti, where short grasses make it easy to catch thrilling glimpses of wildlife gathering near water sources. Zanzibar is at its finest this month, with warm days, gentle breezes, and crystal-clear waters — perfect for sailing, snorkeling, and soaking up the sun.
The combination works because it is genuinely rare : a safari and a beach in the same trip, without a long transfer or a complicated logistics chain. Saadani National Park, the only park in Tanzania that borders the ocean — sits 15 minutes by private Cessna from Zanzibar. Game drives in the morning, Indian Ocean in the afternoon.
What Séquence recommends : Saadani Safari Lodge for the park, Gold Zanzibar or Bawe Island for the beach, depending on whether you want a resort or total seclusion.
Best for : couples, solo travellers, or anyone who has been putting off Africa because it seemed too complicated to organise. Direct flights from Paris with Air France, no Middle East stopover.
🏖️ Sardinia — The Mediterranean that resists becoming a postcard
The Costa Smeralda is full in August. The interior of Sardinia is not. That distinction matters, and it is exactly where Séquence looks.
Granite mountains, ancient villages untouched by mass tourism, a coastline that still holds stretches of turquoise water without a beach club in sight. The island rewards those willing to look past its famous coves and into its quieter, wilder heart. Exceptional, understated gastronomy. A Mediterranean that feels private.
What Séquence recommends : base yourself in the interior or the south, Cagliari, the Sulcis coast, or the area around Nuoro. Day trips to the coast when the crowds thin in late afternoon.
Best for : those who love the Mediterranean but have stopped going in August because of the crowds. Sardinia's interior is the answer. Direct flights from Paris in under 2 hours.
🏔️ Morocco — The Atlas Mountains in August
Most people think of Morocco as a winter or spring destination. August proves them wrong, if you know where to go.
Marrakech in August is hot. The Medina, the souks, the rooftops, all of it works better at dawn or dusk. But one hour south of the city, the High Atlas Mountains offer something entirely different : fresh air, dramatic valleys, Berber villages untouched by the summer crowds, and temperatures that drop significantly as you gain altitude.
The combination works precisely because most visitors never leave the city. The mountains are quiet in August. The landscapes are at their most vivid : green valleys, clear rivers, long light in the evenings. And Marrakech, when you return for a night or two, feels like a reward rather than an ordeal when the heat breaks after sunset.
What Séquence recommends : 5 to 7 days split between the High Atlas, Ouirgane valley, Aït Benhaddou, or the Setti Fatma waterfalls, and two nights in Marrakech, timed for the cooler bookends of the day.
Best for : those who want culture and landscape in the same trip, without a long-haul flight. Direct flights from Paris in 3h30 with Air France or Royal Air Maroc.
🦍 Rwanda — Something genuinely rare
August in Rwanda generally has warm temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 28°C in the warmer areas and low monthly rainfall in Kigali, conditions are perfect that month. June to September is dry season, the best time to visit, with clear skies and accessible trails through Volcanoes National Park.
Rwanda is one of the only places on earth where you can sit a few metres from mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Beyond the gorilla trek, the country offers volcanic landscapes, terraced hills, and a capital, Kigali, often described as the cleanest and safest in Africa.
Every aspect of Rwandan tourism is designed to be low-impact and high-intention — permits are limited, lodges are small, and the experience feels like a privilege rather than a transaction.
What Séquence recommends : a 5 to 7 day itinerary combining Kigali, a gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park, and two nights on the shores of Lake Kivu. Note : gorilla trekking permits sell out months in advance, planning ahead is essential.
Best for : travellers looking for something genuinely rare, not just geographically, but experientially. Flights from Paris via Addis Abeba with Ethiopian Airlines or direct with RwandAir, no Middle East stopover.
🌌 Lapland — Midnight sun and total silence
Most people think of Lapland in winter, for the northern lights. But June to August offers something equally extraordinary and far less expected : the midnight sun.
Endless daylight, empty landscapes, private lodge experiences designed around stillness rather than activity. Hiking through silent forests, kayaking on glassy lakes, falling asleep to a sky that never fully darkens. The same lodges that host aurora seekers in winter become intimate, design-forward retreats in summer, often at lower prices and with far fewer guests.
What Séquence recommends : Swedish or Finnish Lapland, 4 to 6 days, based in a private lodge outside of Kiruna or Rovaniemi. Activities chosen around pace, not agenda.
Best for : anyone who wants total disconnection without travelling to the other side of the world. Flights from Paris via Helsinki or Stockholm, entirely within Europe.
A note on how to book these trips
These five destinations have one thing in common : they are not difficult to reach, but they are easy to get wrong. The wrong lodge, the wrong timing, the wrong transfer, and the experience collapses.
Séquence designs each of these itineraries from scratch, built around how you want to feel, not around what is easiest to book. One brief, one recommendation, one roadbook. You show up.
Travel conditions evolve. Séquence monitors flight routes and regional situations to ensure every trip we design is both safe and accessible.
→ Tell us which of these destinations speaks to you. Start your trip with Séquence.
Séquence Travel
Member of the Collectif My Way · Licensed travel operator (Atout France)
