The Best Honeymoon Destinations in August

Our specialists say the Mauritius is the most romantic honeymoon destination in August. Impossibly lush and fringed by slender strips of white sand, Mauritius is an island that looks like it has been ripped straight from a postcard. There’s so much to do here: hiking, cultural tours, adrenaline-charged activities, snorkelling and diving and so much more. Plus, you need to make sure you find time to relax, too! Mauritius is a place you could easily spend a fortnight on and every day be different. It’s a honeymoon destination in August that has everything.

Why visit in August?

• Mauritius welcomes dry and cool weather during its wintertime but don’t worry, the temperatures are still hot enough for chilling on the beach.
• Even though it’s the school holidays, it’s considered the low season in Mauritius so it will be quieter on the island.
• It’s prime humpback whale-spotting season along the west coast of Mauritius, so you can see these in August along with sperm whales, which can be spotted year-round.
• This is a dream honeymoon.

More about honeymoons in Mauritius.

Just uttering the name The Islands of Tahiti transports you to land of emerald-wrapped islands, impossibly blue lagoons and a kind of rustic exoticism you will struggle to find anywhere else. The fact these dreamy isles are in the middle of the South Pacific with nothing else around for hundreds of miles only adds to the allure and, in many ways, it’s the ultimate place for a honeymoon in August. In Tahiti, you’re guaranteed to get away from it all.

Why visit in August?

• August is during Tahiti’s dry season, so get ready to enjoy warm weather and cloudless skies.
• The islands welcome the south-easterly mara’amu winds, which helps regulate the warm temperatures, keeping them pleasant but not too hot!
• It’s one of the best months for spotting humpback whales, which arrive from Antarctica between July and October.
• This is the ideal luxury honeymoon.

More about honeymoons in The Islands of Tahiti.

Sometimes, the simple things provide the best form of enjoyment on an island honeymoon. This is especially the case in Greece, where the greatest joys can be found in a burnt orange sunset sinking into the Aegean Sea or the rhythmic sound of wavelets lapping a buttermilk-coloured beach. On a honeymoon in Greece's gorgeous islands, it's just you, your loved one and some magical landscapes. Pure Mediterranean bliss.

Why visit in August?

• August is peak summer on its islands, so expect skies a Greek blue colour and minimal chance of rain.
• Greeks know how to party and its islands host a number of festivals during August.
• This is perfect for a minimoon. 

More about honeymoons in Greece.

If you’re after a slice of authentic Africa for your honeymoon in August, then Kenya offers it in spades. An acacia tree standing lonely in the terracotta-coloured African savannah? Check. Game being chased at breakneck speed by a big cat? Check. The Great Migration, possibly the world’s finest wildlife experience? Check. Kenya has it all and a honeymoon here will leave your hearts full and your memory bank fuller.

Holiday type: Safari Honeymoon

Why visit in August?

• August is one of Kenya’s dry seasons, so you’ll be blessed with warm and dry weather.
• The dry weather also means that wildlife is easier to spot, as they won’t be sheltering from the rain.
• It’s the best time for the Great Migration! It’s a wildlife spectacle not to be missed, as over a million wildebeest charge from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the Masai Mara.
• This is the perfect safari honeymoon.

More about honeymoons in Kenya.

Quite simply the ultimate honeymoon destination, the Maldives has newlyweds purring from the moment they lay eyes on its cyan-hued lagoons, overwater bungalows and pure white beaches. It ticks all of the romance boxes, but there's more to the Maldives than most give it credit for – think epic diving, cinema screenings on the sand, underwater spas and inventive dining you didn't think was possible on an island the size of a pinhead.

Why visit in August?

• It may by the Maldives' low season, but rainfall is still rare so you can really feel like Robinson Crusoe on your paradise island.
• The low season means you get far better rates, too, meaning you can get a better value honeymoon.
• For an epic experience, head to Hanifaru Bay, where you can swim with manta rays and whale sharks who come to feed on plankton at this time of year.
• This is truly a dream honeymoon.

More about honeymoons in the Maldives.

Delightfully free of any glitz or glamour, the Cook Islands offer an irresistible rustic island getaway. Tourism is still in its infancy, buildings aren't allowed to be built higher than the tallest palm tree and traffic lights doesn't even exist here. Rarotonga is the perfect base for active honeymooners, whose lush core promises adventure in abundance, while Aitutaki serves up the classic desert island experience, where you're firmly granted a licence to chill.

Holiday type: Luxury Honeymoon

Why visit in August?

• Weather-wise, it's the optimum time to visit. It's warm enough for relaxing on its cotton-white beaches but cool enough to comfortably explore Rarotonga's jungle interior.
• It's the driest time of year to visit the Cook Islands.
• Rarotonga is still lovely and green after the rainy season.
• A luxury honeymoon is guaranteed here.

More about honeymoons in the Cook Islands.

Often the island most associated with the Caribbean's world-famous beaches, its western Platinum Coast has become a playground for celebrities. But it's a place that everyone can lap up and its name could just as well be used to describe its platinum-blonde beaches. Barbados does tropical scenes terrifically well but British tradition is also evident in its red post boxes, churches and history in the sugar trade. If Barbados' western coast is too glitzy for some honeymooners, its wild eastern fringes are just as beautiful and attract only a fraction of the visitors.

Why visit in August?

• Though there is the chance of thunderstorms during this time, Barbados' eastern location means it avoids the brunt of the Caribbean hurricane season.
• You can take advantage of the better-value offers during the low season.
• August marks the culmination of the island's Crop Over festival, where a grand colourful parade is the final celebration of Barbados' vibrant carnival season.
• A dream honeymoon!

More about honeymoons in Barbados.

A stunning patchwork of wildernesses, Botswana is great if you want a honeymoon on the wild side. The watery world of the Okavango Delta is the headlining act, a place where a cruise in a mokoro (dug-out canoe) can take you nose-to-trunk with elephants and over 500 species of birds, as well as others. The glistening white of the Makgadikgadi Salt Plans is an otherworldly place that looks like the surface of the Moon, while the Big Five call Chobe National Park home – just another of Botswana’s wildlife wonders.

Holiday type: Safari Honeymoon

Why visit in August?

• Despite it being Botswana’s winter, temperatures are pleasantly mild and there’s clear skies.
• You can observe Botswana’s landscapes spectacularly changing colour, drying from a lush green to a khaki brown colour.
• Floodwaters from Angola start to fill up empty streams and lakes, attracting thirsty wildlife to the waterholes. This leads to some excellent game viewing!
• Your perfect safari honeymoon.

More about honeymoons in Botswana.

With unbelievably exotic landscapes and charming and friendly local life, Fiji ticks a lot of the boxes when it comes to the ideal location for a honeymoon in August. Every one of its island clusters are different as well, from the ancient culture you can still find in the Yasawas, the Robinson Crusoe lookalikes of the Mamanucas and the emerald beauty of Taveuni. We’d encourage hopping between a few if you have the time for a more complete picture of Fiji and an incredible honeymoon that will stay with you for the rest of your life!

Why visit in August?

• It’s winter in Fiji, which is characterised by warm weather, little rainfall and low humidity.
• Fiji’s lagoons at their clearest, so it’s ideal for snorkellers and divers looking to explore the crayon-coloured coral.
• It’s prime manta ray season in the Yasawa Islands, where they head to feast on the abundant plankton.
• Another dream honeymoon!

More about honeymoons in Fiji.

The Seychelles was once described by General Charles Gordon as the original Garden of Eden while exploring the archipelago in the 19th century. This just gives you a sense of what the Seychelles is like, a collection of granite and coral islands that all feel gloriously untouched, offering that rich slice of isolation a honeymoon deserves. If General Gordon were to visit the Seychelles today, he’d likely find they haven’t changed too much.

Why visit in August?

• The Seychelles is in its dry season so days are warm without being too hot and, more importantly, dry.
• This cooler weather in comparison with the hot and wet rainy season makes it ideal for exploring the islands’ jungle interiors and relaxing on their powder-soft beaches.
• Seychellois wildlife comes alive in August! Whale sharks can be spotted off the coast of Mahé and it’s also peak nesting season for many of its seabirds.

More about honeymoons in the Seychelles.

An island that is iconic for being one of the last refuges of the orangutan, Borneo is a place that conjures visions of thick jungle wilderness bursting with wildlife you can’t spot anywhere else on the planet. If you’re looking for an animal-filled honeymoon in somewhere that doesn’t look quite like anywhere else on Earth, then Borneo is it. Spot proboscis monkeys in the trees while walking in the Danum Valley, spy pygmy elephants strolling along the banks of the Kinabatangan River and relax on a tropical island off the north coast. Epic!

Why visit in August?

• August lies within Borneo’s dry season, so you won’t experience the long showers which characterise the monsoon season.
• It’s fruiting season, so wildlife such as the silvered leaf langur and proboscis monkey will be out eating in the trees and easier to spot.
• The dry weather is preferred by orangutans (who doesn’t?!) and are far more likely to be spotted in the tree canopies instead of sheltering from the rain.
• A perfectly unusual honeymoon.

More about honeymoons in Borneo.

Zanzibar is an archipelago that seems to have forgotten by the gods of time, a collection of islands which seem to be stuck in a period that has long been lost. But that makes Zanzibar such a cool place for an August honeymoon, where the simple life rules supreme: driftwood-speckled beaches, snorkel-worthy cerulean lagoons, smiling locals, billowing sails and ancient history. You really can just kick back and relax here and just watch the world go by.

Why visit in August?

• August is within Zanzibar’s dry season, so you’ll be treated to sunny and dry days.
• The waters are calm so if you’re keen on snorkelling or diving, this is the time for you.
• August is also the best time for a safari on mainland Tanzania or in Kenya, so you can easily twin one of them with Zanzibar for a beach escape.
• another beautifully unusual honeymoon.

More about honeymoons in Zanzibar.