Colourful vine leafs grace the blue shutters of a home in Roussillon, Provence, France
Fall is the adventure traveller's most popular travel season. But you want to make sure you pick the right destination to have a great holiday. Don't vacation for example in the Central America as you will get rained on. Similarly, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand can see significant flooding in October.
So what are the best parts of the world to travel to in fall? Here are ten regions you want to travel to in autumn.
Southern Africa
With the rains not expected until sometime in November, the countries in Southern Africa are basking in the dry season. It means trees and bushes drop their leafs and animals congregate around what little surface water is available, making them easy to spot. Botswana, is famous for its elephants, Namibia for its giant sand dunes and South Africa for being a world in one country.
East Africa
Like Southern Africa, the rains in East Africa are not expected until November. Here however, they are called the short rains (they end in December) as the really wet season doesn't start until March. It means you have an extended travel season throughout the fall and winter. Kenya's Masai Mara always teems with life, while the famous wildebeest migration will have moved in to northern Tanzania. In Uganda and Rwanda the main attraction is gorilla tracking.
Galapagos Islands
There is never a bad time to travel to the Galapagos Islands. December through May are great for swimming and snorkeling, you can see the mating rituals of animals and birds, flowers bloom and the sea is calmer. During June through November fish and birdlife are generally more prolific.
The Andes
Come November, the rains sweep in across the Amazon jungle and start to fall on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Which makes October the best month in autumn to trek or travel to Machu Picchu or the Ecuadorian Andes.
East Asia
Summers are scorching hot on the east-Asian seaboard. Come autumn, fall colours give a whole new dimension to traveling in Japan, while cool temperatures settle over China. Don't travel too late in the season to China though as coal-fired furnaces are sure to increase air pollution in cold temperatures!
The Indian subcontinent
With the summer monsoon retreating, autumn heralds the start of the travel season in India. Go a little later to Sri Lanka though to reduce your chances of rainfall - the best travel season there is December to March.
Himalaya (Nepal, Bhutan)
Summer in the Himalaya is the time of the monsoon - and there is plenty of it. Rain, snow and mud make trekking impossible. But come October, the skies clear of clouds, the dust has settled, making fall the best time for trekking in Nepal and enjoying stupendous mountain vistas in Bhutan.
Southern Europe
The Mediterranean returns to cooler temperatures in autumn, while the harvest of olives and grapes makes for an interesting time to visit. Discovering the Greek Islands, visiting the bucolic landscapes of Italy, the lively cities of Portugal, walking the Camino in Spain,
sampling the food and wine of France and visiting the ruins of Turkey all make for great travel experiences.
Middle East
With summer turning the Middle East in to a furnace, fall heralds the arrival of cooler temperatures, there to stay until the spring. Visit the spiritual sites in Israel, discover the ancient civilization of Egypt and explore kingdoms of old in Jordan.
Morocco
With the hot summers over, fall is a great time to discover all that Morocco has to offer. Soak up the bustling, exotic atmosphere in ancient souqs, join a camel trek into the Sahara, witness traditional life and get lost in winding alleys. All that and more awaits you in Morocco.