Cairns Great Barrier Reef in August with clear water and coral

Cairns · Australia

August

Still peak conditions — humpback whales, clear reef and slightly less crowded than July

Best match

#2 of 12 months

August is one of the best times to visit Cairns.

Climate

High

26°C

Low

17°C

Rain

26mm

Sun

11hrs/day

30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5

How August scores in Cairns

Weather
Outstanding
Value
Above average
Crowds
Very good
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Excellent

What you gain in August

  • Humpback whales still present in the Coral Sea; Mother's Beach to Fitzroy Island trips active
  • Cairns Festival continues; excellent conditions for all outdoor activities
  • Slightly lower prices and availability than July school holidays

What you sacrifice

  • Still busy; popular day cruise pontoons remain crowded
  • Daytime dry heat can be intense; reef trips recommended for mornings

How August compares to July (best month)

FactorAugustJuly
Weather
9
9
Value
5
4
Crowds
7
8

August in other destinations

Lisbon (26.5°C)Barcelona (28.6°C)Tokyo (32.1°C)Bali (29.9°C)Santorini (26°C)Paris (24.3°C)New York (27.7°C)Marrakech (35.8°C)Amsterdam (21.4°C)Maldives (30.3°C)Rome (30.4°C)Bangkok (31.5°C)Istanbul (28°C)Vienna (25.9°C)Seoul (29°C)Dubrovnik (28.5°C)Rio de Janeiro (25.9°C)Kyoto (33.7°C)Phuket (31.3°C)Cape Town (17.2°C)Prague (26°C)Amalfi Coast (31°C)Mexico City (23°C)Medellín (29°C)Fiji (26°C)London (24°C)Sydney (18°C)Iceland (14°C)Tulum (33°C)Dubai (42°C)Singapore (32°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (31°C)Miami (33.3°C)Florence (31.8°C)Queenstown (9°C)Madrid (35.2°C)Porto (27°C)Edinburgh (19°C)Copenhagen (22°C)Budapest (28°C)Kraków (24°C)Tbilisi (31°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (32°C)Osaka (34°C)Goa (30°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (15°C)Mykonos (30°C)Zanzibar (26°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (32°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (33°C)Seville (36°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (31°C)Havana (32°C)Split (30°C)Taipei (34°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (32°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Hawaii (31°C)Cappadocia (32°C)Dominican Republic (32°C)Jamaica (33°C)Tanzania (23°C)Seychelles (26°C)Nepal (27°C)Jordan (36°C)Azores (27°C)Bora Bora (26°C)Los Angeles (28.5°C)Cairo (38.2°C)Kenya (24°C)Jaipur (32.8°C)Las Vegas (40.1°C)San Francisco (18°C)Madeira (28°C)Vancouver (23.3°C)Muscat (38.5°C)Lima (17.2°C)Cinque Terre (29°C)Kotor (32°C)Tel Aviv (32°C)Santiago (15°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (22.4°C)Penang (32.3°C)Lombok (30.4°C)Cape Verde (29.5°C)Fez (37.2°C)Kerala (29°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (31°C)Oslo (23°C)Auckland (14°C)Beijing (30°C)Delhi (33°C)Mumbai (29°C)Victoria Falls (26°C)Stockholm (22°C)Oaxaca (25°C)Bhutan (27°C)Da Nang (33°C)Nashville (32°C)Nice (29°C)Mallorca (31°C)Tuscany (32°C)Namibia (24°C)Crete (32°C)Komodo (31°C)Montréal (26°C)Melbourne (15°C)Venice (28°C)Dublin (20°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Cairns, not across destinations. Methodology →