The Best Places to Visit in Juneau Alaska and Globally in June

The Serengeti National Park covers over 15,000 square kilometers of savanna in northern Tanzania. Established in 1940, this reserve protects massive populations of plains animals. It is home to the largest lion population on the continent. Visitors travel here to witness the massive annual migration. Over 1.5 million white bearded wildebeest, 250,000 zebra, and hundreds of thousands of gazelles move through the park. June is an ideal time to visit because the dry season begins, forcing animals to gather around remaining water sources. The dry weather makes roads easier to navigate and improves your chances of spotting lions on the hunt. The grass is shorter, which also helps with visibility during game drives. However, the park faces serious environmental threats. Deforestation, local population growth, poaching, and cattle ranching continue to impact the borders of the reserve.

Located in southeastern Peru near the Sacred Valley, Cusco sits high in the Andes mountains. The region was first inhabited by the Killke culture in the 10th century. They constructed the massive fortress of Sacsayhuamán in the 11th century. Later, in the 12th century, Manco Cápac founded the city as the capital of the Kingdom of Cusco. Today, visitors come to see the unique blend of Inca foundations and Spanish colonial architecture. June is one of the driest months of the year in the Andes. This makes it the peak season for outdoor exploration and hiking, with clear blue skies during the day. Be prepared for freezing temperatures at night during June. The high altitude of over 3,300 meters also causes altitude sickness for many travelers.

Gullfoss is a powerful waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. The name translates to Golden Falls. It is one of the most famous natural landmarks in the country. The water plunges down two dramatic tiers into a deep rugged canyon. It is a main stop on the popular Golden Circle tour route starting from Reykjavík. June is an excellent month to visit because of the midnight sun. You get 24 hours of daylight, which allows you to visit late in the evening to avoid the tour buses. The main drawback is the heavy spray from the falls. It constantly wets the viewing platforms and can easily ruin camera equipment if you are not careful.

Bora Bora is a small island group in French Polynesia located in the South Pacific. The main island is surrounded by a protective barrier reef and a calm lagoon. At the center of the island rise the twin peaks of Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu, which are remnants of an extinct volcano. Visitors travel here to stay in overwater bungalows and swim in the shallow lagoon. The marine life is highly active, with rays and reef sharks swimming close to the shore. June falls within the dry season for this tropical region. This means you will experience lower humidity, cooler breezes, and much less rainfall than the wet winter months. The primary downside is the extreme cost of everything. Food, drinks, and boat transfers are highly inflated because almost all goods must be imported.

Whitehaven Beach is located on Whitsunday Island in Queensland, Australia. It stretches for seven kilometers along the coast. The beach is famous for its pure white silica sand and bright turquoise water. This island is located directly across from Stockyard Beach on Haslewood Island. You can access the beach by taking a boat, seaplane, or helicopter from nearby Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island. June is the start of the dry winter season in Queensland. The weather is comfortably warm, and the water is generally free of the dangerous stinging jellyfish found in summer. There are absolutely no facilities on this beach. You must pack in all of your own food, water, and sunscreen, and take your trash back with you.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. It sits about two miles west of the town of Amesbury. The structure consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones topped by horizontal lintels. Each of these outer stones stands about 13 feet high and weighs around 25 tons. Inside the main ring is a circle of smaller bluestones. The entire monument aligns with the sunrise on the summer solstice. June is a highly popular month to visit because of the summer solstice celebrations. The weather is also milder and drier than during the English winter. Unless you book a special access tour well in advance, you cannot walk among the stones. Normal tickets only allow you to view them from a distant rope path.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Tanzania. It lies about 180 kilometers west of Arusha. The area is named after the massive volcanic caldera known as the Ngorongoro Crater. The crater walls form a natural enclosure that keeps thousands of wild animals in one place. The western edge of the conservation area directly abuts the Serengeti National Park. June is a fantastic month to visit because the dry season thins the grass. This makes it much easier to spot rare black rhinos, lions, and elephants on the crater floor. Because of the high concentration of wildlife, the crater floor gets very crowded. Dozens of safari vehicles often crowd around a single animal sighting, which can feel commercialized.

Angel Falls is the tallest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. It features a total height of 979 meters, with a single main plunge of 807 meters. The waterfall drops over the edge of the Auyán tepui mountain in Canaima National Park. This remote park is located in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela. Below the main drop, the water flows through sloped rapids and a second smaller plunge. June is the start of the rainy season in this region. This is actually the best time to go because the rivers rise enough to allow motorized canoes to navigate to the base of the falls. Reaching the falls is highly complex. You must take a flight to Canaima and then travel by boat for several hours, making it unsuitable for travelers seeking an easy trip.

Kruger National Park is a massive game reserve in northeastern South Africa. It covers 19,623 square kilometers across the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The park stretches 360 kilometers from north to south. First protected in 1898, it became South Africa's first national park in 1926. It is home to an incredible variety of African wildlife, including lions, leopards, and elephants. June is the dry winter season in South Africa. The lack of rain dries up the bush, forcing animals to gather at permanent waterholes where you can easily watch them. The southern section of the park gets heavily congested with self drive tourists. You may find yourself waiting in lines of cars to view popular animal sightings.

The CN Tower is a 553.3 meter tall communications and observation tower in downtown Toronto, Canada. Completed in 1976, it was built on former railway lands. It held the record for the world's tallest free standing structure for 32 years. Today, the tower is managed by the Canada Lands Company. Visitors ride glass elevators up to the observation deck for views across Toronto and Lake Ontario. June is an ideal month to visit because of the clear summer weather. The outdoor terrace is fully open, and you can see for miles without the winter haze. Ticket prices are quite high for a short visit. The lines for the security screening and elevators can easily take over an hour during the busy weekend afternoons.