The Best Time to Visit the Moroccan Sahara

There is no closed season in the Moroccan Sahara. There are easy months, cold months and very hot months, and each has its own reasons to go. What matters most is not the daytime temperature, which you will spend partly in a car, but how the evening and the night feel at camp.

The figures below are approximate. Published averages for Merzouga disagree with each other by several degrees, so treat them as a guide to what to pack, not as a forecast.

Spring: March to May

Spring is the classic desert season. Days are warm without being hard work, evenings at camp are mild, and the light on the dunes is soft. By late May the heat is building, and the middle of the day is best spent in the shade.

Spring is also when the most people travel. If you have fixed dates in March or April, especially around European school holidays, write to us early.

Summer: June to August

Summer is honest heat. Daytime temperatures are often above 40 °C, and the sand is too hot to walk on barefoot in the afternoon. It can still be a fine trip if you plan around it: drive in the cool of the morning, rest through the afternoon, ride out to camp as the sun drops and sleep in the open air.

The reward is the night. It is warm enough to lie on the sand, and the sky is as clear as it gets. If your holiday falls in summer, do not cancel the desert; just shape the days differently.

Autumn: September to November

Autumn is our favourite, and many of our guides would say the same. The summer heat breaks during September, and by October the days are warm, the nights are cool and the light is golden from mid-afternoon. November is quieter than spring and often just as kind.

Winter: December to February

Winter surprises people. The days are bright and pleasant, often around 17 to 20 °C, which makes the long drive across the Atlas and through the gorges more comfortable than in any other season. The High Atlas may carry snow on the pass, which is beautiful from the road.

The nights are the thing to prepare for. In December and January they can fall to a few degrees above freezing. This is where the tent matters: on our Erg Chebbi trips you sleep at Sahara Garden Camp, in a tent with its own bathroom and a heater, and blankets on the beds. Bring a warm jacket for the evening by the fire and you will have the dunes in their quietest, clearest season.

Our suggestion

• For a first desert trip: October, November, March or April.
• For quiet: November, February, or the first weeks of December.
• For stars: summer, or any month around the new moon. Our stargazing trip to Merzouga is built around a dark night.
• For comfort in the car: winter, as long as the tent is heated.

Whatever the month, the desert loses its warmth fast after sunset. A warm layer belongs in the small bag you take into the dunes all year round.

If you already have dates, tell us and we will tell you what the desert is usually like that week, and which of our trips, from the three-day route to Erg Chebbi to the four-day version with a slower pace, suits them best.