Best time to visit the Sahara

If you can handle the heat, combine a visit to the Sahara from Chad with the country’s famous Gerewol festival, held in late September.![]()

For the most comfortable temperatures for your Sahara holiday, the best time to go is spring or autumn. This way, not only are you avoiding intense summer heat, but also the very chilly night time temperatures you’ll get out in the open in December and January. If you want to go horse trekking, four-hoofed tours run from October to December. Morocco holidays which include time in the Sahara run throughout the year, but believe us, in the summer it will be hot – around 40°C by July. This is a dry heat, generally more bearable than humid heat, but you should protect your skin and eyes from the sun if you’re out in the day at this time.
Sahara Desert, month by month
Our Sahara Desert Holidays
Morocco holiday, Marrakech to the Sahara
Marrakech and Sahara - stay in a Riad, sleep under the stars
From
£975 to £1075
7 days
ex flights
Algeria tours, jewel of the Sahara
An expedition through Algeria's wild Sahara desert
From
£2425 to £2549
13 days
ex flights
Morocco holiday, small group
Journey into Morocco’s food, religion, language and culture
From
£1009 to £1640
13 days
ex flights
Western Sahara overland tour, Marrakech to Bissau
Travel from North Africa through the Sahara to the tropics
From
£8499 to £8599
4 weeks
ex flights
Algeria holidays, Desert and History
Explore the history and culture of Algeria
From
£3745 to £3945
15 days
ex flights
The Gerewol Festival and Ennedi Mountains tour, Chad
Sandstone mountains, multi-hued lakes and the Wodaabe tribe
From
£6399 to £6599
23 days
ex flights
Merzouga, Morocco Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
2
16
4
FEB
4
19
6
MAR
7
23
2
APR
10
27
3
MAY
14
31
3
JUN
19
37
3
JUL
22
41
1
AUG
22
40
1
SEP
19
35
3
OCT
14
28
7
NOV
8
21
7
DEC
3
17
3
Things to do in the Sahara
Things to do in the Sahara
Things not to do in the Sahara
Our top Sahara Desert Holiday
Morocco holiday, Marrakech to the Sahara
Marrakech and Sahara - stay in a Riad, sleep under the stars
From
£975 to £1075
7 days
ex flights
Tailor made:
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Sahara Desert or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.

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Sahara Desert holiday advice
Rachel Blech, director our specialist Morocco tour operator SheherazadVentures:
Sahara with kids
“If you are thinking of adventuring to the Sahara Desert with your family, then you are in for some great adventures and fabulous discoveries – kasbahs, dunes, nomads, oases etc… However, we suggest you avoid travelling between the months of May and late September when the desert is extremely hot and uncomfortable. It can be over 45°C. This means for UK holiday makers with kids, the best time is during the half-term, winter or spring breaks. We welcome children aged from five years upwards on our desert tours – this is because we are concerned about dehydration of very young children and also the long journey necessary to reach the Sahara.”
Cultural considerations in the Sahara
“Remember – some people will be able to speak a little English that they have learned, though most will communicate in basic French and Arabic. Although school is free and obligatory, there are many people (especially women) in rural areas who still cannot read or write. Do not assume you are always being understood. We encourage visitors to the Sahara to bring second hand toys, simple games, unwanted clothes/shoes, school supplies such as notebooks and pens, colouring books, art materials which we distribute via local school teachers.”
Jim O’Brien, director of our specialist tour operator Native Eye:
Is the Sahara for you?
“Travelling in the Sahara isn’t for everyone. One needs to be able to withstand some discomfort, long drives over often difficult terrain, and sand and dust getting in everything. Facilities are rudimentary – although we make people as comfortable as they can be – and so it’s not for someone who wants luxury. But the landscapes are incredible, and ever changing, and there’s something very special about heading off into such a remote area – again, that sense of exploration.”
Visiting the Sahara in Chad
“Chad’s a fantastic destination. It has some incredible scenery and receives so few tourists that a trip here really feels like an expedition, and true exploration. It’s this that is really one of the highlights – travelling for days on end without seeing any other westerners, traversing vast areas of sand dunes, and setting up camp each night in a pristine location, far away from anything resembling a town or settlement. The Guelta d’Archei is definitely one of the highlights – the spectacle of five or six hundred camels coming to water, their bellows echoing off the walls of the gorge, is something you’re unlikely to forget.”
Travelling to Mauritania and Western Sahara
“As for Mauritania, I would say that the security situation in many parts of the country, including the most interesting areas for visitors, has improved considerably in recent years, a fact unfortunately not reflected in the FCO advice. The FCO tend to be very quick to put negative advice in place, less quick (in fact usually very slow) to rescind it, particularly in places that don’t have much of a tourist industry. We’ve been running several trips a year here since 2015 and are confident that we can run trips here safely – of course, always monitoring what is happening in the country through our local team and contacts.”
Advice from our travellers
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful Sahara travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday - and the space inside your suitcase.
We have selected some of the most useful Sahara travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday - and the space inside your suitcase.

We definitely recommend a night of wild-camping and camel-trekking. Watching the sun set from the top of Erg Chegaga was a highlight of the holiday.![]()

– Eleanor Jones
“The best holiday I've ever been on. Life altering and gave me a new found perspective on life... Remember warm clothes for the desert at night and brush up on your French/Arabic (have a phrasebook).” – Erin Tilley
“Take enough cash to give everyone a tip. It doesn’t amount to a great deal in total but is expected.” – Penny Ayre
“The trip to the desert was an adventure that everyone should experience once in their lifetime... Be aware of how far you will need to travel to get to the desert and be prepared for the vastness and the basic facilities.” – Mark Lillington
“Take more warm clothes. We were surprised how cold it was in the Todra valley.” – Charlie Johnson
“Take enough cash to give everyone a tip. It doesn’t amount to a great deal in total but is expected.” – Penny Ayre
“The trip to the desert was an adventure that everyone should experience once in their lifetime... Be aware of how far you will need to travel to get to the desert and be prepared for the vastness and the basic facilities.” – Mark Lillington
“Take more warm clothes. We were surprised how cold it was in the Todra valley.” – Charlie Johnson

The trip to the desert was an adventure that everyone should experience once in their lifetime...![]()

– Mark Lillington
“We definitely recommend a night of wild-camping and camel-trekking. Watching the sun set from the top of Erg Chegaga was a highlight of the holiday. Our camel-handlers managed to rustle up a 3-course meal for us from fresh ingredients in the middle of nowhere - amazing!” – Eleanor Jones
“Be prepared. We had too many summer clothes. Warm, casual and loose fitting garments with a pair of comfortable walking shoes are essential.” – John Nicholson
“Don't be shy of speaking to the locals if you get the chance; for them tourists are a novelty and we found them extremely welcoming. A polite "Assalam Aleikhum" or "Bonjour" is always well received.” – Philip Tepper on Algeria holidays, desert and history
“Be prepared. We had too many summer clothes. Warm, casual and loose fitting garments with a pair of comfortable walking shoes are essential.” – John Nicholson
“Don't be shy of speaking to the locals if you get the chance; for them tourists are a novelty and we found them extremely welcoming. A polite "Assalam Aleikhum" or "Bonjour" is always well received.” – Philip Tepper on Algeria holidays, desert and history