The best time to visit Merzouga
We could tell you every month is wonderful. It is not. Here is what each one is actually like, from people who are here for all twelve of them.
The short answer
Best: October to early December, and March to April.
Good but cold at night: January and February.
Hot but manageable: May, September.
Genuinely difficult: July and August.
Month by month
| Month | Day | Night | What it is like |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18–22 °C | 2–6 °C | Cold nights, beautifully clear days. Bring a real jacket for the camp. |
| February | 20–24 °C | 4–8 °C | Similar to January, warming towards the end. Quiet, good value. |
| March | 24–28 °C | 8–12 °C | Excellent. One of the two best months, though wind picks up. |
| April | 28–33 °C | 12–16 °C | Excellent, and the busiest spring month. Book ahead. Some windy days. |
| May | 33–38 °C | 17–21 °C | Getting hot. Mornings and evenings still very good. |
| June | 38–43 °C | 21–25 °C | Hot. The pool becomes the main event between noon and five. |
| July | 40–45 °C | 25–29 °C | Very hot. Honestly hard work at midday. Nights on the dunes are pleasant. |
| August | 40–45 °C | 25–29 °C | As July. Some visitors love the extremity of it; most do not. |
| September | 34–39 °C | 20–24 °C | Cooling. The second half of the month is genuinely lovely. |
| October | 28–33 °C | 14–18 °C | Excellent. Our favourite month, with September's warmth and none of the heat. |
| November | 23–27 °C | 9–13 °C | Excellent. Cold at night, perfect during the day, wonderful light. |
| December | 19–23 °C | 4–8 °C | Cold nights, warm sun, very quiet apart from the New Year period. |
Typical ranges based on local experience, not a forecast. Desert weather varies; a cold snap or a heatwave can move these by several degrees.
The thing nobody warns you about: wind
Spring — roughly March through May — brings periods of strong wind, and with the wind comes sand. On a bad day visibility drops, sand finds its way into bags, cameras and food, and the camps sometimes cannot operate. It usually passes in a day or two.
This is not a reason to avoid spring, which is otherwise one of the best times to be here. It is a reason to build a spare day into your plan rather than arriving with one night and no flexibility, and to bring a scarf you can wrap over your face.
On visiting in summer
We stay open all year and plenty of people do come in July and August. If you do, the day works differently: you are out early, back by ten, in the pool or in the shade until five, then out again for sunset. The nights on the dunes in summer are actually one of the nicest things about the season — warm enough to sleep outside the tent.
But we will not pretend that 45 °C at two in the afternoon is charming. If you have a choice of months, choose another one.
Ramadan
Ramadan moves each year. It does not stop tourism here at all — hotels and camps operate normally and guests eat normally. What changes is the rhythm of the village, and the evening meal after sunset is genuinely special if you are invited to one. Ask us and we will tell you when it falls for your dates.
The New Year
31 December is the busiest night of our year. We run a party at the camp with dinner, music and a fire, and it books out well in advance. If you want that, contact us early.