Into the Sahara Desert…in the Summer?

You might be surprised to know just how many clients request a tour to the Sahara for the months of June, July, August and early September. If Morocco is on your program for a summer holiday you might not have thought it possible to visit the Sahara…

However, Marrakech temperatures alone can sometimes be comparable to those of Zagora, approaching the desert. If you are passing via Marrakech, in the summer, you aren’t daunted by the prospect of the heat, and therefore a visit to the Sahara Desert is feasible for most – it’s a question of managing the time you spend in the desert, how you spend it and, of course, avoiding the real hotspots (August, for instance).

Naturally, the ultimate goal is to spend a night at a desert camp in the heart of the dunes. However, the journey south to reach the Sahara Desert is a wonderful adventure in its own right and it should be experienced to the full, and not rushed. It’s also an opportunity to escape to fresher daytime temperatures, in parts, leaving the heat of the cities well behind.

For that reason we take summer clients to the Sahara Desert, to the dunes of Erg Chigaga, via the most scenic & dramatic parts of the Great South of Morocco – Ait Ben Haddou, the route of a thousand kasbahs, the Dades Valley & Gorge, Jebel Sahro region and the Draa Valley. Take a look at our 4×4 pages for more photos besides these. We suggest a 5 day, 4 night itinerary, with only one night in the desert. We only recommend entering & exiting the desert by 4×4, certainly not via a trek.

If you have any concerns about travelling to Morocco during the hottest parts of the year please don’t hesitate to ask us for further information. We are based in Morocco full-time, Yahya hails from the Sahara and often on-tour, I’m mostly in Marrakech, so we are best placed to offer real-time advice.
Did you know that in fact the Atlas Mountains (including the Anti-Atlas range) buffer the North of Morocco from the Saharan region? As soon as you traverse the range you are already entering the pre-Sahara and the desert terrain becomes ever more apparent on reaching Ouarzazate, just 4 hours from Marrakech.