Morocco
Sahara Desert in January
🌤️ Cool seasonCool and mostly dry.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings
Why January scores 9.2What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort9.0
- !Cool (17.6°C highs / 3.2°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point -4.9°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~7 mm rain)
- Air quality9.9
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~6 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| Jan | Oct | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.2 Excellent | 9.5 Excellent |
| Season | 🌤️ Cool season | ☀️ Warm dry season |
| High / low | 18° / 3° | 28° / 15° |
| Rain | 7 mm | 13 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt -5° | dew pt 3° |
| PM2.5 | 6 µg/m³ | 11 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast).
Holidays & crowdsJanuary 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- New Year 1–3 Jan · 3 days off in a row
- Proclamation of Independence Day 9–11 Jan · 3 days off in a row
Other public holidays: Amazigh New Year (14 Jan)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore Sahara DesertEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyMorocco's Saharan dunes, chiefly Erg Chebbi near Merzouga and Erg Chigaga near M'Hamid, visited for camel treks and nights in desert camps.
No major events on our calendar for January.
Coming up later
Erfoud Date FestivalDate variesUsually October
A festival celebrating the date harvest.
Why go: A chance to see local music and dancing.
Where: Erfoud
Erg Chebbi
Tall orange dunes beside the village of Merzouga.
💡 Summer heat is extreme; spring and autumn are most comfortable.
Erg Chigaga
Remote dunes reached by 4x4 from M'Hamid.
Camel trek and desert camp
Ride into the dunes at sunset and stay overnight in a camp.
💡 Winter nights can be close to freezing.
Aït Benhaddou
A fortified earthen village on the route from Marrakech, a UNESCO site.
Todra Gorge
A narrow canyon with high rock walls.
Draa Valley
A palm-filled valley with kasbahs on the route to M'Hamid.
Medfouna
A stuffed flatbread often called Berber pizza.
💡 Merzouga and Rissani
Tagine
Slow-cooked stew in a clay pot.
💡 Camps and restaurants
Mint tea
Sweet green tea with mint.
💡 Everywhere
Dates
Local dates.
💡 Rissani and Erfoud markets
Fossils
Trilobites and fossils from the Erfoud area.
💡 Erfoud workshops; many are restored or reproduced
Berber rugs
Handwoven rugs.
💡 Rug shops
Dates
Local dates.
💡 Markets
Airport transfer Kiwitaxi
Partner links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects scores.