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Nile Cruises Luxor to Aswan: Routes, Boats and Prices
Classic Egypt Tours: Cairo, Luxor and Aswan Itineraries
Nile Cruise and Red Sea Holidays: Two-Week Egypt Trips
White Desert Tours from Cairo: Oases and Desert Camping
Short Breaks in Egypt: Three and Four Day Cairo Trips
Tailor-made Egypt Tours: Private Trips Built Around You
Weather · White Desert
White Desert weather is dry all year, with warm days and cold nights. Highs run from 20C in January to 37C from June to August. January nights average 5C, and out in the open they can sit close to freezing before dawn. October to April is the camping season, and December to February has the clearest air. These figures come from the Bahariya weather station, the nearest one to the White Desert. Here is each month, how cold the nights get, and what to pack.
The White Desert has no weather station of its own. The figures here come from Bahariya Oasis, a couple of hours north, and Farafra to the south runs within about a degree of it. Days go from 20C in January to 37C in summer, and nights from 5C to 21C. The chart below shows each month.
the White Desert weather by month
Typical daytime highs, with night lows, sea, sunshine and rain below.
| Daytime high | Night low | Rain days a month | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20°C | 5°C | 0.2 |
| February | 22°C | 7°C | 0.1 |
| March | 25°C | 10°C | 0 |
| April | 31°C | 14°C | 0 |
| May | 35°C | 18°C | 0 |
| June | 37°C | 20°C | 0 |
| July | 37°C | 21°C | 0 |
| August | 37°C | 21°C | 0 |
| September | 34°C | 19°C | 0 |
| October | 30°C | 16°C | 0 |
| November | 26°C | 11°C | 0 |
| December | 21°C | 7°C | 0 |
Winter, December to February, is the classic camping season. Highs are 21C in December, 20C in January and 22C in February. Nights at the station are 5C to 7C. Out among the rocks, with no shelter, it can get close to freezing before dawn.
Spring warms up fast. March reaches 25C, April 31C and May 35C. Nights rise from 10C to 18C. From late March the khamsin can blow, lifting sand for days at a time.
Summer is hot, with highs of 37C from June to August and nights of 20C to 21C. There is no shade anywhere, and camping trips largely stop.
Autumn brings the season back. September is 34C, October 30C and November 26C. Nights fall from 19C in September to 11C in November. October and November are the mild option for people who hate the cold.
Colder than people expect. The air is dry and the sky is clear, so the ground loses its heat within an hour of sunset. A January day of 20C can drop to near freezing by dawn, and wind makes it feel colder.
The cold is not only a camping problem. Rooms in Bahariya are usually unheated too. Phone and camera batteries also drain faster in the cold, and there is no power at camp to charge them.
In October, November and March the nights are easier. Lows of 10C to 16C still need a warm layer.
Rain is close to zero. January and February average a fraction of a day with a millimetre of rain, and the rest of the year none.
Wind is the weather that changes plans. The khamsin, from roughly late March to May, lifts sand and cuts visibility to a few hundred metres. Camping in it is unpleasant, and you cannot see the formations you came for. Trips do get moved or cancelled for it in those months.
The light matters as much as the weather. At midday the chalk looks flat and glaring. An hour before sunset it turns cream, orange and pink, and dawn does the same. For stars, pick a new moon. A full moon lights up the white rock instead.
For December to February, pack properly for the night. A warm fleece or light down jacket, warm socks and a hat to sleep in make the biggest difference. Ask what sleeping kit the camp provides before you buy anything. In January a sleeping bag beats a blanket.
For October, November, March and April, pack light clothes for the day and a fleece for the night. Add a large scarf you can wrap across your face if the wind gets up.
All year, bring a head torch with a red light, wet wipes, spare batteries and a zip bag for your phone and camera. Fine chalk dust gets into everything. In the warmer months, add a brimmed hat and plenty of sunscreen.
For clear skies and the best photographs, choose December to February. Days are in the low twenties and the air is at its clearest. Accept cold nights and pack for them.
For a milder night, choose October, November or March. Lows of 10C to 16C are easier to sleep through.
For a quiet camp, go midweek in the cool season. Egyptian weekends and public holidays fill the popular corners.
For the Milky Way, set your dates by the moon first. A new moon in any month from October to April gives the darkest sky.
Our 14-day tour of Cairo, the Nile and the White Desert, from US$3,815 per person, includes one night in the White Desert. You camp there, or stay in a hotel in Farafra if the camp is unavailable.
In January the Bahariya station averages 5C at night, and December and February 7C. Out in the open, with wind and no shelter, it can get close to freezing before dawn. Pack a proper warm layer, socks and a hat.
Average highs at Bahariya are 37C from June to August, with nights of 20C to 21C. There is no shade, and camping trips largely stop in summer.
October to April. December to February has the clearest air and days in the low twenties, with cold nights. October, November and March are milder at night.
Almost never. January and February average a fraction of a day with rain, and the rest of the year none.
From the Bahariya Oasis weather station, the nearest long-running one, using long-term averages for 1961 to 1990. Farafra, to the south of the White Desert, runs within about a degree of Bahariya.
It can be, from roughly late March to May. The wind lifts sand and cuts visibility to a few hundred metres. Trips are sometimes moved or cancelled because of it.
From December to February, a warm one helps a lot. Ask the operator what bedding they supply first. In October, November and March nights are milder, at 10C to 16C, but still need a fleece.
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Written and checked by the Nile Trip Guide editorial team · Last reviewed . Entry rules, prices and opening hours change — check anything critical against the official sources linked on this page.
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14 days · Desert & oases
Fourteen days that add the Western Desert to the usual route: Cairo, two days of Luxor on land, four nights sailing to Aswan, then a drive west to Bahariya and a night out among the white chalk formations.
from US$3,815 / per person
