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A white-sailed felucca on the Nile at Aswan, with boats and houses on the bank behind.Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) · CC BY 3.0

02The land

When to go

Egypt has a hot, dry desert climate. Winter is the season for temples and desert; summer is harsh in the south.

  1. January
  2. February
  3. March
  4. April
  5. May
  6. June
  7. July
  8. August
  9. September
  10. October
  11. November
  12. December

  • Mild winter · November to February: pleasant days, cold nights in the desert and Upper Egypt, a little rain on the Alexandria coast

  • Khamasin season · March to May: a hot, dry, dusty wind can blow in from the south and push temperatures up suddenly

  • Hot summer · June to September: Luxor and Aswan can top 41°C, while the north coast stays milder

  • Between seasons · October: the heat slowly eases before winter