How cold are desert nights (what to expect)?

The single biggest surprise for first-time desert travellers is how cold the nights get. The desert is dry, and dry air can't hold heat — so the moment the sun sets, the warmth bleeds straight out into the clear sky and the temperature plunges. The same dunes that were 40°C at 3pm can be in single digits by 3am.

By season: in spring and autumn (the best times to visit), nights at the Erg Chebbi and Chigaga camps settle to a pleasant 8–15°C — cool enough for a fleece and the camp's heavy blankets, ideal for sleeping. In winter, from December to February, it gets genuinely cold: 0–5°C is normal around Merzouga, and I've scraped frost off the tent canvas at dawn. The clear winter desert sky that gives you that jaw-dropping star field is exactly what makes the nights so cold.

Summer is the exception that still catches people out. After a 45°C day the night 'only' falls to around 25–28°C, which sounds warm — and it is — but against the day's furnace it feels almost cool, and you'll sleep on top of the blankets rather than under them. Even then, the pre-dawn hour is the most comfortable of the whole 24.

My packing rule, regardless of season: bring more warmth than you think a desert needs. A warm fleece or down layer, a hat, and socks for the evening make the difference between magic and misery around the campfire. Luxury camps provide thick blankets, hot-water bottles on request and often a brazier or fire, but the layer you carry is your own insurance. The reward is worth it — those cold, crystal-clear nights deliver the best stargazing you'll ever see.