Morocco in JanuaryQuiet Cities, Snow on the Atlas
January is the month Morocco belongs to Moroccans again. The Christmas crowds have gone home, the medinas move at their own pace, and the light is the clearest it gets all year. It is also the coldest month, and the one travellers most often get wrong.
What the weather actually does
Morocco is not one climate. In January the difference between a Marrakech terrace at midday and a desert camp at midnight is close to thirty degrees.
| Region | Days | Nights | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marrakech | 18 to 20°C | 5 to 7°C | A few wet days |
| Sahara, Merzouga | 18 to 20°C | 0 to 3°C | Almost none |
| High Atlas, Imlil | 8 to 11°C | Below freezing | Snow above 2,000 m |
| Atlantic coast, Essaouira | 17 to 19°C | 10 to 12°C | Windy, some showers |
What January is good for
Empty and unhurried
Fes and Marrakech without queues. You will be offered mint tea rather than a hard sell, because you are one of few visitors rather than one of thousands.
Snow and clear air
The High Atlas is white above 2,000 metres. Oukaïmeden runs its ski lifts, and the views from the foothills are the sharpest of the year.
The cheapest month
Riads, guides and flights all sit at their lowest, except for the first days of the month. The same trip can cost a third less than in April.
Where to go, and where not to
The desert works, as long as you accept the nights. Erg Chebbi and Erg Chegaga are at their most beautiful in January: hard blue skies, no haze, and dunes you will have to yourself. Desert camps that are worth staying in have proper bedding and a stove. Ask before you book, because plenty do not.
The imperial cities work. Fes, Meknes and Rabat are made for cold bright days, and the medinas are covered anyway.
High trekking does not. Toubkal in January is a winter mountaineering route needing crampons, an ice axe and a guide who climbs it in winter, not a walking holiday. If you want to walk, stay in the valleys: Aït Bouguemez, the Ourika, the Anti-Atlas around Tafraoute.
What is on in January
Yennayer, the Amazigh new year, falls on 13 and 14 January and is now a national holiday. In Berber villages it is marked with a shared couscous, often with a hidden date or almond stone in it, and whoever finds it is said to have a good year. If you are in the mountains, you will be invited to eat.
The Marrakech Marathon usually runs at the end of the month, which fills the city for one weekend. Worth knowing if you want the riad you had in mind.
Pack as though you were going to a European spring, not to Africa. Layers, a warm jacket for the evenings, and something windproof for the desert. Riads are built to stay cool in summer, which means they are cold in January — ask for a room with heating and a hot water bottle, and you will sleep well.
So is January a good time to come?
Yes, if you want cities and desert rather than high mountains, and if you travel with warm clothes and an open mind. You get the country at its quietest and its cheapest, with the clearest light of the year. Come in January for Fes, the Sahara and the southern valleys. Save the summits for May.
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