Is There a Best Time to Visit Egypt and Jordan?

As the title “Is there a Best Time to visit Egypt and Jordan?” above asks, is there an ideal or perfect time to visit Egypt or its neighboring country of Jordan? There are actually a few answers to that question.

>> Click here to see all Egypt and Jordan tour packages

How to Determine the Best Time to Visit Egypt and Jordan

If you are familiar with global travel, you may already know the term “peak travel season”. This is usually when the weather in a specific area is the best it will be all year, but it can also be a time when the highest numbers of travelers come to an area, and also when things like accommodation can cost more.

For instance, ski season is not often what many consider the best time to visit a beautiful area like the Alps. It is a peak travel season and the region can be uncomfortably crowded during certain weekends or entire months.

There are also holidays that allow a lot of people to get away for a week or more. For example, Egypt Easter holidays are popular with many as it is the beginning of spring and many school aged children and teens have time off from school. This may not be a peak season, but it can be a very busy time for travel to popular destinations. However, many holidays are also a time when travel bargains are readily available, and a cruise you plan for February or March might be much less expensive in April, for example.

At each end of the peak season, just before off-peak (a time of less ideal weather or overall conditions for travel) there are the “shoulders”. These can be perfectly fine seasons for travel, with more comfortable weather and less crowding. However, some people prefer not to book a trip during these times of the year because there is a great deal more unpredictability with the weather.

All of this is why many who are planning a trip to Egypt may wonder about the best time to visit Cairo or the best time to visit Egypt and Jordan. Let’s start first with the weather, then the peak seasons and then those “shoulder” seasons. We’ll also consider any holidays that could make it a good time to travel to Egypt.

Using Weather to Choose the Best Time of Year for a Trip Egypt and Jordan

If you ask those familiar with weather in the Middle East and Northern Africa, they would tell you that October through April is when you can expect the best weather conditions. Egypt is home to three unique climates: the Mediterranean along the northern coast, the Red Sea to the east and the central climate that includes the area of the Nile and west into the Sahara. Despite the different climates, the weather is most comfortable starting at around mid-October every year when daytime temperatures vary between 17 and 29 degrees Celsius. In the months that follow, they range from around 9 to 10 and 19 to 25 degrees Celsius, with the highest amounts of precipitation occurring within those same months.

Jordan has similar weather in its most popular areas, though night time temperatures generally become quite cool in the desert-like regions, and even in Amman, the country’s capital. In fact, in winter weather, some areas of Jordan may experience snow fall and freezing temperatures after dark. However, the average temperatures are similar to those of Egypt. In terms of weather, October to April is the best time to visit Egypt and Jordan.

Using Peak Seasons as the Best Time for Travel to Egypt and Jordan

If we are being honest about the best times to visit Egypt and Jordan, the peak seasons of December and January are really fine. Though Jordan can be quite wet during this time and temperatures chilly, when you plan to visit both countries, this is the height of predictable and super comfortable weather.

You can enjoy hiking and walking in even the typically hottest sites such as the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, the Abu Simbel temples near Aswan and more. You may see brief rain showers (very seldom) and cooler evening temperatures, but they are still in an incredibly comfortable range, and rarely above 25 degrees Celsius.

Keep in mind, though, that this is the true peak season in both places and you will find that many popular sites may be very crowded. This is especially true when it comes to Egyptian sites such as those mentioned above, as well as sites such as Petra in Jordan. Plan for morning and late afternoon visits to work around the crowds if possible.

You will also have to plan for a very early morning visit to the Valley of Kings if you want to see inside the tomb of King Tutankhamun. The only attraction which rarely feels crowded is Wadi Rum, but that’s only because you are surrounded by so much open space.

Using Shoulder Seasons as the Best Time to go to Egypt and Jordan

Shoulder seasons are at the beginning and ends of each peak travel season, and when they relate to Egypt and Jordan, they will be all of October and into November as well as the end of March and into April. The temperatures can begin to climb into a somewhat uncomfortable range in late summer or early autumn, so you will only want to plan travel into the area if you do not suffer much from adverse conditions.

As an example, people paying a visit to Petra in Jordan during the shoulder seasons can anticipate daytime temperatures as high as 30 degrees Celsius during the late summer and early autumn months. However, the early spring conditions are cooler with April’s high temperatures at 28 degrees Celsius.

Egypt is hotter and dryer than Jordan and highs in both late summer and spring can be as high as 33 degrees Celsius with very little precipitation expected. So, if you do want to use the shoulder seasons as your best time to visit Cairo in order to enjoy less crowding and lower pricing, just be aware that temperatures are not as predictable.

Some days can be quite pleasant, but on other days it can very warm. This is somrthing to take into consideration if you intend visiting sites that involve a fair amount of walking. Some examples would be the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Valley of Kings when visiting Egypt, and places like Petra and Wadi Rum when you visit Jordan.

The good news is that you can easily dress for the weather and enjoy a more comfortable trip even if temperatures are higher than you might have expected.

Opting for the Holidays as the Best Time for Travel

If you are going to look at holidays, such as the Easter holidays already mentioned, as a good time to book your trip, this will fall in the shoulder season at the end of the peak season but due to high demand you will encounter higher pricing. Things like hotel and resort rates are typically always higher than usual during these periods, as are Nile cruise prices. Lastly, you have lots of fellow travelers visiting the same attractions you intend visiting. 

It can be said that anytime is the best time to go on a trip to Egypt and Jordan because they are countries with so much to see and do. If you are not bothered by heat, plan a trip for any time of the year. Better still, you can contact us and we will work with to plan the perfect holiday based on those things which are of the most importance to you.

>> Click here to see all Egypt and Jordan tour packages

 

Egypt Travel Information

Last Updated on October 7, 2024