Guests ask me this more than almost anything else, and the honest answer surprises most of them: the desert is not one climate, it is two, stacked on top of each other. Daytime sun that can push past 30°C even in a mild month, and a night that drops close to freezing between October and March. Pack for both, and you will be comfortable. Pack for only one, and you will spend a night shivering by the fire or sweating through a camel trek — I have seen both, more times than I can count.
Layers, not one big coat
A single heavy coat is the classic over-pack mistake — it is too warm at midday and, once the sun goes down, still not quite enough on its own. What actually works is thin layers: a base layer, a light fleece or jumper, and a proper warm layer for the evening that you can add and remove as the temperature swings. In winter I tell guests to bring something genuinely warm for after dark — a proper down or fleece jacket, not just a cardigan — because a desert camp at midnight in January is colder than most people expect from a country famous for its heat.
The chech, sun and sand
A chech — the long cotton scarf worn by desert guides — earns its place for a reason: wound properly around the head and face, it blocks sun, wind and blown sand all at once, and it works better than a hat in a way that only makes sense once you have tried it. I always tie one for guests myself before we head into the dunes. Beyond that, sunglasses that actually block glare off the sand, a proper high-factor sunscreen reapplied more often than you think you need to, and a lip balm with SPF — the desert wind dries lips out fast, and it is a small discomfort that is entirely avoidable.
Footwear
Closed, comfortable shoes for travel days, and something you do not mind filling with sand for the dunes themselves — trainers work, sandals with a back strap work, bare feet work for many guests once we are actually on the dune. What does not work well is anything stiff or brand new; break shoes in before you come, not on the trip.
What people over-pack, and what they forget
After twenty years of watching bags get packed and unpacked, the pattern is remarkably consistent:
- Over-packed: a full suitcase of "smart" evening clothes — desert camps are relaxed, not formal, and nobody will judge you for wearing the same fleece two nights running.
- Over-packed: too many electronics and chargers — one power bank does far more work than three half-charged gadgets.
- Forgotten: a headlamp or torch — camp lighting is often just a fire and lanterns, and you will want your hands free to find your bag in the dark.
- Forgotten: a reusable water bottle — we provide plenty of water, but a bottle you can refill saves on plastic and is one less thing to think about.
- Forgotten: a light, quick-dry towel — useful for camps where a proper bathroom towel is not standard.
- Forgotten: earplugs, for guests who are light sleepers — camp is quiet, but wind on canvas has its own sound.
Camp practicalities
Cash matters more than card in and around the desert towns — keep some dirham in small notes for tips and small purchases. Phone signal thins out fast once you leave the main roads, so tell people at home not to expect a reply for a day, and treat it as part of the experience rather than a problem to solve. A dry bag or simply a plastic bag inside your main bag keeps sand out of anything electronic — sand finds its way into everything eventually, and a little prevention goes a long way.
None of this needs to be complicated or expensive. Layers, a scarf, decent sunglasses, a torch, and the right expectations about what a desert night actually feels like — that is genuinely most of it. I would rather a guest arrive slightly over-prepared and relaxed than under-prepared and cold, and I say so to every group before they leave the last town behind.