Is Marrakech hot in August? We recently got back from visiting Marrakech in August and let me tell you that the Marrakesh weather in August is HOT!
I guess you are reading this because you are wondering if visiting Marrakech in August is a good idea? And I want to tell you that although hot, we really enjoyed our family summer holiday in Marrakech, we managed to enjoy the high temperatures, acclimatise well and we had a great time!
When I landed and as the 43c heat stepping off the aeroplane hit us, I thought, was it a really bad idea to visit Morroco in August? But as the days went on and the coming days actually cooled a little, I had no regrets about booking a summer holiday in Morocco and Marrakesh specifically!
So here’s my recap on what it was like to visit Marrakech in August so you can decide if it’s right for you, the general weather in Marrakech in August and some ideas of what to do in Marrakesh in August to cool down a bit.
Marrakech in August
Morocco in August
As a tourist, there are many places to visit in Morocco. Morocco benefits from towns and cities on the coastline like Essaouria, Agadir and Casablanca and inland cities and areas like Marrakech, Fes, the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert and they all differ in temperature throughout the year.
When it comes to the weather in Morocco in August and what’s the hottest place in Morrocco in August?
The answer is pretty much the inland cities of Fes and Marrakech and the Sahara Desert!
If you’re looking for somewhere cooler to visit in Morocco in August you could look at Agadir which has many nice resort hotels or Essaouria.
My related post: 8 Reasons Why You Should Visit Essaouira Morocco!
However, this post is to tell you that despite the constant 30c heat that we had in August in Marrakesh with it going up to 43c midday, we still enjoyed it and if you are still wondering, is August a good time to visit Marrakesh? I hope I can explain to you why it was still good below.
Marrakech Weather August
The temperature in Marrakesh in August reaches the highest it does all year round and if you look online, generally, it says the weather in Marrakesh in August reaches the high 30s.
However, we visited Marrakesh at the start of August and the temperature actually exceeded the 40s every day of our week trip.
The first few days of our holiday were considerably hotter than the last. Even in the morning at 7:00 am and at night at 11:00 pm the air was so so hot, not just the sun. There was a slight breeze but the wind was hot so the breeze actually made it worse. It was like hot hair dryer heat!
We stayed in this amazing luxury private villa with a private pool and rooftop but for the first few days, the rooftop was pretty unbearable even at night.
During these days, we stayed in the pool in the mornings and late afternoon and as the sun came directly over our villa around midday, we retreated inside to chill which worked really well.
If you are going on a summer holiday to Marrakesh in August, you can’t expect to be sunbathing all day, you’ll need the midday hours in the shade or inside!
In terms of the sunshine, we did find it to be quite hazy some days and other days were clear blue skies. Also a few days in a row in the afternoon it got very cloudy and felt like it might storm but it did pass quickly and turned sunny again afterwards.
In our last few days, the mornings and evenings were much cooler, at 9:00 am it was still just reaching 30c, which is better than waking up at 35c! The morning felt like a summer morning in Spain, hot but nice and without the super hot breeze.
The evenings also cooled down a bit and I guess it was the breeze that cooled too because we could then sit on the rooftop in the evening hot but comfortable.
Is it too hot to visit Marrakech in August?
It really does depend on how well you cope with the heat. I have travelled a lot and spent months on end in hot countries, I get hot but I also like the heat. The boys are also pretty used to the heat.
Related post: 26 BEST Places to Visit in Asia in July & August!
If you usually go on a summer holiday to Greece or Turkey or Spain and are now considering a summer holiday in Morocco then I’d say go for it! Yes, it is hotter in Morocco than in other European countries in the summer but if you enjoy a hot summer’s holiday you will get on fine.
A good idea would also be to plan seeing Marrakesh in 2 days visiting all the top tourist sites and restaurants in Marrakesh, then, heading into the mountains or to the coast where it will be a bit cooler.
It also depends on your accommodation. Without a doubt, you HAVE to get a place with a swimming pool and if you are considering a city break to Marrakesh in August, I’d recommend against it unless you are happy exploring in the morning and evening only and even then, I think August isn’t the time to be wandering the city of Marrakech for your whole trip.
There are many all-inclusive hotels in Marrakech with big pools and air-con inside and many private villas with pools which is what we stayed in.
A swimming pool with air con, combined with a few of the things to do in Marrakesh in summer that I’ve detailed below will help you have a great all-round holiday of relaxing, swimming, sunbathing and exploring.
Things to do in Marrakech in August
To start our holiday in Marrakech, we spent the first few days solely in our villa playing in the pool in the morning and afternoon and relaxing in the aircon midday which was a great way to acclimatise to the heat and avoid the midday heat.
If you are visiting Marrakech with children in the summer especially, I’d recommend the same. Don’t go doing day trips on your first day there, relax and get used to the heat first!
Waterparks in Marrakech
When it’s hot, the best place to visit is a waterpark! We visited one of the waterparks in Marrakech in the morning and stayed until just after lunch.
Although it was still hot, we were surprisingly not too hot and the kids who spent most of their time in the water stayed pretty cool too and had a great time.
We visited Oasiria Water Park which was good but if you are Muslim, I do not recommend going as they do not allow any modest swimwear for women and we found the staff incredibly rude.
But if you are happy in a bikini and costume swimwear, it is a good waterpark to visit and I recommend you buy tickets online in advance here as it makes it cheaper than buying them when there.
A waterpark that was recommended to me was the Hotel Aqua Fun Club located within the Aqua Fun Club Hotel.
Atlas Mountains Day Trip
When the city heats up, thankfully, the mountains stay cooler. The locals of Marrakech will head into the mountains in August and so should you!
There are many day trips to the Atlas Mountains from Marrakesh available. Many day trips include a trip to the desert too. I can’t speak from experience as we didn’t visit the dessert in Marrakesh in August, but personally, I would avoid trips to any deserts in the height of summer in Morocco and instead go into the mountains and valleys!
Here are some of the best Atlas Mountain day trips available to book in advance:
From Marrakech : Day trip to Ourika Valley Atlas Mountains
Ourika Valley Day Trip From Marrakech
Atlas Mountains & 5 Valleys Day Tour from Marrakech
Half Day Tour From Marrakech to the Atlas Mountains & Ourika Valley
Instead of doing an organised day trip into the Atlas Mountains from Marrakesh, we hired a car (search for the best options on Rental Cars here) and drove ourselves to the Ourika Valley which is at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.
Here, there are many cafes alongside a river which are really nice to sit by and so much cooler than the city or where we were staying. We didn’t have enough time as we left late afternoon but we could have kept driving to Setti Fatma to visit the 7 waterfalls up here which I’m sure would have been nice and cool too and again, much cooler than the city.
Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride
Yes! You can go on a hot air balloon ride in Marrakesh at sunrise and this is such a great thing to do if you are wondering what to do in Marrakesh in August because this trip will get you up early when it’s still much cooler in the morning and get your activity done before the sun gets too hot!
I’ve done 2 hot air balloon rides and I love the feeling of returning back to my hotel in the morning when it’s still so early but I feel like I’ve done so much that morning already!
You can book a hot air balloon ride over Marrakesh really easily online in advance on Viator, here are the best companies and options to go with:
Hot Air Balloon Flight over Marrakech with Traditional Breakfast
Marrakesh Souk and Medina
Lastly, if you’re staying in an all-inclusive resort or in a private villa as we did, make sure you do actually visit Marrakesh Old City.
We nearly avoided the medina and souk because we thought it would be too hot, but on our last day we went in at about 9:30 leaving just after lunch and although it was hot and we got sweaty, it was much more manageable than we thought, especially with children.
Inside the souk isn’t actually that hot because it’s covered all day and night. There are also many cafes and restaurants in Marrakesh to get a nice breakfast and fresh drink to help you cool off.
I hope you have enjoyed this post on Marrakesh in August including the Marrakesh Weather in August and it helps you visit!
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- 20 TOP Cafes & Restaurants in Marrakech! And Best Rooftops in Marrakesh!
- REVIEW | Private Villa in Marrakech With Pool & Rooftop!
- A Relaxed Essaouira Itinerary for 2 Days in Essaouira Morocco!
- 8 Reasons Why You Should Visit Essaouira Morocco!
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