Best time to visit Sharm El Sheikh: climate and seasons

Escursioni Sharm helps you choose when to go to Sharm El Sheikh based on what you want to do: sea and snorkelling, diving, desert or the big cultural trips. The short answer: the best season runs from October to April. The long answer depends on your priorities.

Sharm's climate in a nutshell

Sharm has a desert climate tempered by the sea: rain almost non-existent all year, guaranteed sunshine and two main seasons.

• October-April (European season) — daytime temperatures between 22 and 30 °C, sea between 23 and 26 °C, cool evenings from December to February. This is the period of greatest demand from the UK and Europe.
• May-September (summer) — 33-40 °C by day, sea above 28 °C. European visitors decrease, offset by Gulf tourism; flight and hotel prices drop.

Month by month: what to expect

Indicative seasonal values: averages change from year to year.

The best period for each activity

• Snorkelling and boat trips (Ras Mohammed, Tiran): all year; the peak is October-November and March-April for the mix of warm water and non-scorching air.
• Diving and dive courses (PADI Open Water): all year; in winter a 5 mm wetsuit is used, in summer a shorty is enough. Visibility stays excellent in every season.
• Cairo and Luxor (by plane / by bus): better from October to April — in July and August walking among pyramids and temples at 40 °C is a feat.
• Desert (quads, Bedouin dinner, Mount Sinai): October-April. In winter bring warm layers for the Sinai night: at the summit it drops below freezing.

Holidays, bank breaks and availability

The peaks of European demand are Christmas-New Year, Easter and the spring bank holidays: in those periods book the high-demand excursions (Cairo and Luxor by plane, Petra, PADI courses) at least a week ahead. Ramadan changes the rhythms of daily life but tourist activities remain operational, with some adjusted hours. Golden rule in every season: as soon as you know your travel dates, send the first message — availability is checked within the day and commits you to nothing.

The wind: the factor many overlook

In Sharm the climate is not only temperature: the wind decides which boat trips run and which reefs are visited. In spring the khamasin, the hot desert wind, can blow, and in winter northerly days make the sea choppy: on those days captains choose sheltered reefs or the authorities close departures (it happens, and it is a sign of professionalism, not poor service). The right strategy: book boat trips for the start of the week, so if wind forces a postponement you have spare days to reschedule.

Water, visibility and marine life

Underwater visibility stays excellent almost all year (20-30 metres), peaking in autumn. Water temperature runs from 22-23 °C in February to 28-29 °C in August: in winter long snorkelling sessions call for a rash vest or shorty, in summer you stay in the water for hours in swimwear. For deep dives the 5 mm wetsuit is the winter standard. Marine life never goes on holiday: turtles, schools of fish and corals are resident; only the breeding seasons of some species change.

Our final advice

If you can choose freely: October, November, March and April are the golden months. If you want the warmest sea and the lowest prices: May, June and September. If you can only travel at Christmas or in August: you will have a great time anyway — just calibrate the programme (cultural trips early in the morning in summer, a fleece for winter evenings). Excursion prices stay within the same ranges all year: see the complete table.

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