Egypt in September
The heat breaking, the coast still warm, and the shoulder season beginning.
Typical daytime highs, rounded. A planning aid, not a forecast — crowd and price levels are relative to Egypt's own year rather than to anywhere else.
September is a month of change. The first half is still summer; by the last week Upper Egypt has come down enough that a full morning outdoors is comfortable again. The European school holidays have ended, so the Red Sea empties while the water is still close to its summer warmth — which is, for divers, the single best combination the Egyptian year offers.
What September is good for
- Diving: water still at 28–29°C and far fewer people, once the first week has passed
- Value inland while the heat is easing but the winter pricing has not started
- Booking the Abu Simbel Sun Festival on 22 October while rooms are still free
What to be realistic about
- The first fortnight is still genuinely hot inland — treat it as summer, not autumn
- Sea and air temperatures stay high, so it is not yet a 'cool' month anywhere
Occasions this month
Nayrouz, the Coptic New Year, on 11 September. The Abu Simbel Sun Festival follows on 22 October — the rooms near the temple go early.
Seasonal collectionsOur honest verdict
The last week of September is quietly one of the best value weeks of the year, particularly if the Red Sea is part of the plan.
Egypt in September — questions
Is September a good time to visit Egypt?
The second half is. The first fortnight is still summer inland, but by the last week Luxor and Aswan have eased into the high thirties and mornings are comfortable again — with low-season prices still in effect and the coast emptying as European schools go back.
Is the Red Sea good in September?
One of the best. Water is still 28–29°C from the summer, visibility is excellent, and the July–August crowds have gone home. Divers who can travel outside school holidays often pick September deliberately.
When does the heat break in Egypt?
Gradually through late September and properly in October. There is no single day, but the practical marker is when a full morning at an open site stops requiring a 6am start — usually the last week of September in Upper Egypt, and a fortnight earlier in Cairo.
Built around your dates
Private throughout, led by a licensed Egyptologist. Tell us your month and the itinerary is shaped to it — the hours, the order and the pace all change with the season.
The Grand Tour of Egypt
Our most complete journey: Cairo and Alexandria, a Nile cruise, Ramesses II's mountain temple at Abu Simbel, and three Red Sea nights to absorb it all.
Egypt Icons & Nile Cruise
Our signature journey: Cairo, Alexandria, a sleeper train south, and a three-night Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor — every layer of Egypt in one arc.
Honeymoon on the Nile
Egypt as a honeymoon should be — private sunrise at the pyramids, a felucca at golden hour, three nights on the Nile and suites chosen for the view.
Thinking about September?
Send us your dates and who is travelling. We will tell you honestly whether that month suits what you want — and if it doesn't, which one does.