The 20 Hottest Places on Earth

Step off of the plane and into these destinations and you could be rewarded with unforgettable views and some of the planet’s most captivating cultures. But be warned: short sleeves, shades and sandals may not be enough to protect you from the climate in these 20 places defined by record heat.

Is it safe to travel to areas with extreme heat? In general, locals have adapted to temperatures, but you will need to prepare. Memphis-based meteorologist Chelsea Chandler advises being in good physical health before departing and considering how much time you plan to spend on the road. “It’s possible to adapt to hot climates, but only after a few weeks,” says Chandler. “If you don’t have that kind of time, you can protect yourself by drinking plenty of non-alcoholic beverages, wearing sunscreen, covering your exposed skin with loose, light-colored clothing and by wearing sunglasses.”

You’ll also want to keep an eye on U.S. State Department travel advisories to be sure these destinations are considered safe for Americans to visit.

A vast, flaming chasm draws tourists to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan, where record highs have reached 123 degrees Fahrenheit (or 50.55 degrees Celsius). Known as the “Gates of Hell,” this crater is actually a collapsed natural gas field that was likely set on fire by the Soviet Union in 1971 as a way to contain methane gas. Today, the Darvaza gas crater is one of the country’s most recognizable attractions.

Doha may be a sprawling, modern city, but its inhabits are still fighting Mother Nature in an eternal battle for comfort. Here, temperatures have climbed to 122.7 (50.3 Celsius) degrees Fahrenheit as recently as 2010. The temperatures prompted Doha to build climate-controlled stadiums in advance of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and spurred locals to open an indoor snow park inside Doha Festival City Mall.

A winery might be the last thing you’d expect in one of the hottest places on Earth, but the ancient oasis of Turpan is littered with them. Despite a record temperature of 122.9 degrees Fahrenheit (50.5 Celsius) in 2017, people here have sustained life for centuries using an ancient, gravity-powered irrigation system that once snaked across more than 3,200 miles. Astoundingly, some of it remains in use today.

This historic fishing village about an hour’s drive from Muscat is home to the world’s highest “low” temperature. On June 28, 2018, the daily low for Qurayyat sat at 109 degrees. That pales in comparison to its record high, though. Less than a year earlier, temperatures in Qurayyat reached a staggering 123.4 degrees Fahrenheit (50.77 Celsius).

The Outback is a sweltering, dangerous place where a breakdown could leave you in serious peril. Oodnadatta is located right in the middle of it — more than 500 miles from any major cities. Though it’s been used as a trading post for thousands of years, Oodnadatta is so remote that even the trans-Australian train, The Ghan, bypasses it these days. Perhaps that’s due to the local thermostat, which set an Australian record in 1960 of 123.3 (50.72 Celsius) degrees Fahrenheit.

Located far inland from the backpacker’s trails along Western Sahara’s coast, Semara sits amidst a stark, flat landscape of sun-soaked rocks. The town sees few tourists, but holds several distinctions — the ruins of Mosquée Cheikh Maouelainin offer some of the only pre-Spanish architecture in the territory, and one of Africa’s hottest temperatures was recorded here in 1961. That mark reached 123.3 degrees Fahrenheit (50.72 Celsius), surpassing average summer highs that regularly reach 115.

Algeria’s El Bayadh province is home to breathtaking buttes, epic overland adventures and some of Africa's most intense heat. The province’s namesake capital city has an otherworldly landscape and has seen record temperatures more than 124 degrees Fahrenheit (51.11 Celsius).

Temperatures seem to climb as travelers venture northwest from the famous azure rooftops of Jodhpur. A 90-mile trek from their cliffside panoramas will put you on the doorstop of India’s “Salt City” and the sprawling dunes of the Thar Desert. The Thar’s sweeping subtropical sands are home to an ecotourism industry built on camel safaris and glamping — where travelers can experience record highs like the 123.8 degrees Fahrenheit (or 51 Celsius) reached here in 2016.

The shimmering, modern towers of Jeddah stand guard over travelers making their way to resorts and pilgrimage destinations along the Red Sea. While the sprawling city enjoys an arid, seaside climate for much of the year, Jeddah is not immune to the Arabian Peninsula’s heat. In 2010, one of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Asia was registered right here — a scorching 125.8 degrees Fahrenheit (52.11 Celsius).

When we think desert heat, we tend to think of dusty, arid landscapes that seem to pull the water from our pores. That’s not the case in the United Arab Emirates — a country crowned by the opulent capital of Dubai. Dubai has a reputation for both luxury and humidity. Summer months in the UAE can be brutal. In 2002, a weather station at a border outpost in the Arabian Desert recorded an astounding 125.8 degree Fahrenheit (52.11 Celsius).

The bustling city about two hours from San Diego is home to Mexico’s aerospace industry and nearly one million people — along with the second hottest temperature ever recorded in North America: 125.6 degrees Fahrenheit (52 Celsius). Much of that heat can be attributed to the Colorado Desert mountaintops that absorb cloud cover, leaving the valleys below parched and unprotected from the sun.

Visitors to Agadir can amble beneath 16th-century fortress walls and hike into the foothills of the Atlas Mountains for breathtaking views. People have been living comfortably by the Atlantic coast here for more than 3,000 years, but earthquakes and extreme heat leave regular marks in Agadir’s landscape. The city was nearly destroyed by an earthquake in 1960, and Africa’s second hottest temperature on record, 125.1 degrees Fahrenheit (51.72 Celsius), was recorded here in 1940.

Before the Nile River ripples past Luxor and Cairo in Egypt, it pools into the headwaters of Lake Nasser just over the Egyptian border in Sudan. In the lakeside town of Wadi Halfa, spring temperatures have climbed to incredible heights. One thermometer here in 1967 saw the mercury rise to 127.4 degrees Fahrenheit (53 degrees Celsius).

Ancient ruins, sprawling orchards and fields of wheat and barley greet visitors to Pakistan’s inland coastal city of Turbat. Wedged between Pakistan’s coastal plains and the Kech River, this agricultural hub is perennially one of the hottest cities in South Asia, with summer temperatures that can rise to 128.7 degrees Fahrenheit (53.72 Celsius).

Even in a nation accustomed to heat waves and searing sun, Basra has a reputation for sweltering temperatures. Thanks to its proximity to the Persian Gulf, humidity in Basra frequently climbs over 90% during warm months. Summer temperatures in this historic port city regularly exceed 122 degrees Fahrenheit. However, those numbers seem pedestrian compared to the city’s record high of 128.8 Fahrenheit (53.77 Celsius) set in July of 2016.

Summer sandstorms are frequent in this ancient, Iranian city that has served as a center for education since antiquity. The shores of the nearby Karun River have provided life-giving water for the area’s residents since the days of Cyrus the Great; however, that water’s interaction with the city’s arid environment saturates the air, creating a humid atmosphere where temperatures have topped 129 degrees Fahrenheit (53.88 Celsius) as recently as 2017.

Scorched mud, sand and low-lying shrubs define the desolate landscape of the Mitribah Desert in Kuwait. Few people pass this way. Those who do are extremely hot, even hotter than those enduring average temperatures of 115 in nearby Kuwait City. The Mitribah weather station has recorded temperatures of 129 degrees Fahrenheit (53.88 Celsius).

Lush groves of verdant date palms thrive despite the sweltering climate of Tirat Zvi. This religious community sits 721 feet below sea level in a valley that's been cultivated since Roman times. In 1942, Tirat Zvi charted a 129-degree heat wave. The record has been disputed for decades, though thermographic research suggests the true figure could have been as low as 125 or as high 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.44 Celsius) — hardly a reprieve from the punishing temperatures among the palms.

Saharan winds whip towards the Tunisian province of Kebili in early summer, in this prehistoric oasis where world-renowned dates are raised. Locals here shuttle tourists into the desert atop camels and ATVs. Traces of human activity in Kebili date back an unfathomable 200,000 years. Kebili is where Africa’s hottest temperature was ever recorded in 1931: 131 degrees Fahrenheit (55 Celsius).