10 Hottest Destinations Worldwide That Will Make You Crave Winter
With winter right around the corner, many of us are thinking about warmer getaways.
But some places get way too warm. A handful of destinations around the globe have thermometers that frequently show triple-digit heat, and staying outside for prolonged periods can be downright dangerous.
If you want to find out the hottest places on the planet, keep reading
1. Death Valley National Park, California, United States
Located in California’s Mojave Desert, Death Valley is the largest national park in the lower 48 states, covering 3.4 million acres. It’s a huge swath of land, with 93 percent designated as protected wilderness.
Death Valley is an adventurer’s paradise. The park is home to some of the most enigmatic landscapes in North America like Zabriskie Point, Racetrack Playa, Dante’s View, Ubehebe Crater, and many others.
The driving distances in Death Valley are long and cell phone service is virtually non-existent in most areas except for the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, where tourists go to take photos with the giant thermometer outside the main entrance.
Add the triple-digit heat, and you get a dangerous combination. Death Valley is the hottest place in North America, where temperatures often hover around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or even higher, during summer.
The hottest temperature on record in Death Valley was over 100 years ago at 134 degrees. But, the national park continues to set records to this day.
In August 2025, Death Valley recorded the hottest month with an average daily temperature of 108.5 degrees Fahrenheit, beating its previous record of 108.1 Fahrenheit, per National Weather Service.
While visitors continue to flock to Death Valley despite the blistering heat, park rangers warn about potential dangers associated with the life-threatening heat, lack of cell phone service, and extremely remote roads that run through the park. Over the years, Death Valley has seen several deaths related to heat exposure.
2. Mexicali, Mexico
Mexicali’s nickname “the city that captured the sun,” speaks for itself.
One of the largest cities along the U.S.-Mexico border and the capital of Baja California State, Mexicali’s temperatures are not for the faint of heart – the city frequently reaches above 100 degrees.
Located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, Mexicali has some of the hottest summers in Mexico, with a daily average of about 107 degrees.
The entire region along the border is known for its sweltering heat, which settles in the early morning hours and makes it virtually impossible to escape until late at night.
Unlike coastal cities in the region, including Tijuana, San Diego, and Los Angeles, Mexicali is located inland and is surrounded by dunes and mountains, which explains its hot spells.
Dozens of people died in Mexicali in recent years because of exacerbating heat waves and the lack of shelters and water. According to Global Warming Statistics, Mexicali is the fifth-hottest city in the world.
3. Lut Desert, Iran
The Lut Desert or Dasht-e-Lut is named from ‘lut’ empty and ‘dash’ plain in Persian. But despite the moniker, this desert is far more than just a barren stretch of sand.
Located in southeast Iran, this desert offers a remarkable experience for visitors. It’s home to spectacular geological features, unique ecosystems, and cultural heritage that suggests people have adapted to the harsh conditions for as long as 7,000 years.
The highest temperature recorded in Lut Desert is 159 degrees Fahrenheit, one of the highest on the planet. While this place offers remarkable features, the scorching heat makes for inhospitable conditions. Daytime temperatures often exceed 120 Fahrenheit, and nighttime temperatures can drop below freezing.
The area receives very little rain and has high radiation because of little cloud coverage and its location near the equator. The lack of cloud coverage means that the intense heat is absorbed by the desert’s surface, making it even hotter.
4. Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
Located in northernmost Ethiopia, the Danakil Depression (also known as the Afar Depression) is one of the hottest and lowest places in the world. The depression is about 328 feet below sea level.
Hydrothermal pools and hot springs, which have a sulfur smell that resembles rotten eggs, dot the area formed by the lava from the surrounding volcanoes. The surreal landscape is a result of the tectonic plates shifting apart underneath the earth. This is also known as continental rifting.
Despite the harsh conditions, the area is home to many microorganisms that adapt to the lack of water and harsh weather. Unsurprisingly, the Danakil Depression is popular for scientific research on microorganisms and extreme climate temperatures.
5. Mitribah, Kuwait
Kuwait is a Middle Eastern state along the Persian Gulf that often makes the list of the hottest countries in the world.
One place that particularly stands out in Kuwait is the city of Mitribah, where the highest recorded temperature was 129.2 degrees in 2016, the third-highest temperature reading in the world, at the time.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said it was the highest temperature ever recorded for continental Asia.
Sandwiched between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Kuwait is used to hot temperatures, with 105 degrees being the norm.
6. Turbat, Pakistan
Turbat is a city in the Baluchistan region of Pakistan that recorded 128.7 degrees in May 2017, the fourth-hottest temperature recorded on the planet.
The city has dry, hot summers with temperatures often hovering around 103 degrees. What’s interesting is that the Turbat has a population of 200,000, which makes it one of the hottest cities in the world.
The area is known for its dates, which grow in the surrounding region, but other crops like white, barley, and rice are also grown here despite water scarcity.
Winters also offer little reprieve from the heat. Temperatures “cool down” to the low 80s from December through February.
7. Basra, Iraq
Despite being one of the most prone places to drought worldwide, Basra is home to 1.4 million people.
Basra won the title of the world’s hottest city on multiple occasions, in 2004, 2012, 2013, and 2015. Here, temperatures range from 123.8 to 127.4 degrees Fahrenheit. During summer, Basra’s temperatures consistently average 120 degrees, especially in July and August, the hottest months of the year.
Aside from its triple-digit heat, Basra is known as one of the most important cities in the Middle East, thanks to its location at the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It’s also home to the country’s only port and a gateway to neighboring Iran.
According to Al Jazeera, the highest temperatures were recorded in five cities across four Middle Eastern countries. Basra has reached the world record six times, including in 2022, with a whopping 127 degrees.
8. Aziziyah, Libya
Located 25 miles southwest of Tripoli, the capital of Libya, Aziziyah (also spelled Azizia) experiences torching heat thanks to the phenomenon called Sirocco. A Sirocco is an offshore breeze wind that originates in the Sahara desert and carries hot air.
On September 13, 1922, Azizia recorded 136 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest temperature at the time. However, this claim has since been refuted after an investigation by the World Meteorological Organization, which found that the readings might not have been correct then.
However, Aziziyah is still far from a cold place with an average temperature of 118 degrees during summer.
9. Oodnadatta, Australia
Oodnadatta is a remote town in South Australia that sits on the historic Oodnadatta Track, a popular route for exploring the Australian outback.
Surrounded by the desert, Oodnadatta has a population of around 100 people and is about 745 miles north of the capital Adelaide.
The town’s claim to fame is the highest temperature ever recorded in Australia and in the southern hemisphere, 123.3 degrees, which was recorded on January 2, 1960.
South Australia is no stranger to blistering temperatures. In August 2024, the region faced a heat wave with temperatures soaring near 105 degrees in many towns inland.
Onslow, Western Australia also set a record of 123 degrees in January 2022.
10. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Jaddah is one of the hottest cities in the Middle East recorded 125 degrees Fahrenheit in 2010. While it’s located along the Red Sea, it frequently appears on the list of hottest cities in the world
The city is home to 4.6 million people and a gateway to Mecca and Medina, which attract millions of pilgrims.
Jeddah is also known for its historic landmarks, such as Al Rahma Mosque, Bicycle Square, and Makkah Gate. It’s home to several universities including the University of Jeddah, King Abdulaziz University, and University of Business and Technology.
