🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Sweet spot Feb–Mar. Peak Oct–Jan. Skip Jul–Aug.
When to go
Ethiopia, month by month
Updated August 2026 · How we decide →
Typical weather
What Addis Ababa is usually like
What a typical day looks like, hour by hour: 8am when you get up, 2pm in the afternoon, 8pm when you are out in the evening — on Ethiopia’s own clock, at Addis Ababa. Ten-year averages (2011–2020) measured at the capital, so this is Addis Ababa, not the whole of Ethiopia, and a mountain or a coast a few hours away can be nothing like it. Averages, not a forecast: a typical January rather than any particular one.
| ✓January, peak season | 12.8°C | 23.3°C | 16.2°C | 8 mm | 11h 39m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ★February, cheap sweet spot | 14.2°C | 24.4°C | 18.1°C | 18 mm | 11h 51m |
| ★March, cheap sweet spot | 16.1°C | 24.7°C | 18.8°C | 53 mm | 12h 04m |
| April, in-between | 16.8°C | 24°C | 18.2°C | 156 mm | 12h 19m |
| May, in-between | 16.3°C | 23°C | 17.4°C | 231 mm | 12h 32m |
| June, in-between | 15°C | 21.5°C | 16.3°C | 294 mm | 12h 38m |
| ✕July, avoid | 13.7°C | 19.7°C | 15.1°C | 390 mm | 12h 36m |
| ✕August, avoid | 13.6°C | 19.4°C | 14.9°C | 385 mm | 12h 26m |
| September, in-between | 14.3°C | 19.9°C | 15°C | 284 mm | 12h 10m |
| ✓October, peak season | 15.1°C | 21.9°C | 15.3°C | 41 mm | 11h 56m |
| ✓November, peak season | 14.4°C | 22.5°C | 15.6°C | 13 mm | 11h 42m |
| ✓December, peak season | 12.7°C | 22.5°C | 15°C | 3 mm | 11h 37m |
Twelve months in order. Tap any heading to sort by it — the driest month, the longest day, the afternoon closest to the one you like.
The colour is the month, not the weather: ★ cheap sweet spot · ✓ peak season · in-between · ✕ avoid.
Temperature and rainfall are ERA5. Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of this information. Daylight: MET Norway, measured on the 15th of each month — the sun does not change, so that figure is exact rather than an average. Rainfall is a monthly total; daylight is sunset minus sunrise.
Right now
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After the rains: green highlands and clear skies.
Getting in, and staying safe
Visas, entry rules and health — the official pages
Entry rules, visa requirements, vaccinations and safety advice for Ethiopia all live on the pages below. Each one goes straight to Ethiopia, not to a search box.
We link to official sources and stop there. We do not check, summarise, rank or verify them — always read the official page itself before you travel, and read the one for your own nationality. We are an independent site with no government connection.
At a glance
The practical bits
| Plug types | C, E, F, L |
|---|---|
| Voltage | 220V |
| Emergency numbers * | 907, 911, 939, 991 |
| Currency | Ethiopian birr (ETB Br) |
| Language | Amharic |
| Dialling code | +251 |
| Driving | On the right |
| Coastline | Landlocked |
Loading either connects your browser to Google Maps.
* Emergency numbers can change, and can vary by region within a country. Always confirm with your accommodation or the nearest embassy before you travel.
One way to see it
AdOrganised tours and day trips in Ethiopia, on Viator — a way to see what is bookable and what other people rated. We earn a commission if you book through that link, and you pay exactly the same either way. We do not choose, rank or check what appears there, and nothing on this page changes because of it.
Worth knowing
Five things that hold almost everywhere
- Grab (or the local equivalent) beats street taxis in most of Asia — and even where you don't use it, the app price tells you what's fair.
- ATMs: withdraw big and rarely, always in the local currency, and always decline the machine's kind offer to charge your card in pounds — that 'service' costs 3–6%.
- eSIM before you land (Airalo or similar) so you're online at arrivals; swap to a local SIM if you're staying weeks.
- Scooters anywhere: without the right licence category your travel insurance is void. That's the whole conversation.
- Save the local emergency number on day one, and know which private hospital expats use in your city — ask your host the day you arrive.
General travel habits, not advice specific to Ethiopia. Rules, prices and fees change — check anything that matters before you rely on it.