Country guide

Ethiopia

Lalibela's rock-hewn churches, the Simien Mountains and Danakil's salt flats, plus the coffee ceremony that started it all.

Currency

ETB

Language

Amharic

English

Limited

Payment

Cash preferred

Power

Type C / F / G

230 V, 50 Hz

Dialing

+251

Destinations

Ethiopia

Addis Ababa

Lucy, imperial cathedrals and the slow ritual of Ethiopian coffee in Africa's diplomatic capital.

✓ best Oct-May

Ethiopia

Gondar

The castle city of Ethiopia's emperors, where seventeenth-century palaces stand in the middle of an everyday highland town.

✓ best Oct-May

Ethiopia

Harar

The walled city where men feed wild hyenas by hand every night, and a medieval Islamic town unlike anywhere else in Ethiopia.

✓ best Jun, Oct-Mar

Ethiopia

Lalibela

Eleven medieval churches cut downward into solid rock, and still holding services eight centuries on.

✓ best Oct-May

Climate zones, month by month

Ethiopia has 4 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.

Addis Ababa →

Jan

24°

8°

14mm

4d rain

Feb

26°

9°

28mm

6d rain

Mar

26°

11°

58mm

12d rain

Apr

26°

12°

83mm

18d rain

May

26°

12°

81mm

17d rain

Jun

23°

12°

143mm

24d rain

Jul

21°

12°

263mm

30d rain

Aug

21°

12°

298mm

30d rain

Sep

22°

11°

176mm

24d rain

Oct

23°

10°

41mm

9d rain

Nov

23°

8°

15mm

4d rain

Dec

23°

7°

12mm

3d rain

August Wettest month. 298mm · 30 rainy days

✓ Best Oct-May · ✗ Avoid Jul-Aug

Watch for Jul-Aug monsoon flooding risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Gondar Amhara →

Jan

28°

10°

4mm

0d rain

Feb

29°

12°

5mm

1d rain

Mar

29°

13°

22mm

5d rain

Apr

28°

14°

36mm

10d rain

May

27°

14°

92mm

20d rain

Jun

25°

14°

170mm

27d rain

Jul

24°

14°

298mm

30d rain

Aug

24°

14°

298mm

31d rain

Sep

25°

13°

121mm

26d rain

Oct

26°

12°

79mm

14d rain

Nov

28°

9°

21mm

5d rain

Dec

28°

9°

8mm

1d rain

August Wettest month. 298mm · 31 rainy days

✓ Best Oct-May · ✗ Avoid Jul-Aug

Watch for Jul-Aug monsoon flooding risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Harar →

Jan

25°

12°

15mm

2d rain

Feb

27°

13°

14mm

4d rain

Mar

27°

14°

67mm

10d rain

Apr

26°

14°

120mm

17d rain

May

26°

14°

109mm

16d rain

Jun

25°

14°

63mm

13d rain

Jul

24°

13°

119mm

23d rain

Aug

24°

13°

122mm

26d rain

Sep

25°

13°

120mm

20d rain

Oct

26°

12°

53mm

8d rain

Nov

26°

12°

17mm

4d rain

Dec

25°

12°

12mm

2d rain

✓ Best Jun, Oct-Mar

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Lalibela Amhara Highlands →

Jan

23°

9°

17mm

2d rain

Feb

24°

10°

36mm

3d rain

Mar

25°

12°

68mm

9d rain

Apr

24°

12°

89mm

11d rain

May

24°

12°

76mm

13d rain

Jun

23°

11°

124mm

18d rain

Jul

21°

11°

259mm

30d rain

Aug

21°

11°

278mm

30d rain

Sep

21°

11°

174mm

20d rain

Oct

22°

10°

41mm

8d rain

Nov

23°

9°

8mm

4d rain

Dec

23°

8°

10mm

2d rain

August Wettest month. 278mm · 30 rainy days

✓ Best Oct-May · ✗ Avoid Jul-Aug

Watch for Jul-Aug monsoon flooding risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions