Best Time to Visit Ethiopia: Weather, Travel Guide & Safety

Population

109.22M

Area

1.13M km²

Capital

Addis Ababa

Currency

ETB

Power plugs

C · E · F · L

220 V

Calling code

+251

Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the southeast, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west, and Sudan to the northwest. Ethiopia covers a land area of 1,104,300 km2 (426,400 sq mi). As of 2026, it has around 138 million inhabitants, making it the 10th-most populous country in the world and 2nd most populous country in Africa. The national capital and largest city, Addis Ababa, lies several kilometres west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the African and Somali tectonic plates. Read more — Wikipedia

When to go

Best places in Ethiopia in October

i

98

Go score

When to go in Ethiopia: month-by-month

Go score by month for the main destinations; green means great weather.

places	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Addis Ababa	99	97	93	84	82	79	72	69	79	90	97	99
Jijiga	100	96	88	86	81	81	89	85	87	92	100	100
Gonder	96	92	88	84	84	81	76	73	83	94	100	100
Mek'ele	100	100	91	83	74	66	82	80	89	95	100	100
Adama	100	93	85	78	74	73	82	79	85	92	98	100
Warder	69	62	56	53	60	58	61	61	56	66	70	70
Awasa	88	80	81	77	81	82	82	80	85	89	89	92
Bahir Dar	100	93	83	77	75	80	76	73	83	94	100	100
Dire Dawa	88	83	72	64	55	46	56	59	61	67	81	89
Dessie	97	97	95	89	85	82	79	76	84	92	97	96
Jimma	87	82	76	73	76	78	76	73	80	89	92	92
Shashamane	91	85	85	82	82	82	81	79	85	89	95	99
Bishoftu	100	98	95	86	84	81	80	77	83	91	98	100
Sodo	87	81	82	79	81	80	79	77	83	88	84	88

All holiday types

More ways to travel in Ethiopia

All holiday types

National parks16 Waterfalls3 Volcanoes18 Lakes16 History8 World Heritage12 Winter sun

Rainy season in Ethiopia: May–September · Wettest month: August Month by month

Tourist density

Tourism in Ethiopia

How many visitors come, how concentrated tourism is, and when the country is busiest.

International visitors a year

812K

2019

World rank by arrivals

#143

Visitors per resident

0.01

Visitors per km²

0.7

Most popular destinations in Ethiopia

Practical

Ethiopia: practical information

Plugs, money, emergency numbers, safety and typical prices: what to know before you go.

Power plugs

CEFL

Voltage: 220 V · 50 Hz
Driving: Drive on the right

Currency

Ethiopian Birr

ETB · Br

Languages: Amharic
Calling code: +251

Safety & travel advice

3

Reconsider travelUS travel advisory

Advises against all travel to parts of the country · Advises against all but essential travel to parts of the countryUK travel advice · Oct 21, 2026

Read the full advice

Typical prices