Gondar weather by month

The best time to visit Gondar is November to January — 96/100 in November, 24°C and 3 rainy days. The best season is winter, December to February (93/100 on average).

The worst month is August at 61/100 — nice, soaked, clean air. See August →

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Planning the wider trip? Best time to visit Ethiopia →

Gondar🇪🇹 Ethiopia · Horn of Africa · City96
  1. 93Jan
  2. 91Feb
  3. 89Mar
  4. 85Apr
  5. 80May
  6. 73Jun
  7. 62Jul
  8. 61Aug
  9. 65Sep
  10. 87Oct
  11. 96Nov
  12. 95Dec

Best season: December to February (93/100 on average) · worst August (61/100)

Days
24°C
Nights
12°C
Wet days
3
Sun
10.6 h
Humidity
54%
Daylight
12 h
Gondar, Ethiopia
Photo: Abenezer Muluken · Pexels

Gondar, month by month

Comfort score out of 100 for the kind of trip Gondar is best for, the average high, rainy days and hours of sun a day from the climate normals, and how busy it tends to be.

MonthScoreTierHighRainSunCrowdsOn
Jan93S26°C1 d11 hPeak3
Feb91S27°C2 d11 hShoulder2
Mar89A28°C3 d11 hShoulder2
Apr85A28°C7 d11 hBusy2
May80A27°C14 d11 hBusy2
Jun73B24°C24 d10 hShoulder—
Jul62C21°C31 d9 hQuiet—
Aug61C21°C31 d9 hQuiet1
Sep65C22°C25 d10 hBusy3
Oct87A23°C8 d11 hShoulder1
Nov96S24°C3 d11 hBusy1
Dec95S25°C1 d11 hBusy1

What's on in Gondar through the year

Festivals, natural spectacles, holidays and the seasons to watch out for — curated and sourced. The month pages carry the detail.

January
  • Genna6–8 JanFestival
  • Timkat at Fasilides' Bath18–20 JanFestival
February
  • Abiy Tsom, the Great Lent10 Feb – 1 May (usually)Rule
April
  • Fasika5 Apr – 5 May (usually)Festival
August
  • Ashendye girls' festival22 Aug – 1 Sep (usually)Festival
September
  • Enkutatash11–12 SepFestival
  • Meskel26–28 SepFestival
October
  • Simien trekking season1 Oct – 31 Mar (usually)Season

Everything on in Gondar through the year →

Crowds in Gondar in November

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Busyschool holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather(estimated)

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Traveller notes on Gondar

What people who have been say about the place — the year-round notes first, then month by month.

Ethiopia forum posters note that Gondar's roughly 7,000-foot elevation keeps it noticeably more comfortable in May than the lowland Danakil, which is hitting its hottest stretch at the same time. March through May brings the unpredictable 'little rains,' but multiple posters described the pattern as mostly sunny with occasional short showers rather than a proper wet season, which lines up with the real humidity here staying low. Air conditioning isn't something you'll need at this altitude even with daytime highs in the upper 20s C - a light jacket for the cooler evenings is more useful than anything for the heat.
EthiopianHighlandsTraveler · May · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Forum posters consistently name November as one of the best weather months in Ethiopia, with posters specifically noting there's no rain to speak of at this point and the countryside is still lushly green from the tail end of the wet season - a real bonus for sightseeing around Gondar's castles and churches without either mud underfoot or dust in the air. Posters generally rate November and December together as Ethiopia's best season overall, positioning a November visit to the historic north (Gondar commonly paired with Bahir Dar, the Simien Mountains and Axum) as a favorable time weather-wise compared to earlier in the year. Posters consistently recommend this window specifically for good visibility and comfortable sightseeing conditions across the northern circuit.
Tripadvisor community · November · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Add your own note from Gondar's card on the map.