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