Gondar weather in September

Simien Mountains-forum trip reports on a September trek describe this as genuinely the tail end of the wetter months, one 2017 report camping four nights at Sankaber, Geech and Chenek and finding real fog and occasional showers but nothing that spoiled the trip. Regulars call the mountains genuinely at their most beautiful across September, October and November, several posters naming full-bloom grasses the real payoff. Posters call low season here a genuine tradeoff, several regulars describing far fewer tourists and pleasant temperatures between seven and seventeen degrees as compensation. Regulars call afternoon the real pattern for rain, several threads describing mornings as generally clear with showers arriving predictably later. Posters recommend real waterproof gear regardless of a clear start, several regulars calling this standard for a September trek. The record: 18.9C days, 11.6C nights, an extraordinarily high 406.9mm across nearly 29 days and 80 percent humidity.

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.