Ethiopia travel guide

Best time to visit Ethiopia from the UK

Best value: Apr, Sep. Oct–Mar: dry season. Busiest and priciest: Oct–Mar.

Each bar is the average temperature in Addis Ababa for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

• Our pick: April and SeptemberThe warmest of the best-value months (16–18°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
• Peak season: Oct–MarUsually 14–18°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
• Quiet season: May–AugAround 16–18°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
• Warmest: May (18°C) · coolest: November (14°C)Temperatures barely change through the year, so the season matters more than the weather.

Festivals and events

• Timkat Jan · Gondar and Lalibela
• Meskel Sep · Addis Ababa
• Genna (Christmas) Jan · Lalibela

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time

About 7h 45m

Distance

5,908 km

Main airport

ADD

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Ethiopia to your bucket list Search flights to ADD

Practical info and travel guidance

• FCDO adviceAdvises against travel to parts of EthiopiaCheck which areas before you book.
• VisaApply online before you goeVisa before you travel
• HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
• LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
• Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Ethiopia, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 16 October 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Ethiopia before you book and again before you go.