Time of the year

Ethiopia is a tricky country to work out the average weather for a journey here as it's a large country with big changes in elevation which has an impact on the weather to expect. Bottom line is take layers to cope with a variety of conditions.

The North - Axum, Melekele, Lalibela, Simien Mountains

The really hot months are May to July in the middle of summer and you could expect rain in the months of July and August but these are not big rain fall areas so its not a major consideration. Altitude is a factor though as the Simien Mountains are a lot higher than the surrounding areas.

Addis Ababa and the Central Highlands

As an area relatively high in altitude the temperatures are mostly on the cool side here with midday never much above 25degrees. The main rains are generally in two lots in the months of June and September. The rest of the year is mostly dry but with higher altitudes there can always be a damp morning or afternoon at any time.

The South - Omo River and Delta

This is a much lower area of Ethiopia being largely inside the Rift Valley and closer to the Equator which makes it a lot hotter than the higher, more Northern areas of Ethiopia. Your main consideration here is really the heat as they are largely low rainfall areas.