Ethiopia
Ethiopia in December
🌤️ Cool dry seasonPleasant and mostly dry.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings
Why December scores 8.8What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort9.4
- ✓Comfortable temperatures (22.9°C highs / 6.8°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 5.5°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~10 mm rain)
- Air quality8.1
- ✓Moderate (PM2.5 ~17 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline5.0
- ·High caution
| Dec | Mar | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.8 Excellent | 9.0 Excellent |
| Season | 🌤️ Cool dry season | ☀️ Warm dry season |
| High / low | 23° / 7° | 26° / 11° |
| Rain | 10 mm | 47 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 6° | dew pt 7° |
| PM2.5 | 17 µg/m³ | 16 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast).
Holidays & crowdsDecember 2026
No long holidaysNo long public-holiday weekends this month. School holidays aren't counted, so check those if you want to avoid family crowds.
No national public holidays in Ethiopia this month.
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore EthiopiaEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyAn East African highland country with ancient Christian heritage, rock-hewn churches, dramatic mountains and a deep coffee culture.
No major events on our calendar for December.
Coming up later
Timkat (Epiphany)Date varies19 January, or 20 January in Ethiopian leap years
Orthodox Christians re-enact Christ's baptism with processions of the church tabots, all-night vigils and water blessings.
Why go: Book well ahead for Gondar and Lalibela, which draw large crowds.
Where: Nationwide, especially Gondar, Lalibela and Addis Ababa
Genna (Ethiopian Christmas)Date varies7 January, or 8 January in some years
Orthodox Christmas, preceded by a fast and marked by night-long church services.
Why go: Lalibela is a major pilgrimage destination at Genna.
Where: Nationwide, especially Lalibela
MeskelDate varies27 September, or 28 September in Ethiopian leap years
Celebrates the finding of the True Cross with the lighting of huge bonfires (demera).
Why go: The Addis Ababa bonfire draws enormous crowds; arrive early.
Where: Nationwide, with the largest celebration in Meskel Square, Addis Ababa
Lalibela rock-hewn churches
Eleven medieval churches carved down into solid rock, still used for worship today.
💡 Visiting during a religious festival is memorable but very crowded.
Simien Mountains National Parkgreat in Dec
Highland plateau and escarpments with gelada monkeys, walia ibex and multi-day trekking routes.
💡 The dry season from about October to March is best for trekking.
Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar
A walled royal enclosure of 17th-century castles and palaces built by Ethiopian emperors.
Aksum
The ancient capital with giant carved stelae, royal tombs and the church said to hold the Ark of the Covenant.
Lake Tana monasteries
Island and peninsula monasteries near Bahir Dar, with painted church interiors.
Danakil Depressiongreat in Dec
One of the hottest places on Earth, with salt flats, acid pools and the Erta Ale lava lake area.
💡 Go only with an organised tour, ideally in the cooler months of November to February.
Injera
A spongy sourdough flatbread made from teff, used as plate and utensil for most meals.
Doro wat
A rich, spicy chicken stew with berbere spice and hard-boiled eggs, served on special occasions.
Kitfo
Minced raw or lightly cooked beef seasoned with spiced butter and chilli powder.
Shiro
A smooth stew of ground chickpeas or broad beans, a staple on fasting days.
Coffee ceremony
Green beans are roasted, ground and brewed in a clay jebena pot, served in three rounds.
💡 Homes, cafés and hotels across the country
Ethiopian coffee
Whole beans from regions such as Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Harar.
Handwoven cotton shawls
White cotton netela and gabi wraps with coloured woven borders.
Orthodox hand crosses
Intricate metal or wooden crosses in regional styles, such as those of Lalibela and Aksum.
Woven baskets
Colourful lidded baskets, including the mesob used for serving injera.