Ethiopia
Ethiopia in May
🌦️ Shoulder (showers)Pleasant and some showers.
🎒 Pack: sunglasses & hat
Why May scores 8.6What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort9.1
- ✓Comfortable temperatures (24.9°C highs / 12.1°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 10.5°C)
- !Wet: ~99 mm rain, ~2 heavy-rain days
- Air quality7.9
- ✓Moderate (PM2.5 ~19 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline5.0
- ·High caution
| May | Mar | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.6 Excellent | 9.0 Excellent |
| Season | 🌦️ Shoulder (showers) | ☀️ Warm dry season |
| High / low | 25° / 12° | 26° / 11° |
| Rain | 99 mm | 47 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 11° | dew pt 7° |
| PM2.5 | 19 µg/m³ | 16 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast).
Holidays & crowdsMay 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Good Friday 30 Apr – 2 May · 3 days off in a row
Other public holidays: Ethiopian Patriots' Victory Day (5 May) · Eid al-Adha (16 May, date estimated)
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 May.
Coming up later
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
Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year)Date varies11 September, or 12 September in the year before an Ethiopian leap year
The Ethiopian New Year marks the end of the main rainy season, with family gatherings and flowers.
Why go: It is a public holiday, so offices and some services close.
Where: Nationwide
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
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 Park
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 Depression
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.