Ethiopia is one country that you can visit almost throughput the year but this all depends on the activities that you and to carry out. Most of the activities and the places that you want to visit are highly determined by the weather because there are some activities that are carried out during the dry season and cannot be carried out during the rainy season and vice versa.
The country is known as the cradle of mankind due to the various wildlife that can be found in the different parks that are situated in the different parts of the country and their unique culture. Its location at the horn of the African continent makes it hotter than the rest of the countries but it has both the dry and wet season and you get to choose which one you want to use in order to explore the country. The seasons that are experienced in Ethiopia can be categorized into three and these are:
The peak season
The peak season runs from January to March and these months experience the dry season. The best time for one to visit Ethiopia is during the dry season because then you will be able to access most of the tourist attractions unlike during the wet season. October and December months are good for tourists due to the appropriate weather rotating between mild rainfall and sunshine although few tourists will be seen during this season.
The low season
The low season runs from April to September and this is filled with a lot of rainfall. It is extremely hard for tourists to visit during this period because most of the sites will be inaccessible. Although some tourists brave the rain and come to the country.
January
January is a very good month to visit Ethiopia and it is considered to be the peak season of the country. There are many activities that tourists can carry out in the month of January and some of them include birding, celebrating the various festivals like the Epiphany that is widely celebrated by the Orthodox Church and this marks the baptism of Jesus Christ, birding, wildlife watching, trekking, visiting the locals and you also get to join in the celebrations of Christmas which comes in January for the Ethiopians due to the different calendar that they use.
February
February is the height of the dry season and this is the time that you cannot visit the Danakil Depression because you might suffocate due to the high temperatures in the area but this is the best time for all those who love wild life watching as this is when you get to see the second largest migration in Africa which is the Antelope migration which sees many antelopes moving from Ethiopia to South Sudan and back, you also get to go for trekking in the different parks and Mountains, birding in some birding spots and many other outdoor activities.
March
March marks the end of peak season in Ethiopia and it is the beginning of new season. It is still a dry season and many outdoor activities can be carried out and these include trekking, joining in the different cultural festivals that are carried out by the locals like enjoying the bull jumping ceremony that is prepared by the locals in order to initiate the young boys into manhood. These are expected to jump a line of bulls without falling down and that is when they are considered mature to marry any girl that they want.
April
April is the beginning of the rainy season and during this month some parts of Ethiopia start receiving showers of rainfall and it is a good time to visit the country especially for those that do not like the hot weather. During this month the heavy showers of rain have not yet set in and therefore you can still carry lout some activities like trekking, enjoying the Easter holiday that is from Holy Thursday when the washing of feet takes place, throughout Good Friday to the Easter Vigil where thousands of people can be seen celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Remember that the Ethiopians use the Julian calendar which greatly contradicts with the Gregorian calendar that is used by most countries in the world and this makes their celebrations also differ and that is why Easter is either celebrated at the end of March or April.
May
May sees the country receiving heavy rainfall that hinders and cuts off some tourist attractions due to flooding of the roads. It is a good time for all those who love birding and want to study the unique vegetation in the country but only for those who can brave the rains.
June
June is not the best month for one to visit the country due to the heavy rains that are experienced during this month. The rains make it hard to access some of the tourist attraction sites are cut off by flood and others are so slippery that you cannot drive on them. But if you can brave the rains the best activity that you can carry out is birding and during this period, you will be able to carry out birding in the different birding destinations that are found in Ethiopia but you need to prepare well enough for the rains and a few animals can also be seen moving around the National Parks.
July
July also receives heavy rainfall and is not recommended for tourist who want to visit Ethiopia. It is extremely hard to see anything in the rains that come in July and you cannot take photos of the beautiful landscape. But if you are not a fan of big crowds you can come during this month to watch the birds and enjoy some alone time without mixing with other tourists.
August
It is advisable that you do not visit Ethiopia during August due to the continuous rains that keep on coming down and closing off most roads due to flooding and the slippery roads which make it hard to access some of the roads.
September
September also receives rainfall but minimal and it is a good time for one to visit the country because then the roads will have cleared and you can easily access some places that were inaccessible before. There are several things that you can do during this time of the month and some of them include celebrating the New Year in Ethiopia, birding, watching wild animals and visiting most of the historical sites in the country.
October
October is a good month to visit the country because it is the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the dry season. You will be able to see the numerous wildlife that is found in the different parks, visit monuments both religious and historical and many more other activities that will appear in your itineraries.
November
When you visit Ethiopia during the month of November, you get to enjoy many activities. As earlier on noted, wild life viewing in Ethiopia is done throughout the year irrelevant of the weather and November is a good month to visit the country. During this month you will be able to go birding and view plenty of animals plus engage in the activities that are carried out during this month and these are you get to enjoy the Ethiopian run which takes place every year in November either on the last Sunday or second last Sunday of November and it attracts various people to take part including well known athletes. You can either join in or run as swell to keep fit or enjoy form the sidewalks and it takes place in Addis Ababa and also join in the festival of the Maryam Zion. The festival of the Maryam Zion takes place in the Aksum city and it starts from the stelae field on the steps led by the Orthodox leaders. The event is normally carried out on 30th November and towards this day many pilgrims can be seen travelling to Aksum to take part in the festivals.
December
Like most of the months in Ethiopia, December also experiences dry climatic conditions and this is the best time to visit the Danakil Depression since it is not as hot as other months. The heat will be there but not stiffing and some of the other activities that you can carry out during December include trekking and this is the best time for one to go for trekking throughout the country because the roads will be clear and not muddy or flooded. And it is also the best time to take photos of the landscape without disturbance from the rain and also visit the Kulubi Gabriel, very 28th December people make a pilgrimage to the Kulubi Gabriel in order to pay homage. You can join the crowd to go and see the church and also enjoy the cool surroundings of the Dire Dawa where it is located.
