Addis Ababa in May

Warm, drier.

All twelve months in one grid — weather, crowds and prices, with gaps left as unknown.

May is rated good. These months rate higher:

• NovemberGreatDry, clear and cool.
• DecemberGreatDry; cold mornings.
• JanuaryGreatDry and sunny; Timkat (Epiphany) around 19 Jan brings crowds.
• FebruaryGreatDry and clear.

• Addis AbabaHighs around 24 °C (75 °F), lows around 10 °C (50 °F), rain on about 8 daysHighs around 75 °F (24 °C), lows around 50 °F (10 °C), rain on about 8 days
• Central highlands, Ethiopia · Addis Ababa, Bishoftu, Bale Mountains, and the northern plateaufine

  Mild all year at altitude (days 20–25 °C (68–77 °F), cold nights); the big rains (kiremt) run June to September, with short rains around March–April.Mild all year at altitude (days 68–77 °F (20–25 °C), cold nights); the big rains (kiremt) run June to September, with short rains around March–April.

Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.

• Ethiopian Easter (Fasika) check

  Moves yearly, often later than Western Easter · Churches citywide

  Preceded by a long fast (no meat or dairy for observant Orthodox Christians); big family meals to break it.

• Eid al-Fitr check

  Islamic calendar, moves yearly · Mosques citywide, including Anwar Mosque

  Public holiday; mosques busy.

• Patriots' Victory Day

  5 May · Nationwide

  Public holiday marking the 1941 liberation from Italian occupation.

• Siklet and Fasika (Good Friday and Orthodox Easter) big impact

  Apr–May (moves yearly — check; 2 May in 2027) · Ethiopia

  End of the 55-day fast; offices close, domestic flights busy.

Crowds · Ethiopia overall

Low

Prices · Ethiopia overall

Low

Ethiopia overall: Hot in the lowlands, rain in the Omo; quiet and cheap in the highlands.

Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in Addis Ababa, side by side.

• A warm layer for the evenings

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