When to go · Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa in March
Mixed month. Short rains begin; warm.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Mixed
- Temperature
- 25° / 9°
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 8
- Crowds
- Medium
- Ethiopia overall
- Prices
- Medium
- Ethiopia overall
Verdict
Short rains begin; warm.
Weather in March
- Addis AbabaHighs around 25 °C, lows around 9 °C, rain on about 8 days
- Central highlands, Ethiopia · Addis Ababa, Bishoftu, Bale Mountains, and the northern plateaubest weather
Mild all year at altitude (days 20–25 °C, cold nights); the big rains (kiremt) run June to September, with short rains around March–April.
Short rains and belg season
Occasional showers, warming days; wildflowers on the hills.
Watch: Afternoon downpours become more frequent through May.
Festivals and holidays
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.
Adwa Victory Day
1 March · Nationwide
Public holiday marking the 1896 victory over Italy.
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.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Ethiopia overall
- Medium
- Prices · Ethiopia overall
- Medium
Ethiopia overall: Still mostly dry; Adwa Day (2 Mar); short rains can start late in the month.
What to pack
- A warm layer for the evenings