Fasil Ghebbi
Walled royal compound built in the 17th and 18th centuries, with stone castles, towers and halls. Its main buildings show Ethiopian and foreign influences.
Gondar
A former royal city, Gondar has castles from the 17th century in its UNESCO-listed Royal Enclosure, plus the bath used for Timkat celebrations.
Attractive locations
Debre Berhan Selassie Church
Church just outside the city centre, famous for a ceiling painted with rows of winged angel faces. The colourful wall paintings inside tell stories from the Bible. Visitors should dress modestly.
Kuskuam
Ruined palace and church compound on a hillside above town, built in the 18th century for Empress Mentewab. The ruins give a quiet look at royal life in old Gondar.
Fasilides' Bath
Large sunken pool beside the royal compound, surrounded by a stone building and shaded by fig trees. Each January it is filled with water for the Timkat festival, which draws thousands of pilgrims.
Airports
Gondar Airport GDQ
It is about 10 km in a straight line from Gondar.
Bahir Dar Airport BJR
It is about 111 km in a straight line from Gondar.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Ethiopia page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan19.3 °C1 mm
- Feb21.5 °C5 mm
- Mar22.6 °C18 mm
- Apr23.2 °C41 mm
- May22.6 °C115 mm
- Jun20.2 °C200 mm
- Jul17.9 °C377 mm
- Aug17.9 °C368 mm
- Sep18.8 °C200 mm
- Oct18.5 °C65 mm
- Nov18.5 °C19 mm
- Dec18.6 °C7 mm
Driest months: Jan, Feb, Dec. Wettest months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
Festivals and events
religious
Timkat (Ethiopian Epiphany)
The highlight is Gondar's bath of Fasilides, and the processions are colourful.
religious
Timkat (Ethiopian Epiphany)
The highlight is Gondar's bath of Fasilides, and the processions are colourful.
Who can help
Emergency
Reported numbers: police 991, ambulance 907, fire 939 - confirm with your hotel or guide.
ngo
Ethiopian Red Cross Society
Helps with: Ethiopia's national Red Cross society. Its work includes round-the-clock emergency ambulance services, disaster response and family-links services for separated families. Its website gives toll-free 907 for emergencies.
Who qualifies: People in Ethiopia needing emergency, health, disaster or family-links services. The phone shown is the head office line.
Phone: +251-115-18-01-81
Email: [email protected]
Address: Ras Desta Dametew Avenue, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ethiopia
Helps with: The UN migration agency, working across Ethiopia since 1995. It supports displaced people and safe, regular migration, and produces migration research and data for policy.
Who qualifies: Migrants and displaced people in Ethiopia, and government or other partners. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +251 111301000
Address: YeMez Building, behind Zequala Building, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
local government
Police and emergency number 911
Helps with: Reaches the police and general emergency help in Ethiopia. The number comes from UK government travel advice.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors, can call this number.
Phone: 911
local government
Ambulance number 907 (Addis Ababa)
Helps with: Reaches the ambulance service in Addis Ababa only, as given by UK government travel advice. The page lists no ambulance number for other places.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Addis Ababa, including visitors, can call this number.
Phone: 907