When to visit Madagascar

From south to north, the temperature ranges from about 33 to 27 degrees Celsius, cooling slightly the further north you go, with heavy rainfall spreading unevenly across the country. Rains are heavy and more prolific in the north, with the south remaining much drier in comparison. There is a risk of cyclones in January, although this peaks in February.

We do not recommend travel to Madagascar in January as certain lodges and local operators will be closed. The weather is hot and very wet, turning some roads into deep mud, making some national parks and accommodations inaccessible.

If you prefer to travel out of season and don’t mind some heavy rains, travel to Madagascar in the shoulder seasons of April or December.

The temperature remains warm in February, resulting in high humidity, hovering around the 30 degree mark in the south and cooling by a few degrees as you head further north.

We do not recommend travel to Madagascar in February. There is a high risk of cyclones, especially in the northeast and heavy downpours stretching up and down the island. Dirt tracks become heavy with thick mud, making driving and walking difficult, sometimes near impossible so certain parks and accommodations will close.

If you prefer to travel out of season and don’t mind some heavy rains, travel to Madagascar in the shoulder seasons of April or December.

March is warm and wet, resulting in humidity. The temperature lingers around 30 degrees Celsius, being hotter and dryer in the south west than the north east. Cyclones are still possible in March, although they are more likely in February.

We do not recommend travel to Madagascar in March. Roads to national parks and certain lodges are closed due to being thick with mud and some operators still are not running due to weather conditions and their unpredictability.

If you prefer to travel out of season and don’t mind some heavy rains, travel to Madagascar in the shoulder seasons of April or December.

Technically the start of Madagascar’s winter, the weather is starting to cool off slightly, ranging from 32 degrees Celsius in Isalo to an average of 25 degrees Celsius up in Ranomafana National Park, and much further northeast, Masoala is around 26 degrees Celsius for April. The weather in April provides somewhat of a relief for Madagascar, after heavy rains and cyclones in January to March. The occasional heavy downpour is interspersed with bright sunshine, enticing out all sorts of wildlife from hiding. April is the start of the tourism season, as parks are open and ready for the first visitors of the year.

April is a good time to travel to Madagascar to avoid peak season and is ideal for rich landscapes, bounding lemurs and quiet parks and beaches. National Parks such as Andasibe are lush and green, and in Berenty, the green flora contrasts magnificently with the orange, dusty looking ground where you’ll often find ringtail lemurs.

Being a shoulder season, April is relatively quiet in Madagascar and you can enjoy the bright lush landscapes peacefully and affordably. Bear in mind April can be quite unpredictable and Madagascar does have massive variations in temperature and rainfall due to altitude and topography.

There is a lot of sunshine in May and although the wet season has officially ended, you should still be prepared for the possibility of the odd heavy downpour, and always expect rain at any time in the rainforests.

May is a great time to visit Madagascar, lemurs are out in the open after spending the majority of their time sheltering from the heavy rains. Spotting many kinds of lemurs and reptiles becomes an effortless task as the Sifaka lemurs can be seen skipping across the sand, and indri stand out against the vibrant green leaves of the rainforests.

The spectacular array of flora and fauna begins to flourish after all the rainfall, the fresh and vibrant landscape is a stunning background for your photographs. May is also an opportunity to enjoy Nosy Be’s Donia Festival, where they celebrate home-grown music and sport.

The weather in June in Madagascar improves as the average rainfall continues to decrease due to the air becoming cooler and fresher. There are still sporadic showers as we haven’t quite reached what is technically known as the ‘dry season’, but these are interspersed with bright sunshine. There is always a risk of showers within Madagascar and June is no exception, be ready for rain and sunshine.

June is a popular month to visit Madagascar, but is not classed as peak season, so prices are still quite low and you can avoid any potential crowds.

In June, the land continues to flourish after the wet season, and flora can be striking throughout the rainforests, each alive with striking colours and intriguing wildlife. The highlands are still cool and can be quite wet; however this is one of the best times to head to the southwest, which can get way too hot in the summer months. Isalo National Park, home to many beautiful and unique creatures, including lots of endearing lemurs, is sensational in June, with just the right temperature to be warm and comfortable on your journey.

The harvesting of the rice crops on the highlands in June can be quite spectacular to witness.

June also sees the humpback whales starting to return to the coast of Ile Sainte Marie. They migrate here annually from the Antarctic, congregating in sheltered waters to calves and nurse their young in relative safety. Towards the end of June, you may even be able to see their wonderful courtship rituals, but we’d recommend July to September for whale watching safaris, as there will be more of a chance of spotting this gigantuous animals.

For beaches, June is good for the boutique beach retreat of Tsarabanjina with warm clear waters and diverse marine life easily seen.

The weather in July is now in the midst of the Madagascan winter and the temperature is at its lowest for the year. This means trekking the naturally humid rainforests can be refreshing and airy. The rainforests are alive with unique flora and fauna, with loads of different lemurs and other animals getting on with their daily lives in the jungle depths. Being so dry does mean that some of the species are hibernating; mainly small mammals and reptiles.

If you’re looking for marine-life, you won’t miss out. July is the first official month of whale watching season in Ile Sainte Marie and the incredible humpback whales will have fully settled into their winter home meaning that substantial groups can often be seen from the island and in particular from Antongil Bay. The humpbacks can also be spotted from Fort Dauphin, Tulear and Nosy Be. Their breaching (which is part of their courting ritual) is an astonishing event to witness. The whales are here to calve and look after their young in warmer waters, and at the end of September they will start to leave, again heading south towards Antarctica. We recommend staying in the lovely Princesse Bora Lodge where you can join the Megapetra research team and help them to log the activity of the whales. For other great beach locations in July, try Tsarabanjina, where you can snorkel picturesque turquoise waters and experience a totally different and unique marine world.

July marks the beginning of the high season and booking your trip early is highly advisable in order for you to secure the safari you really want, without making sacrifices on location or accommodation. This will be the busiest month of the year so far, but with good reason.

Isalo National Park is wonderful in July as it is relatively cool, compared to the summer months where it can be way too hot. A refreshing dip in crystal waters Piscine Naturelle after a long wildlife hike it most rewarding.

The far flung region 3 kilometres from Ifotaka around Mandrare River Camp, home to five lemur species, is an excellent experience at this time of year (well, any time actually!).

A downside of July is that lots of forest inhabitants, including reptiles and small mammals are hibernating.

August weather has a similar climate to July, cooler and crisper than Madagascar’s summer months. Well into the peak season now, our advice still stands on booking well in advance so you can get the safari you want, including perfect accommodation for you and reasonable flights. It’s a popular month with tourists, especially with Madagascar’s amazing family options and it being in the middle of the school summer holidays across Europe.

The cool air does mean some animals hibernate, mainly reptiles and small mammals; including chameleons, giant jumping rats, tenrecs and dwarf lemurs.

Ile Sainte Marie is in the middle of humpback whale watching season and witnessing them is highly likely during your stay. Princesse Bora Lodge offers you to join a research program to get even closer to the action. The whales migrated here end of June / beginning of July to calve and look after their young. It is safer here in the warm Malagasy waters than the cold Antarctic oceans, but they will head out again soon to those wider seas where they can find more food alongside their young who will, by then, be able to swim alongside them relatively well.

Nosy Be is wonderful at this time for snorkelling, especially the island of Tsarabanjina, or head to Isalo National Park where the weather makes trekking this arid land more comfortable. This is a great place for spotting the ringtail lemurs, and after a long trek you can sink into the Piscine Naturelles of the park.

The very end of August brings with it the beginning of the best time of year to see some of the 292 species of birds which reside in Madagascar, of which 103 are endemic. This is almost the highest ratio of endemics to total number of species anywhere in the world. Bird watching is at its peak in September.

Although August can be busy, it still should be considered for its mild temperatures and excellent wildlife opportunities. And we can find you the best places to stay, away from the crowds if you so wish.

The weather in September is the end of the cooler season and temperatures start to increase without much more rain (rainy season begins again in September). This is arguably one of the best times to head to Madagascar on holiday.

Children generally go back to school at the start of the month, so it is quiet when compared to July and August. Warmer weather means wildlife that was hibernating in August is now active again; chameleons, snakes, lizards, small lemurs and rodents are again roaming through Madagascar’s jungles and desert plains in plain sight. There is also still a chance to see the last remaining humpback whales off the coast of Ile Sainte Marie.

This is the last month of whale watching season and some may have already started their long journey back to Antarctic waters, but spotting them in the warm coastal Malagasy waters is still very likely and recommended at this time of year.

September is one of the best times to head to the beach and most of the coastal areas have perfect temperatures for relaxing in the sun, snorkelling or exploring by canoe. Parks such as Isalo, which are generally very hot, are still a great temperature to travel.

Many lemurs are known to give birth at this time of year; this means the baby lemurs grow up with ample food around to make them strong. It may be possible to spot them, but we recommend going in October to maximise sightings of this.

September is the peak of Madagascar’s bird breeding season, so it is an excellent time if you are a bird watcher. In fact so many of our clients have come back from Madagascar saying that the birds were an unexpected highlight, and we’d have to agree. There is such a spectacularly huge array of endemic birds, it’s hard not to be mesmerised by their stunning colours and unique characteristics.

Overall, September is a top time to travel to Madagascar. The wildlife is rich and active; the beaches warm and sunny, whales are still seen on the coasts and bird are breeding. Pretty perfect really.

Whilst September to December is an excellent time for birding as it is breeding season.

The weather is similar to September, so October is a pretty perfect time to travel to the huge island of Madagascar. One of the most magical highlights of the month has to be the baby lemurs. Pregnant ringtail, and other, lemurs give birth in September. So by October, there are lots of baby lemurs around of ages varying by just a couple of weeks. They are held by their mother for the first few weeks, until they are strong enough to cling to the hairs on their backs. At this time, they hold on effortlessly as their mums scuttle around on the ground, or swing through the trees. Every now and then they dare to take just a few steps away from the adults on a mini-adventure of their own, before heading back to the safe clutches of mother. What a wonderful and unique thing to experience! Mandrare River Camp is an excellent spot for witnessing this.

Crowds are smaller as we move away from school holidays, but the weather is warmer, meaning excellent beaches. The snorkelling around Madagascar is sublime and the oceans clear and bright turquoise. Definitely bring an underwater camera if you can. Unfortunately, the humpback whales will have left the coast by now, but there is plenty more marine-life to keep you interested.

We are now in the midst of bird mating season and, although the bird population in Madagascar isn’t vast in size, 51% of the species are endemic. There are incredible dry, deciduous forests on the west coast which are home to an incredibly diverse amount of wildlife are excellent at this time and there is also the Avenue of Baobabs on the West coast, perfect at sunset. The Malagasy people have called baobabs ‘the tree of life’ and they sure do live up to their name. The trees can store hundreds of litres of water, grows its own fruit and can adapt to its environment- some have even been used as houses for both animals and humans! The weather in this area is generally dry especially in comparison to the east coast; at this time of the year there is very little, if any rainfall and temperatures range from 20-25°C.

This is also a great time to head to Anjajavy where the wonderful gardens are brightened further by the presence of dancing lemurs who have adapted a funny way of getting from A to B on their feet. Anjajavy is also backed by beach; one of our top spots in Madagascar.

The weather in November sees further increases in temperature, with many of Madagascar’s top spots still being excellent to visit. Wildlife is active with no species hibernating, so you can see lots of lemurs, chameleons, frogs and geckos. Birds are still in breeding season too, so lots of animals to see.

The flora is still bright and vibrant making it an excellent backdrop for photos or even wonderful subject matter for photos in its own right, with many endemic plant species.

Make sure you head to Andasibe National Park where on an early morning walk you will be blessed with the haunting calls of the indri. These are the largest of the lemurs, and well known for their morning calls to their mates. It is also a good park to see lots of endemic flora.

Anjajavy is still being danced through by sifakas who have developed a unique way of crossing the ground, and in Isalo National Park there are lots more lemur species to be met on treks before you finish in the crystal clear natural pools for s dip. Masoala’s wild coast is just begging to be explored at this time, as well as Ranomafana where you will find lots of bog-eyed chameleons and other reptiles.

For beach time, most of the coast is experiencing sunshine, Tsarabanjina and Ifaty are excellent for those wanting to snorkel and see the marine life. There is lots of tropical fish and bright corals not far beneath the turquoise tinged surface.

All in all, November is a great time to travel, with lively wildlife across the country and wonderful sunshine throughout.

December is the start of the wet season in Madagascar, and the weather is the hottest time of the year - with temperatures averaging at 28°C across the country. In the north and east, trees in the rainforests hang heavy under the deluge of rain from tropical storms, and swelter under 30°C heat. However further south and west the temperatures are cooler and drier, bringing the average temperature down to 25°C.

Travelling in rainy season does increase your chances of being caught in rainfall, and even cyclones, but it does not equal heavy rain all the time, everywhere. Travelling early in the month can be a good time to visit some of Madagascar’s beaches, and is especially good for those interested in wildlife such as chameleons, snakes and lizards as they are getting more active with the higher rainfall.

December is a shoulder month, making it a quieter time of year to travel. The further into the month you go, the more likely you are to have very heavy rain, so we recommend early travel at this time of year.

December can still be a wonderful time to visit; with lively wildlife and warm beaches.

As always, the temperatures in the highlands are much cooler and bring the average temperature down, but December does warm them up. The capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, is located in the highlands and is where most international flights fly in to. It is a beautiful city to visit with breathtaking vistas and is worth spending time in.

December definitely has its perks, and it is well worth visiting Madagascar at this time. Although we’d advise you speak with our specialists to find out whether it is the right time for you, or look into alternative destinations if you are really concerned about the weather.