When is the best time to visit Madagascar
Choosing the best time to travel to Madagascar is simple, as this country with a unique ecosystem has one dry season and one rainy season. The presence of devastating cyclones should also be taking into consideration, especially in winter.
When to travel to Madagascar
As previously mentioned, if you want to specify when to travel to Madagascar, you have to take the weather into account. In this sense, the months between May and October are the best time to visit the country, as they coincide with the dry season. Rains and cyclones occur from mid-November to mid-April.
On the other hand, you should also know that July and August are the coldest months, with an average temperature of 4ºC. With this in mind, it is better to visit the country between April and May, or between September and November. Therefore, you can say that spring and autumn are the best times for your trip to Madagascar.
In turn, the east coast is the wettest part and is where the island’s largest forests are. Storms and cyclones often hit this region. The centre, on the other hand, is colder and drier. The west coast has a variable climate, but it mostly responds to the dry and humid season. Southeast Madagascar, meanwhile, has the driest climate on the island.
Given all of the above, we will look at the best time to travel to Madagascar, region by region.
The best time to travel to northern Madagascar
In the northern part of Madagascar, the climate is tropical, with average temperatures ranging from 25ºC to 30ºC during the rainy season. The dry season, from May to mid-November, has more pleasant temperatures and low rates of rainfall.
If your trip includes Antsiranana, Ambanja, Antalaha or Mahajanga in the north of the country, its semi-dry tropical climate will allow you to visit practically all year. In November, however, the storms are quite violent in this area. Between April and October, the temperature rises a lot, so, in this case, spring would be the best time to visit these regions of Madagascar.
The best time to travel to eastern Madagascar
To visit Antananarivo and the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, or the beaches of the east coast in Toamasina, Mahanoro, or Manakara, the best time is to do so between September, October and November. The subequatorial climate of this region means it is rainy for most of the year.
The worst of the weather and cyclones are from January to April, so it would be best to avoid these months whilst travelling to this part of the country. As a summary, from May to December they would be ideal for a trip along the east coast of Madagascar, but preferably choose from September to November
The best time to travel to southern Madagascar
The best time to travel to Madagascar and lie on the paradisiacal beaches of Toliara, or visit the Midongy Du Sud National Park or Tolanaro, are the months of March, April and May, as well as from September to November. This part of the country has a semi-desert climate, depending on the area, with very hot and dry temperatures.
On the other hand, take note of the warmest months, which are January and February, and the coolest, which are from June to August. In addition to this, it is best to avoid winter and summer due to climatic adversities, especially heavy torrential rains and cyclones.
When to travel to western Madagascar
In western Madagascar you can visit the Kirindy Mitea National Park, as well as Morondava, the most famous city in the country due to its avenue of Baobabs, among other places of extreme natural beauty. The best time to visit this region is from April to November, when it is the dry season in this area.
This region, especially Morondava, has a climate called estepa local, remember that Madagascar has its own climatic characteristics. July would be the driest month of the year, while January the wettest. The average temperature ranges from 21ºC in July to 28ºC in February, with the driest season being from May to September.
Finally, keep in mind that in the Highlands in the centre of the country, there is also a dry season, which runs from April to October, and a rainy season that takes place between November and March. Because of the altitude, temperatures are more moderate in summer, while in winter, the temperature can fall to 0º C from June to August.
Now you know the best time to travel to Madagascar, don’t delay your trip.