The Best Month to Visit Madagascar

Two things to know about Madagascar when planning your visit, is that’s it’s a huge country with various microclimates and that it’s very seasonal. So if you’re planning a trip there, an important question to ask is when is the best month to visit Madagascar?

That will really depend on where you go and what you want to see, as somethings are possible to do all year and some aren’t due to the weather.

So here’s my guide on the best month to visit Madagascar!

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Table of Contents

The Best Month to Visit Madagascar

Weather in Madagascar – An Overview

The dry season generally runs from May to October. April is shoulder season and is generally thought to be a good time to visit as prices are lower and there are fewer crowds. The island is also beautiful and green after the rains and there are lots of baby animals around.

November is another shoulder season where you may experience some rain but not every day and you get better rates for hotels. Then from December to March, it’s the full-on rainy season – and there are often monsoons and cyclones hitting the island.

During the rainy season, some remote parks and hotels may close due to inaccessibility caused by heavy rains. This period is also pretty hot and very humid. On my first visit to Madagascar in November 2022, we had rain and giant hailstones in Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. It was pretty weird!

Jacaranda tree in Antananarivo, Madagascar

The coolest and least humid months are in the dry season from June to September, with July and August being the coolest, although daytime temperatures remain warm, and evenings can be cooler, especially in the highlands and in the evenings (depending on where you are).

I’ve mostly been to Madagascar in October and November and it was very hot! I would advise taking a handheld fan – it’s a Godsend on hot days.

For me, the best month to visit Madagascar is September, when the lemurs have their babies, the jacarandas are (usually) in bloom, and you can see both whale sharks and humpback whales! Which is why my next Madagascar group tour is happening in September!

Swimming with Whale Sharks in Nosy Be Madagascar

Best Month to Visit Madagascar for Whale Sharks

One of the best things to do in Madagascar, is to go swimming with whale sharks, but this is a season activity.

The best time to see whale sharks around the island of Nosy Be is between September and December, with the high season being between October and November.

Best Month to Visit Madagascar for Humpback Whales

There are several places to see humpback whales around the island, so the best month to visit Madagascar, as well as your choice of location, may depend on where you wish to observe these magnificent creatures.

The whales generally gather around:

Île Sainte-Marie (northeast) – June to September.
Antongil Bay (northeast) – July to September.
Toliara/Tulear, Anakao and Ifaty (southwest) – June to September.
Majunga/Mahajanga (northwest) – June to September.
Nosy Be (north) – August to November.

I usually plan my Madagascar group trips around September, so that we have the potential to see both the whale sharks and the humpback whales (as well as dolphins).

Best Month to Visit Madagascar for Baby Lemurs

One of the top highlights of Madagascar is seeing lemurs! But what’s cuter than lemurs? BABY lemurs!

Ring-tailed lemur babies are usually born around September and October, making October and November a great time to see them, especially in Isalo National Park and Anja Community Reserve. I saw plenty when I visited!

Sifakas and indris typically give birth between May and July, while other lemur species have varying birth times throughout the year.

Best Month to Visit Madagascar for Orchids

If you’re interested in botany and especially orchids, then Madagascar is the island for you, with over a 1000 species! The best time to see them in bloom is the rainy season, between January and March.

Best Month to Visit Madagascar for Bird Watching

The best time for bird watching is between September and December.

Best Month to Visit Madagascar for Fossas

The best place to see fossas is in Kirindy Forest. Although they are quite elusive, the mating season from mid-October to mid-November would be a good time to see them!

Best Month to Visit Madagascar for Tsingy De Bemaraha

If you want to visit Tsingy De Bemaraha, you will need to go in the dry season (May – October)! The roads to the park are terrible anyway, but in the rainy season, some of them turn into rivers!

We went at the beginning of November and one of our cars got stuck in a river. It was quite funny and made the trip into a real adventure – but, had we been a few days later, we probably would have had to abandon our plan to go there altogether!

Best Month to Visit Madagascar for Festivals

One of the best ways to experience Malagasy culture is to go to a local festival! Sadly, some festivals don’t seem to have started up again since Covid, but there’s a few still going and public holidays are always interesting when travelling!

The Donia Music Festival, hosted on the island of Nosy Be, features a vibrant blend of Malagasy music, sports, and cultural events. Be sure to check the dates, as the festival usually coincides with Pentecost in May or June. The Fianar Reggae Festival takes place in March and it looks great!

If you’ve read my previous post about Madagascar, you may know that death is celebrated on the island, and if you travel between July and September, you may witness famadihana or the “Turning of the Bones” ceremony.

During the ceremony, families come together to exhume the bodies of their loved ones and ancestors, rewrap them in fresh cloth, and carry the corpses aloft in a lively parade, dancing to music. This is something I’m yet to experience, but I can imagine it’s very interesting!