Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
4
Practical Information
WHEN TO VISIT
Read the section on climate (
Click Here
) before deciding when to travel. Broadly speaking,
the dry months are in the winter between April and September, but rainfall varies enorm-
ously in different areas. The months you may want to avoid are August and during the
Christmasholidays,whenpopularplacesarecrowded,andFebruaryandMarch(thecyclone
season) when it will probably rain - and worse. However, the off-peak season can be re-
warding, with cheaper international airfares and accommodation and fewer other tourists.
September is nice, but frequently windy in the south. April and May often have lovely
weather, and the countryside is green after the rainy season.
Keen naturalists have their own requirements: botanists will want to go in February when
many of the orchids are in flower, and herpetologists will also prefer the spring/summer be-
cause reptiles are more active - and brightly coloured - during those months. Bear in mind
thatgiantjumpingrats,dwarflemurs, tenrecs andsomereptiles arelessactive andsoharder
to see during the cool dry months of June to September. Alasdair Harris reported, after a
January visit: 'I just returned from a research trip in the southwest where there has been
some very heavy rain recently. It was quite extraordinary to see the spiny forest looking so
lush and wet. The scenery changed completely, and within hours of the first rains arriving
took on a deep leafy green, resonating at night time to the deafening chorus of relieved am-
phibians.'
MyfavouritemonthstovisitMadagascarareOctoberandNovember,whentheweatheris
usuallyfinebutnottoohot,thejacarandasareinflower,thelemurshavebabies,andlychees
are sold from roadside stalls in the east.
