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Madagascar travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Avenue of the Baobabs
Avenue of the Baobabs. Photo: Pat Hooper from Chicago, IL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
11h 30mflight from London
Ariarycurrency
No visafor UK passports
Type C, D, E, J, Kplugs

Lemurs, baobabs and wildlife found nowhere else

Don't miss

  1. Avenue of the Baobabs
  2. Lemurs
  3. Tsingy de Bemaraha
Good forWildlife & safariAdventure

Best time to visit Madagascar from the UK

Best value: Apr–May, Nov. Apr–Nov: dry season; Jul–Sep for whales. Busiest and priciest: Jun–Oct.

19.2 C19°J19.1 C19°F18.7 C19°M17.4 C17°A15.5 C16°M13.2 C13°J12.4 C12°J13.1 C13°A14.8 C15°S17.2 C17°O18.7 C19°N19.4 C19°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Antananarivo, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Antananarivo for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: April and NovemberThe warmest of the best-value months (17–19°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Jun–OctUsually 12–17°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Dec–MarAround 19°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
  • Warmest: December (19°C) · coolest: July (12°C)A 7°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
19.219.118.717.415.513.212.413.114.817.218.719.4

Festivals and events

  • Famadihana Jul–Sep · Highlands
  • Donia Festival May · Nosy Be

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 11h 30m
Distance
9,106 km
Main airport
TNR

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Madagascar to your bucket list Search flights to TNR

Practical info and travel guidance

AriaryCapital: Antananarivo
Type C, D, E, J, K · 220VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
117
EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance
Drink bottledOr treated water
  • VisaNo visa neededUp to 15 days
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal, but attitudes can be conservativePublic affection may draw attention.
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Madagascar, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 9 September 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Madagascar before you book and again before you go.

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