The weather is cool and dry, making this a comfortable time to explore.

whales can best be seen during their June to September northerly migration, heading mainly up the east coast and to a lesser extent on the west coast.

October is a good time to see baby lemurs clinging to their mothers.

Following the rainy season, you get a lush landscape and plenty of sunshine, making it a great time to see lemurs and reptiles. Most of the national parks are open by early April.

By November some parks are starting to close. December see the start of the returning rains.

This is the rainy season, with February seeing the highest risk of cyclones. During this period you are going to get very wet and many roads are closed.

One benefit of higher rainfall is that chameleons, snakes and lizards come out for photographs