The best time to visit Antananarivo is the dry season from April to October. During this period, the weather is sunny and rainfall is low, making it ideal whether to explore the wildlife in a national park or reserve or visit a historic building. In addition, the temperature is moderate most of the time while July and August can be cooler with the average temperature of 9 - 20°C (48 - 68°F), and you may feel cool when the sun is present and a little cold when the sun is absent. 

Street View of Antananarivo

The best visiting months are May, June, and September. Because April and October are at the beginning and end of the dry season respectively, when the weather conditions are not as stable as those of other months; July and August are the peak travel season and the most crowded months in Antananarivo and even Madagascar.

These four months are the rainy season in Antananarivo when the rain is extremely frequent. On average, there are about 20 rainy days per month. Heavy rain will affect your travel plans to some extent and therefore it is not recommended to visit Antananarivo during this period. If you have time only during this period, you need to check the weather forecast in advance and try to avoid continuous rainy days.

On the bright side, these four months are the slack travel season in Antananarivo, so you can enjoy a quiet trip and effectively control your travel expenses. Moreover, there are some famous cultural landscapes, which you can still visit on rainy days. 

April is the first month of the dry season, and the rainfall drops dramatically with more than 20 sunny days on average. Even though, the rain is still a bit frequent compared with the latter months. The temperature in April is also very pleasant. Therefore, April is a relatively good time to visit both natural and human landscapes in Antananarivo. 

Antananarivo enters its peak travel season this month and the number of tourists starts to increase. If you have travel plans for this month, make sure to make reservations in advance so that you can book the hotels and flights you want at the right price.

These two months are considered the best months to visit Antananarivo: they are in the middle of the dry season, with a little rainfall and clear weather; they have moderate temperature, and you will feel cool but not cold; and they have long sunshine hours and not very strong UV rays.

During this period, Antananarivo is in the peak season with a relatively large number of tourists. However, it is not so crowded at this time compared with July and August, when the number of tourists reaches its peak.

In terms of rainfall, it is low, which makes it suitable for traveling; in terms of temperature, it is cool during the daytime and a little cold at night, so good travel time.

As these two months are summer vacation in the northern hemisphere, a quite large number of tourists come over here to escape the heat. As a result, the number of tourists peaks in Antananarivo throughout the year. Therefore, if you want to enjoy a quiet and cost-effective trip, you’d better avoid these two months; if you still want to travel to Antananarivo during this period, book your hotel and flights in advance.  

As the driest month, September enjoys sunny weather most of the time and over 8 hours of sunshine per day. The temperature increases a little but it is cool overall, perfect for walking around. 

You may still encounter many tourists who come here for the good weather, and September is still the peak season. However, the visitors who come here for summer vacation have left, so it will not be very crowded.

October is the last month of the dry season. Its rainfall rises, but not very much, and the weather is relatively stable. Moreover, Antananarivo is relatively warm this month.

October is still the peak season in Antananarivo with many tourists, but it is not crowded. Just note that you should book hotels and tickets in advance. 

Though November is the beginning of the rainy season, the rainfall is not as much as that of the latter months, and there are continuous sunny days for you to travel around. Besides, November is one of the warmest months of the year, with warm and cozy temperature.

This month, Antananarivo enters the shoulder season and does not have many tourists. Therefore, visiting Antananarivo in November, you can enjoy a relatively quiet and cheap trip.