Погода: Нуси-Бе, март

Regulars are specific this falls near the tail end of the broader Madagascar dry season, April through October, one visitor calling October a genuinely perfect stretch for travel across much of the country, though by late October and into November the heat itself becomes noticeably more intense. Our row backs that hot, genuinely wet read, 30.7C reading as a scorching 35C, over 21.6C nights feeling 24C, with a substantial 92.6mm of rain across 21.4 days and humidity at 74 percent. Regulars are consistent Nosy Be and its nearby islands, including Nosy Komba and Nosy Sakatia, remain a popular base with Ambatoloaka a convenient spot to arrange local boat excursions. Real showers stay a genuine part of the picture here even this late in the dry season. The sea sits at a bath-warm 29.1C. The record: 11.1 hours of sun, an 18.7 kph wind and AQI 27.

Regulars are candid that sources disagree on exactly when the wet season ends here - some say after March, others say it can run into the first couple weeks of this month - and even once it's officially the dry season's start, regulars still recommend packing a jacket since rain on some days is likely unless a visitor gets genuinely lucky. Our row backs the still-wet transition, 54.3mm of rain across 14.9 days, alongside real heat, 30.9C reading as a hot 35C at 76 percent humidity, over 21.3C nights. Regulars are consistent the dry season proper, May through October, is still the favoured window overall despite this rough patch at its start. The sea holds a very warm 30.2C. The record: 10.5 hours of sun, a 13.8 kph wind and one of the cleanest air readings in this project, AQI 18.

September is the threshold of the whale shark season rather than the season itself. The sharks feed off Nosy Be from September to December with the peak in October and November, and regulars are more precise than that: the excursions themselves generally start at the end of September, so a trip earlier in the month may find nothing running. If the sharks are the reason for the trip, October or November is the answer. Our row's 18.6 precipitation days spread only 61.3mm between them, three millimetres a day, under 29.8C that reads as 33C with a 27.9C sea. Nights are cool for the tropics at 19.6C. The record: humidity 72 percent, 11 hours of sun, a 19.8 kph wind and AQI 25.

August is the middle of the Madagascan winter and regulars call it the coolest and driest month, with the west coast here warmer than Sainte Marie on the other side. Our 15.5 precipitation days look wrong against that until you see the 47.7mm behind them - three millimetres a wet day, showers rather than rain. On wildlife they draw a line worth knowing: humpbacks are around Madagascar now, but the whale sharks that feed off Nosy Be run roughly September to December with October and November the peak, so August catches only the very start of it. Come now for the whales and the weather; come in October for the sharks. The record: 29.2C over 18.6C reading as 32C, humidity 72 percent, 10.6 hours of sun, a 27.8C sea and AQI 24.