Madagascar

The dry season, from April to November, is the best time to travel, with cooler temperatures and accessible roads. September to November is good for wildlife, as lemurs have young and jacarandas bloom. The rainy season, from December to March, brings heavy rain and cyclones, especially on the east coast, and many roads and parks become inaccessible.

Distances are huge and roads often poor, so many visitors hire a car with a driver-guide, the most practical way to travel. Domestic flights save time on long routes, but schedules can change. Taxi-brousses, shared minibuses, are cheap but slow and uncomfortable. Ivato International Airport serves Antananarivo.

• Check visa requirements; many visitors can apply for an e-visa online or obtain a visa on arrival.
• Take medical advice on malaria and vaccinations before travelling.
• Hire licensed local guides in national parks; it's compulsory and supports communities.
• Respect fady, local taboos that vary by region, and ask your guide about them.
• Carry cash in ariary; cards are rarely accepted outside hotels.
• Avoid travelling by road at night.

Malagasy food is based on rice, eaten at almost every meal, with dishes such as romazava, a beef and greens stew; ravitoto, pounded cassava leaves with pork; and zebu meat, from the humped cattle seen everywhere. Coastal areas offer excellent seafood. Madagascar produces some of the world's finest vanilla, as well as cloves, cacao and coffee, and local rum is often infused with vanilla and fruit.

Accommodation ranges from simple bungalows near national parks to comfortable lodges and beach resorts on Nosy Be and Île Sainte-Marie. In Antananarivo, hotels are often used as a base at the start and end of a trip.

Two to three weeks allows a classic route: the RN7 road south from Antananarivo through the highlands to Ranomafana, Isalo and the coast at Tuléar, combined with Andasibe in the east, or a flight to Morondava for the baobabs and the Tsingy. Choose a region rather than trying to see everything.

Lemurs are found naturally only in Madagascar, and they range from the tiny mouse lemurs, among the smallest primates in the world, to the indri, which can weigh around nine kilograms. Ring-tailed lemurs live in the drier south, sifakas "dance" sideways across open ground in the west and south, and the strange aye-aye, with its long, thin middle finger, forages at night. Many species are endangered by deforestation, and seeing them in the wild with a local guide helps protect their forests. Madagascar is also home to about half the world's chameleon species, from the tiny Brookesia, no bigger than a fingertip, to the colourful panther chameleon, as well as the fossa, a cat-like predator, and an extraordinary range of frogs, geckos and birds.

Tourism brings vital income to communities living around Madagascar's parks. Use licensed guides, buy crafts directly from makers, and never buy products made from endangered animals or plants, such as tortoise shells or rare orchids. Leave wildlife undisturbed: don't feed lemurs or handle chameleons.