Add baobab trees, unique cacti and aloes from the dry areas, and you start to build up a picture of an incredibly rich ecology. Apart from its southern tip, Madagascar lies wholly within the tropics. Snow is not uncommon in winter at the highest altitudes.
Trade winds prevail from the east and the monsoons come from the north-west.
Most of the rain hits the east coast and the far north, but in the rain shadow south-west of the highlands it remains almost perpetually dry. From January to March, the east coast, the far north and sometimes the far south are subject to occasionally devastating cyclones. Lonely Planet Publications Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved.