Best time to visit the Amazon

There is no dry season in a rainforest, so pack your best mac and some waterproof boots.![]()

Wet and humid throughout the year, the Amazon’s climate is characterised by continuous rainfall and temperatures that hang around 30°C. Let’s not beat around the bush, the rainforest is no place for people who hate the heat. Whether you go in the wet or wetter season may affect how you explore, but every month offers its own experiences. In summer, drier weather permits rainforest treks, but boats are the only answer in winter, when rivers can rise to three storeys high.
When to go where
Brazilian Amazon by boat vacation
Explore the Brazilian Amazon, from Belem and Manaus
From
US $4700 to US $4840
14 days
ex flights
Small group tour in Brazil
An in depth discovery tour of Brazil including the Amazon
From
US $6720 to US $7060
14 days
ex flights
Colombia vacation, Andes, Amazon & Caribbean
Explore the Andes, Amazon Jungle and Caribbean Coast
From
US $2700
13 days
ex flights
Inca trail & Amazon Rainforest vacation
Inca Trail, Machu Picchu & rainforest
From
US $6000 to US $6750
15 days
ex flights
Amazon River Cruise, 7 days
This voyage visits some of the most untouched rainforest
From
£2863 to £3154
7 days
ex flights
Amazon conservation project in Peru
Help conserve the species of the incredible Amazon jungle.
From
£1495 to £4295
16 days
ex flights
Peruvian Amazon Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
20
30
350
FEB
20
30
340
MAR
18
31
270
APR
18
30
150
MAY
16
29
105
JUN
15
28
60
JUL
14
28
60
AUG
15
31
65
SEP
16
32
100
OCT
18
32
160
NOV
20
31
230
DEC
20
30
390
When to go, wet & dry season
The Amazon doesn’t really have a dry season, but for six months of the year it is a bit less wet. It’s sometimes thought to be the best time for wildlife spotting, as animals are enticed out onto dry river banks to drink. It’s the best time to go if you want to be on your feet, with more ground accessible to walking excursions. Less moisture in the air means lower humidity and fewer mosquitoes, but both are going to be a feature of any trip to the rainforest.
Rain doesn’t stop play in the Amazon, in fact the higher the water levels the further your boat can go, as rivers burst their banks and seasonal floodplains fill up. These new channels and shortcuts are easily explored by canoe or small cruise boats – arguably the best way to experience the rainforest. Bear in mind that rain doesn’t fall equally across the whole of the Amazon – Ecuador especially gets much more than Brazil.
Rain doesn’t stop play in the Amazon, in fact the higher the water levels the further your boat can go, as rivers burst their banks and seasonal floodplains fill up. These new channels and shortcuts are easily explored by canoe or small cruise boats – arguably the best way to experience the rainforest. Bear in mind that rain doesn’t fall equally across the whole of the Amazon – Ecuador especially gets much more than Brazil.
Guy Marks, from our Amazon travel specialists Tribes Travel, shares his thoughts on the best time to go: “If you want to go to the Amazon it doesn’t really make much difference when you go; it’s the rainforest so it rains all year. There is high water and low water, but there are advantages to both. In low water you get more walks through the forest, and at high water (Jan-May) as much as 10m of water rise through the forest – which means you’re 10m higher into the canopy when you’re in a boat. So the animals that live in the canopy are not absolutely miles away – you can see them much closer!”
Our top trip
Brazilian Amazon by boat vacation
Explore the Brazilian Amazon, from Belem and Manaus
From
US $4700 to US $4840
14 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2024: 18 May, 21 Sep
2024: 18 May, 21 Sep
Travel Team
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