High water season vs. low water season

Just like every other destination on earth, the Amazon is affected by High water seasonweather patterns that cause some months to be wetter, hotter or more humid than others.

And though the average temperatures don’t fluctuate too much – it’s always pretty warm and quite humid – the water level is affected by melting snow from the Andes and can vary by as much as 40 feet depending on the season.

This means that the activities and excursions available will vary with the level of the water. And when you’re deciding when you’re going to visit the Amazon, it’s always important to take the water level into account.

High water season

Amazon Kayak

The high water season on the Amazon lasts from around December until May, with the water at its peak in March and April.

During this time, the entire river network becomes flooded and waterways that were too shallow or too narrow to explore during the low water season, suddenly become navigable.

This opens up some of the deepest parts of the jungle to our riverboats and brings passengers much closer to the jungle canopy, increasing the chance of spotting the monkeys and birds who live there.

If you’re interested in canoeing or kayaking your way around the jungle, taking an Amazon cruise during the high water season is ideal as you’ll be able to see parts of the jungle that are normally unreachable.

Low water season

FishermenRunning from June to around November, the low water season sees the waterways of the Amazon drop back down to their normal level.

And although this means that some rivers are no longer passable by boat, it opens up a lot more possibilities for getting out on foot and hiking through the jungle.

Keen fishermen may also prefer an Amazon Jungle cruise during the low water season. This is because your chances of making a catch are greatly increased thanks to the large numbers of fish stranded by the receding waters.

The decision to visit the Amazon during the high or the low water season will depend on your own personal interests and the aspects of the rainforest that you find the most fascinating.

What’s for certain is that whenever you do make the trip to this spectacular setting, you’re guaranteed to be in for the holiday of a lifetime.