The Amazon holidays
The Amazon holidays at a glance
Our Amazon holidays take you into the largest rainforest on Earth, a wilderness so vast it’s home to around one in 10 of all known species. The Amazon River runs from its source high in the Andes right across the continent to the Atlantic, and its basin supports an astonishing web of life, from pink river dolphins and giant otters to more tree species than you’d find in all of North America.
The rainforest is shared by eight countries and the French overseas territory of French Guiana, with Brazil holding nearly 60% of it. It isn’t one uniform jungle, though. Different wildlife thrives in different corners, from the flooded forests around Manaus to the clay licks of the Peruvian south and the blackwater lakes of Ecuador. That variety shapes where we send you, depending on what you most want to see. However you explore, by canoe, from the deck of a river boat or on foot with an expert local guide, an Amazon trip is about slowing down and tuning in. We work with lodges and communities that put conservation and indigenous rights first, so your visit helps protect the forest and the people who call it home.
This ever-shifting system of rivers, lakes and flooded forest supports life at every turn, from dolphins and otters hunting in quiet backwaters to caiman on the banks and monkeys in the canopy. Spotting it takes patience and a good guide, and the rewards are worth the wait – a clay lick alive with macaws, a sloth picked out high in a tree.
Why choose Journey Latin America for your holiday to The Amazon
We’ve been planning trips to Central and South America for over 45 years, longer than any other UK specialist. Every holiday is built around you by a Travel Expert who has been to the places they recommend, with support from your first enquiry to the day you fly home.
Canoeing through flooded forest, gliding between the tree trunks while monkeys watch from above. Pair with a jungle lodge and river cruise for the full picture.
When to visit The Amazon
This is the dry season in the Amazon rainforest, with scorching hot temperatures reaching up to 40°C. As the floods of the wet season dry up, it is possible to explore further into the jungle by foot. Wildlife spotting is good at this time of year, as animals are drawn from the depths of the jungle to seek water nearer the rivers and colourful birds set off in migratory flight. Humidity is high but there are fewer mosquitos during these months. June in Manaus features the cultural Festival do Amazonas, whilst in the Bolivian Amazon the Fiesta de Trinidad in the first week of June is celebrated with bullfighting and traditional dances. July is another busy month in Bolivia: in San Ignacio de Moxos, the Folklore Festival involves plumed costumes and Macheteto dances of the indigenous Moxo people.
This is the Amazon’s wet season, when rising water levels in the rivers flood huge swathes of the jungle. While this means many hiking trails are inaccessible, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for wild swimming. You can also explore newly created waterways by canoe, spotting wildlife as you glide through the submerged trees. Temperatures are hot, often over 30°C, and humidity is high. February in Manaus, Brazil, sees exuberant carnival celebrations while the elegant Teatro Amazonas opera house usually starts its season in April – May.
Places to visit in The Amazon
The rainforest reaches across eight countries, each opening a different door into the jungle. Where we send you depends on the wildlife you want to see, how remote you’d like to get and what else you’re combining it with. Here’s where we recommend exploring.
The Bolivian Amazon
Fly over the snow-capped Andes into the rainforest, travel upriver by boat to a jungle lodge, and spend your days spotting monkeys, caiman and macaws with an indigenous guide. In Bolivia’s far northwest, Madidi National Park drops from Andean peaks to Amazon lowland, making it one of the most biodiverse places on earth.
The Brazilian Amazon
Home to the largest stretch of Amazon rainforest Brazil has within its borders, this is the world’s biggest tropical wilderness – mighty rivers, extraordinary wildlife and dense jungle combining to form one of the planet’s most remarkable environments. For anyone chasing genuine wilderness, Amazon adventure holidays don’t get more immersive than this.
The Colombian Amazon
Dense rainforest, mighty rivers and indigenous communities create an unforgettable Amazonian adventure in one of the most remote and biodiverse regions on Earth. Far from Colombia’s cities and mountain landscapes, the Colombian Amazon offers intimate wildlife encounters, ancient cultures and access to one of the greatest natural wonders.
Top Things to do in The Amazon
There are countless ways to get under the skin of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystem. From dawn canoe trips to night walks, each reveals a different side of the forest. Here’s what we recommend.
Stay at a secluded lodge where you can head out into the rainforest wilderness on foot and on water to spot wildlife and breathe in the sights and sounds of the jungle.
Spend a night glamping in the Amazon jungle with opportunity to discover the secrets of the rainforest up close ant dusk and dawn.
Discover the lifestyle and culture of the indians of the Colombian Amazon.
Accommodation in The Amazon
Where you stay shapes your whole trip, and we hand-pick every lodge and boat for location, character and their approach to the forest. Jungle lodges range from rustic eco-cabins reached only by river to comfortable retreats with a pool and gourmet meals, most with mosquito nets, canopy walkways and resident guides. River cruises, from simple vessels to elegant small ships, cover more ground and put you closer to the water’s wildlife.
Remote, authentic jungle lodge in an area of extraordinary biodiversity, with proceeds helping conservation and the indigenous community.
Friendly modern, mid-range hotel on the banks of Rio Bení with well furnished rooms and a lovely pool.
A lakeside property in a remote part of the Brazilian Amazon offering wildlife watching activities.
A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.
Tailor-Made The Amazon Tours
Prefer to travel on your own terms? We’ll build a trip around your dates, your pace and the things you most want to see – whether that’s a first run at Machu Picchu, a family adventure mixing history and wildlife, or a food-focused journey through Lima and the Sacred Valley. Our Travel Experts can help shape it with you.
Brazil Wildlife: Iguazu, Pantanal and Amazon Cruise
Places visited: Iguazu Falls – Brazilian Side · The Pantanal · The Brazilian Amazon
15 days from £7,675
Off the beaten track Colombia: San Agustin and the Amazon
Places visited: Bogota · San Agustin, Popayan and Cali · The Colombian Amazon
12 days from £3,800
Peru Birdlife: Machu Picchu to Pristine Amazon
Places visited: Sacred Valley of the Incas · Machu Picchu · Cusco · The Peruvian Amazon (south)
12 days from £2,450
Signature Brazil: Brazil at a glance
Places visited: Rio de Janeiro · The Brazilian Amazon · Iguazu Falls – Brazilian Side · Salvador, Lencois and the beaches of Bahia
15 days from £4,375
FAQs about visiting The Amazon
The Amazon is one of the most popular destinations, and there’s plenty to think about before you go. Here, our specialists share their best advice.
- When is the best time to visit?
The dry season in the Amazon runs Jul-Dec. This period features intense heat and humidity but relatively limited rainfall. Water levels in lakes and rivers recede during these months, exposing trails and beaches while reducing the number of mosquitoes.
In the wet season (Jan-Jun), tropical rainfall brings high water levels and flooded forests. At this time there is better boat access to wetlands and temporarily flooded woodland. This makes it easier to cover greater distances by boat and see more wildlife in otherwise inaccessible areas. The wet season also offers slightly cooler temperatures, although the high humidity remains.
Note that on the northern edges of the Amazon basin, north of the equator, dry season is roughly Dec to early May, wet late May to mid-Sep.
For more detailed information visit our When To Go section.
- What language is spoken in the Amazon?
In the Amazon region of Brazil, Brazilian Portuguese, a more languid and musical version of Portugal’s mother tongue is spoken. Elsewhere Spanish is spoken. Indigenous tribes speak their own languages as well as or instead of the Latin ones.
- What is the local currency of the Amazon?
Outside major cities such as Manaus and Iquitos, or larger river ports such as Leticia or Puerto Maldonado, it is difficult to change money, so you are advised to acquire it before entering the Amazon region.
- Which destinations combine well with the Amazon?
For wildlife lovers, holidays in the Amazon in Brazil combine well with a safari to the Pantanal wetlands; in Ecuador, with the Galápagos islands.
- What is the flight time from the UK to the Amazon?
Domestic flights operate in all countries, for example into Manaus in Brazil, Iquitos or Puerto Maldonado in Peru, Leticia in Colombia, Rurrenebaque in Bolivia and Coca in Ecuador. There are also land routes from the Andes, for example into Manú in Peru and into the Ecuadorian Oriente; these can be long and arduous but very beautiful.
- Key Events in the Amazon
Manaus, the largest Amazonian city in Brazil where there are several major holidays and festivals including the Festival do Amazonas, June, with events and exhibitions including aspects of the region’s cultural life.
Iquitos is the largest Peruvian city in the Amazon and holds the San Juan Festival, at the end of June. The city was founded by Jesuit missionaries, and this festival originated as a tribute to St. John the Baptist. Processions along the Amazon are followed by feasting on local delicacies.
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