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There is not really a good or bad time to visit the city of Iquitos
and its surroundings. The time of the year you should visit the area
depends greatly on the activities you want to practice or what you
wish to accomplish with your trip to this great region. Most
activities in the surrounding rainforest will depend on
water-levels. The levels of the Amazon River, and its tributaries,
fluctuate anywhere from 35 to 40 feet between the high and low water
levels. From end August the levels are almost at their lowest and
many beaches can be found along the rivers and tributaries. Some
parts of the forest will be completely dry and this is a great time
for expeditions by foot and to set up camp. By November the water
will start to rise reaching its highest point somewhere in April or
May (which are also the wettest and coldest months). The river will
stay high and the jungle will be flooded near the rivers. This is a
great time to explore the forest by small boats and to sail up the
smaller tributaries. The water levels will stay high until July when
they will start dropping real fast. From here the cycle repeats
itself. The reason for cycle is simple: The Amazon River, and most
of the tributaries on the Upper Amazon, get their water from rain
and melting ice and snow high up in the Andes. The winter season in
the Andes is from July till November - December when little rain and
no melting is going on, resulting in little water coming down to
feed the rivers. When spring begins in the Andes the ice and snow
begins to melt and the water levels begin to rise.
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