What's on in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia through the year

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Sandflies and mosquitoes (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually)), Rivers up, roads cut (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, Candelaria and Rurre's anniversary

• Festival

  Candelaria and Rurre's anniversary

  1–2 FebReligious feastCrowded

  The town's patroness and its founding anniversary share the same weekend: a folkloric parade on the first, then mass, a procession and Amazonian music and dance on the second. Beds in town go to visitors from across Beni. Source ↗

• Festival

  Carnaval

  14–17 FebCarnivalCrowdedClosures

  Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday are national holidays, and the whole weekend is given over to parades, music and water fights with balloons and foam, so expect to get soaked. Offices close, buses fill and some tours and services run reduced. Source ↗

Still on: Sandflies and mosquitoes (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually)), Rivers up, roads cut (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Carnaval (14–17 Feb), Sandflies and mosquitoes (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually)), Rivers up, roads cut (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Sandflies and mosquitoes (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

• Season

  Dry season for Madidi and the pampas

  1 May – 31 Oct · usually

  May to October is when the pampas tracks are driveable and the animals concentrate on the water that is left. These are the months the Yacuma boat trips and the Madidi lodges actually run properly.

• Season

  The surazo

  1 May – 15 Sep · usuallyWind season

  Cold southern fronts, called surazos here, can push up into the lowlands in the dry months and chill the jungle for one to three days. Pack a fleece for the pampas and jungle lodges even in the best season. Source ↗

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Dry season for Madidi and the pampas (1 May – 31 Oct (usually)), The surazo (1 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Dry season for Madidi and the pampas (1 May – 31 Oct (usually)), The surazo (1 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Independence Day

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  5–7 AugNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  6 August is Bolivia's national day: schoolchildren, civic groups and the military parade around the main square, flags hang from every building, and banks, offices and many shops close. Streets in the centre are closed for the parades. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season for Madidi and the pampas (1 May – 31 Oct (usually)), The surazo (1 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Dry season for Madidi and the pampas (1 May – 31 Oct (usually)), The surazo (1 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Dry season for Madidi and the pampas (1 May – 31 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Sandflies and mosquitoes

  1 Nov – 30 Apr · usuallyInsects & disease

  The wet months are when the sandflies on the pampas are at their worst: long sleeves, trousers and repellent from dusk. The dry season is not free of them, only survivable. Source ↗

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Rivers up, roads cut

  1 Dec – 31 Mar · usuallyFlood seasonClosures

  The Beni and the Yacuma climb several metres in the rains and the dirt road out to Santa Rosa and the pampas lodges is cut for days at a time. The flight from La Paz is the dependable way in. Source ↗

Still on: Sandflies and mosquitoes (1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually))