Sandoval lake 2 Days

Day 1:  Tambopata National Reserve – Puerto Maldonado.

Sandoval lake is located in the Tambopata National Reserve south-eastern Peru, and is 14 km from the nearest town. Puerto Maldonado. You can book flights to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco or Lima. Reception at the airport or bus station and transfer to our office where you can leave some luggage that is not going to take the tour and then begin our adventure. Then we will go to the dock of the river “Madre de Dios” where our boat and motorist will take us down the river, crossing over the Tambopata river. After an one hour in the Madre de Dios river we will arrive at the entrance of the Tambopata National Reserve. During this journey we have the chance to observe birds like herons and egrets, sometimes is also possible to see white caiman on the riverbank. After registering at the control point, we will take between half an hours and two hours through secondary forest (6 km) depending on how muddy or stopping on the way to admire the native ficus and other plants, birds, butterflies and if they are in luck, see rainforest animals. We will enjoy environmental interpretation of the reserve. The trail connects to extraordinary water body rich in ichthyological species surrounded by an extensive swamp forest where Mauritia flexuosa palm trees, also known as Aguajales, grow and créate an extraordinary landscape, these palm grow up to 30 m (nearly 100 ft) tall flexuosa. Visiting the most beautiful and isolated lake Sandoval in the Tambopata National Reserve is an unique excursión not to be missed. It gives the visitor a chance to understand an oxbow lake ecosystem of approx. 3 km (1,8 miles) long .1 km (0.6 miles) wide and 0,5-5 m (1,6-9,8 ft) deep.

Visitors are paddle around the lake o non-motorised canoes with guides who will point out and give explanations about the wildlife and ecosystems in the área. At lake Sandoval we will travel via canoe are rowing around the lake and enjoying the views. Around the edge of this beautiful lake exposed rich flora and fauna which will observe in their natural habitat. There are 2 species living in lake sandoval considered the flagship to look for giant river otters and black caiman. lake Sandoval is one of the few places where we can observe a family of the critically endangered giant river otters when are often seen hunting for fish to eat in the lake frequently in small groups. There is an 80 percent chance of seeing them during an one day visit to the lake. The lake is surrounded by swamp forest also provide hábitats for an incredible variety of other wildlife such as six types of monkeys. A great variety of Amazon birds, such as macaws, toucans, parrots, and the prehistoric-looking Hoatzins, turtles, black caimans and many more. Now that I’ve told you what the lake is like and what we can see during the day visit, we will continue toward the home of a local family that lives within the reserve. They will greet us with a delicious lunch – a traditional meal prepared wrapped in a leaf from the jungle to seal in the flavor, accompanied by a typical drink. Then, after resting we will continue our journey through the lake, enjoying the view of not just the animals that we can see, but also the gorgeous sunset view that we have of the Lake. Accommodation, most visitors stay in one of the AMAZON RAINFOREST LODGES along the Madre de Dios or Tambopata river and are taken by their own accommodations guides or a certified, independent guide normally as part of wider itinerary in Tambopata. We prefers Mejia family home (local family) located on Sandoval lake shore this privileged location allows you to visit the sandoval lake early in the morning or evening hours where wildlife is most active. The afternoon we will take a new route along the lake to get to an observation tower and from there we will have an amazing views of nearly the entire oxbow lake. The evening at the lake with the sunset is the best and it is a great time to take amazing photos!! As soon as it gets dark is the ideal time to look for the large and extremely rare black caimans when they are most active but we can also find them during the day. This will take about one hour approximately. We will go back to have dinner, after which we will have a really great short night walk through the primary forest. We will look for insects, frogs, and maybe even some snakes or tarantulas that always appear in the night.

Day 2:  Lago Sandoval

We will wake up early to travel to Lake Sandoval via canoe and later by foot to observe parrots and macaws. They are very intelligent birds who congregate in the same place Moriche palm trees (Mauritia flexuosa). In the flooded palm forest we listen to the sounds of hundreds of red-bellied macaws every morning who look for minerals such as calcium, sodium, potassium, etc. Which is very important for the digestion of the birds. In order to neutralize the toxins from the fruits, and seeds that they eat each day. It’s a really beautiful place and we will spend a while there talking, taking photos, and enjoying the view. We will return to the local family’s home for a complete breakfast and then after a short rest we will walk into a primary forest to see one of the emergent trees (Brazil nuts), which has been left almost untouched by the locals. This is a place where we will a talk about the economic activities of the area and demonstrate in detail some of them. We will also have time to talk about some medicinal plants that are commonly used by the locals here. It’s a beautiful walk and it will take about three hours to complete at a leisurely place. I’m sure you will enjoy it. After lunch, a brief rest and then swimming in the lake if you wish we will be ready to head back to Puerto. We’ll return to puerto the same way we came at about 4:00pm it could be a little earlier or a little later, as needed. The weather is dry and sunny between June and October and extremely wet during the rainy season between november and may.

All excursions are guided by one of our trained professional naturalist guides in spanish or english (other languages available upon request, and may be subject to additional cost). Their knowledge and interpretive skills combine to provide understanding, insight, and an enhanced experience of the surrounding environment.

Note: Giant river otters are highly endangered and sensitive animals. You will be asked to remain on your seat in the boat, not to talk above a whisper, especially while they are less than 100 m (330 ft.) away, and to not use flash photography.