SANDOVAL LAKE 3 DAYS

A short visit to the Sandoval Lake, the Reserved Zone, and the adjacent Bahuaje-Sonene National Park. This park is home to over 20,000 plant species, over 900 species of birds (more than all the species in the continental USA), 91 mammals, 1230 butterflies, 127 amphibians and reptiles, and much more! It is also a haven for the Amazon's largest, most spectacular and most endangered predators - the Jaguar, the Giant Otter, the Harpy Eagle and the Black Caiman. Located a 25 minute motor canoe ride down the River Madre de Dios from Puerto Maldonado, Sandoval Lake Lodge is perched above what many rainforest specialists feel is the most attractive lake in Southern Peru, if not in the entire Peruvian Amazon. The whole complex is housed in one structure and includes 25 double occupancy rooms (16 with private baths and 9 with sharing facilities), hot showers, and a spacious dining room overlooking the lake. For a more relaxed, complete introduction to the rainforest, we recommend a two night stay. However, with the easy access from Puerto Maldonado, it is possible to spend only one night in the rainforest and still get a good preliminary idea of the splendor of the Peruvian Amazon.

Day 1 : DISCOVER THE JUNGLE
Transfer from Puerto Maldonado airport to the river port on the Madre de Dios River. A 25 minutes journey down the Madre de Dios River by motor canoe brings you to the end of the trail in to Sandoval Lake Lodge. From here the trail takes you on a 2-mile walk/or rickshaw ride through secondary forest, until we reach a small canal where we board canoes and are paddled 220 yards through a flooded forest of 100-foot tall Mauritia palms. As the canal opens onto the shimmering surface of the lake, we transfer to a catamaran and are leisurely paddled across half the lake to the lodge.
After lunch and a brief rest to avoid the early afternoon heat, we once again board the catamaran and set off to explore the entire west end of the lake. Here, in the flooded palm forest we drift to the sounds of hundreds of Red-Bellied Macaws as they return to the palm forest for the night. We return to the lodge around nightfall for dinner.
After dinner we will return to the canoes to look for the large and extremely rare Black Caimans. If it is a clear starlit night, we will also be able to float in the middle of the lake and marvel at the brillance of the sky.(L,D)

Day 2 : SANDOVAL LAKE LODGE
A pre-dawn wake-up call will enable us to be on the lake for sunrise and a hopeful encounter with the family of Giant Otters which frequent the lake and are most active at this time of day. Most of the fish-eating water birds around the lake actively fish in the early morning as well, and this outing should provide excellent views, and photographs, of the prehistoric- looking Hoatzins.
After returning for a late breakfast we set off into the cool understory of the tall virgin forest near the lake to see some towering wild Brazil Nut trees and a demonstration of how our hosts collect, open and commercialize this important natural product.
After lunch and an hour or so to relax we once again board the catamaran to explore the eastern part of the lake, where we might see one or more of the five species of monkeys which live in the forest near the lake, such as the Brown Capuchin Monkey.
There is a final chance after dinner to try and spot some Black Caimans on the lake, or to go on a short night walk through the primary forest.(B,L,D)

Day 3 : TRANSFER OUT
After a dawn breakfast we take a final, shorter paddle around the west end of the lake to try and glimpse the Giant Otters before returning to Puerto Maldonado to catch the flight to Lima. (B)

END OF OUR SERVICE   

What we include:
Roundtrip transportation from Puerto Maldonado airport to Sandoval Lake Lodge
Private rooms with private bathrooms
All meals and snacks
Purified drinking water and juices
Bilingual naturalist guide
All rainforest and lake excursions
Tambopata National Reserve entrance fee
Prices based on two people sharing. Price may be lower for group bookings of five or more.
Private departures available on request at extra cost.
Price does NOT include domestic flights within Peru or international flights.

INCLUDES: All hotel and lodge accommodations based on double occupancy. All scheduled land, lake and river transportation. All transfers. All scheduled excursions with English-speaking guide services. All entrance fees. Meals as specified in the itinerary. B=Breakfast;L=Lunch;D=Dinner.

NOT INCLUDED IN THE FEE
International or Domestic airfares, airport departure taxes or visa fees, excess baggage charges, additional nights during the trip due to flight cancellations, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages or bottled water, snacks, insurance of any kind, laundry, phone calls, radio calls or messages, reconfirmation of International or Domestic flights and items of personal nature.