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Day 1 Maldonado Port & 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.
Day 2 Sandoval Lake
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.
Day 3 Rainforest
Rising once again at dawn, we have a quick snack before
boarding the catamarans to explore the western end of
the lake in the hope of an encounter with Giant Otters.
After a late breakfast we explore some of the rain
forest trails with our knowledgeable resident naturalist
guide. As we walk the forest will be brought to life as
your guide explains the ecology of the rain forest and
its diverse flora and fauna.
We return for lunch, and then there is an optional rest
for those who would like to escape the early afternoon
heat. For those still full of energy, there is an option
to independently explore some of the forest trails.
In the cooler late afternoon we will once again board
the catamaran to explore the eastern end of the lake,
and hopefully experience a spectacular sunset over the
lake before returning to the lodge for dinner.
After dinner, there is a final chance to look for Black
Caiman on the lake, or to go on a short night hike
through the forest.
Day 4 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.
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