The best wildlife destination in the entire Amazon
Located in the Tambopata National Reserve, Sandoval Lake Lodge is perched above what many rain forest specialists feel is the most attractive lake in Peru, and provides access to one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet. The Tambopata National Reserve and the adjacent Bahuaja-Sonene National 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. Try a visit to the excellent lowland rain forest of the Tambopata National Reserve to see some of the world's best rain forest wildlife that is available in a short, economical stay. Six species of monkeys inhabit the surrounding forest, the lake's resident family of Giant Otters are regularly seen fishing in the lake, a large flooded palm grove harbors hundreds of Red-Bellied macaws, and at nightfall Black Caimans, the rarest of the crocodilians, head out into the lake to fish.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
Rainfall in the Tambopata National Reserve is around 2500 - 3500 millimeters per year, with most rainfall occurring in the rainy season months from November to April. The average temperature in the National Reserve is 28C (82F), with daily highs of 34C (94F) and nightly lows of 22C (72F). During the dry season cold fronts from the South Atlantic (friajes) occur every month or so, with daily temperatures dropping as low as 16C (59F) and nightly temperatures to 13C (55F).
HOW TO GET THERE
A daily commercial flights from Lima (2 hours) and Cusco (30 minutes) brings you to Puerto Maldonado, a bustling frontier town and the gateway to the Tambopata National Reserve. Here one of our resident naturalist guides will meet you as you leave the airport arrivals area, and will remain with you until you return to the airport to board your flight back to Cusco or Lima. We have a 15-minute bus transfer from the airport to the Tambopata River port, and then take a motorized canoe for 30 minutes down the Madre de Dios River to the trail access to Sandoval Lake Lodge. Our boats are equipped with a 65 HP engine, a roof to protect from the sun and the rain, cushioned seats, and carry a spare motor in the unlikely event that the principal engine breaks down. From the Madre de Dios River we walk for 45 to 50 minutes along two miles (3,2 km) of flat, rain forest trail. Once we reach a channel, we board canoes and are paddled 220 yards (201 meters) through a flooded forest of 100-foot (30-meters) tall Mauritia palms. As the canal opens onto the shimmering surface of the lake, we transfer to a catamaran and are leisurely paddled across the lake to the lodge.
ABOUT THE LODGE
Sandoval Lake Lodge is constructed almost entirely of ecologically-harvested "driftwood" mahogany trees collected from the floods that naturally carry logs downriver out of Manu National Park. The Lodge is one extended structure consisting of a large screened main dining room/lounge with 25 fully-screened double-occupancy rooms (50 beds) with private bathrooms with hot shower and toilets, arranged in two wings. One wing features 16 rooms (32 beds) while the other includes 9 rooms (18 beds). All rooms and communal areas have electricity, supplemented by kerosene lamps and candles. Camcorders can be recharged from our generator, but please note that guests may need to bring a special adaptor to plug into the generator. Recently Conde Nast Traveller has chosen Sandoval lake Lodge as one of the top 8 rainforest lodges in South America.
B = Breakfast L = Lunch D = Dinner
DAY 1 // PUERTO MALDONADO / LAKE SANDOVAL
Our staff welcome you at Puerto Maldonado airport and we drive through this bustling Upper Amazon Basin city to the Tambopata River boat dock. Here we board a powerful motorized dugout canoe and set off to the nearby confluence of the mighty Madre de Dios River, a headwaters tributary of the Amazon. Here we turn downstream for a 25-minute river trip to the trailhead landing at Lake Sandoval. Stopping as we go to spot birds and butterflies, we walk - or take a rickshaw ride - along the 3km/2 mile trail to the narrow boat channel through flooded palm forest that leads to the open waters of this peaceful lake. As our crew paddle us across to the lodge (motors are prohibited here), we may see the lake's surface boken by a massive Paiche - an Amazon fish that can reach 100kg/220lbs. Or perhaps we will hear the strange and haunting calls, and see the heads bobbing above the lake's surface, that will signal our first acquaintance with Pteronura brasiliensis, the Amazonian Giant Otter. After lunch and a brief rest to avoid the early afternoon heat, we once again set off by boat or catamaran to explore the entire west end of the lake. Here, along the fringes of flooded palm forest we drift to the sounds of hundreds of Red-Bellied and Blue-and-yellow Macaws as they return to the palm forest for the night. Our viewpoint from the canoe often allows closer and more extended encounters with birds and mammals than on a typical forest trail hike, and we may witness intimate feeding and mating behavior. On Lake Sandoval monkeys, in particular, have almost lost their fear of humans. We return to the lodge around nightfall for dinner. After dinner we take to the boats once more, in search of black caimans, which today are extremely rare in the Amazon, but still common in this protected lake. They grow up to 4m in length, and compete with the Giant Otters for their share of the fishing. On clear nights we take our boat further out into the lake to get an unimpeded view of the vast southern sky, with its unfamiliar constellations and superb vistas of the Milky Way.
DAY 2 // LAKE SANDOVAL
A pre-dawn wake-up call will allow us to be on the lake for what is often a spectacular sunrise, and hopefully an encounter with the Giant Otters, which patrol the entire lake in a close-knit family pack, and are most active at this hour of the day. Most of the lake's birdlife is extremely active now, too, and this outing should provide views of numerous species of fish-eating birds as they stalk and catch their prey, along with close-up views of the large, clumsy and primitive leaf-eating Hoatzins. After returning for a late breakfast we set off on a trail walk through the cool understory of the mighty primary rainforest that surrounds the lake. We will see the great Brazil-nut trees that are abundant here, and meet a local family - the only people permitted to live here permanently and harvest the natural bounty of Lake Sandoval. They will show us how they collect the nuts, remove their shells and market this important forest product. After dinner we will have another chance to spot caiman on the lake, or perhaps take a night trail walk in search of the numerous creatures, including frogs, toads, owls, nighthawks, spiders and night monkeys, that make the forest such a busy and different place during the night.
DAY 3 // LAKE SANDOVAL / PUERTO MALDONADO
After a dawn breakfast we take a final, short paddle along the palm swamps of the west end of the lake in search of the resident Giant Otter family. From here, on clear mornings, we will see a glorious sunrise and its reflection in the open waters of the lake. Returning once more down the trail to the Madre de Dios River, we return to Puerto Maldonado to catch the flight to Cusco or Lima.
***END OF THE SERVICES***
Program Includes:
- Transfers from the airport to the port in Puerto Maldonado and vice versa.
- Accommodations based on double or single occupancy.
- All meals (from lunch on the first day to the breakfast on the last day)
- English speaking guide
- All guided excursion
- River transportation
- Tambopata National Reserve entrance fee
Overview Meals Included
- Day 1 Lunch - Dinner
- Day 2 Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
- Day 3 Breakfast
All meals are included in the trip: from the Lunch on the first day until the breakfast on the last day. We believe that our guests should experience as much of the Peruvian cuisine as possible, and this is reflected in the range of Peruvian dishes offered, with an occasional international twist. Typical lunch dishes served are lomo saltado (a spicy mix of stir fried beef, tomato, peppers, onion and french fries) and arroz con pollo (a mildly spicy mix of saffron rice, chicken and vegetables). We can also cater for special dietary requirements, such as low or no salt, low or no sugar, low or no fat, and vegetarian (strict "vegan") or "ovo-lacto" vegetarian), upon request.
Not Included International and domestic airfares, Any airport taxes, passport or visa fees, travel insurance or any kind of insurance, excess baggage, tips, telephone/fax/internet charges, laundry, beverages, snacks and meals not specified, additional nights at Sandoval Lake Lodge in case of flight cancellations, reconfirmation of international flights and items of personal nature.
Important Notes
- Rates are for land shared regular arrangements only.
- Rates are per person, in US dollars, and based on two people sharing a room or a 1 traveler in a single room. Triple occupancy Room (sharing 3 guests) can be quoted.
- Type of Rooms: Single room implies room for 1 person occupancy. Double room implies room with 2 guests sharing a double bed full size, queen or king bed, as available at time of check in or hotel category. Twin room implies room with 2 twin/single person beds. Triple room implies a room for 3 person occupancy and may include a rollaway bed. We cannot guarantee any specific bed type in advance.
- Reduced rates available for bookings of 5 or more people.
- Private Services available.
- Airfares are not included unless specifically mentioned in inclusions and can be quoted separately.
- Ask supplements cost French/ German/Others.
- Rates could be higher during Holidays Season.
- We highly recommend Travel Insurance. Please, review terms conditions.
- We suggest spending extra days in these magical places and fully enjoying one of the world's best destinations. Ask additional nights supplements.