SANDOVAL EXPRESS 3 DAYS AND 2 NIGHTS TOUR

WE CUSTOMIZE VIRTUALLY ALL SERVICES AVAILABLE IN PERU

Note: We require minimum two passengers traveling together If single traveler ask for the supplement.
Located to 30 minutes 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.
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

Duration 3 Days & 2 Nights
High season From April to November
Low season From Jan to Mar and Dec
Departures Daily departures
Airfares Not included, available upon request
Customizable YES, feel free to ask for extra services

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 riverside trailhead to Sandoval Lake Lodge. From here the trail takes you on a 2-miles (3,2-kilometers) walk through secondary forest, until we reach a small canal where 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 half the lake to the lodge.
After lunch and a brief rest to avoid the early afternoon heat, we will learn about the history of the lodge and the philosophy of its founders. Then 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. This macaw species is found locally in parts of the Amazon, always living in flooded palm forests such as the beautiful palm stand at Sandoval Lake. At 500-800 birds, this flock of macaws at Sandoval Lake is currently the largest reported in the world for this highly-specialized macaw.

As night falls we will 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 to marvel at the brilliance of the sky and listen to the sounds of the forest.
We return to the lodge for a short video or slide presentation and dinner. At any point, you could step out from the bar to admire the wide variety of nocturnal moths, beetles and praying mantis attracted to our black light in the lodge clearing.
For those with lots of energy, our guide will take us on a short night-walk into the forest behind the lodge. (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 who frequent the lake and are most active at this time of day. Sandoval Lake offers abundant wildlife including over 40 species of birds resident to its lake margins, 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, of the prehistoric- looking Hoatzins, These are easy to observe and also photograph from the paddled canoes or catamarans.
After returning for a late breakfast we set off into the cool under story 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 who live in the forest near the lake, such as the Brown Capuchin Monkey and Squirrel Monkey.
Before dinner we will again enjoy an informative natural history video or slide presentation.
We will leave 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 early breakfast we leave near dawn and we take a final, shorter paddle around the west end of the lake to try and glimpse the Giant Otters before returning by motor canoe for the 35 minutes return trip to the Puerto Maldonado Airport, taking advantage of valuable early morning wildlife activity along the river. From here you fly to Cusco or Lima, where your jungle adventure ends. (B).
Please note that the program may vary slightly so as to maximize your wildlife sightings, depending on the reports of our researchers and experienced naturalist guides based at the lodge.

END OF OUR SEVICES

map    catamaran        monkeys    sandoval lodge    otters

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BOOK THIS TOUR ? ASK FOR AVAILABILITY


INCLUDES: All hotel and lodge accommodations based on double or single 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
Tambopata National Reserve entrance 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 flights and items of personal nature.

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Packages start at USD$1,239 for our 4-day Cusco & Machu Picchu package (with domestic flights included.)
We specialize in complete travel packages that allow you to enjoy your travels while we handle the logistics.
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The Peru Specialists

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Kim MacQuarrie
FOUR-TIME EMMY-WINNER
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Alonso Cueto
PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUSTIN
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Gonzalo Salinas
PH.D. OXFORD, M.A. HARVARD
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Javier Puente
PH.D. GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Peru Explorer