|
| AMAZON RAINFOREST - TAMBOPATA NATIONAL RESERVE |
 Sandoval Lake Lodge & Macaw clay lick 05 days / 04 nights program |
Day 1 - Puerto Maldonado to Heath River Wildlife Center
We meet at the Puerto Maldonado airport and drive through town to the Tambopata River port. After boarding motorized canoes, we travel downriver to the mighty Madre de Dios, which we follow for approximately four hours to the Heath River. We then travel up this wild and intimate river, which forms the wilderness border between Peru and Bolivia, and arrive at the Heath River Wildlife Center. Note that the Lodge is located on the Bolivian side of the Heath River so passports are required to clear Bolivian passport control. After dinner we'll explore the forest by flashlight, including a visit to a small mammal clay lick if it is active. (L/D)*
Day 2 - Heath River Wildlife Center
We rise early in the morning to board a motorized canoe for the 10-minute journey up the Heath River to the macaw and parrot clay lick. Brightly-colored parrots and macaws fly in by the hundreds to feed on the clay that detoxifies certain seeds and nuts they eat. Marvel at the cacophony of sound and color as Red-and-green macaws vie for the best clay-eating position. A specially-designed floating blind allows for proximity and complete concealment -- so you can even have breakfast and coffee while the birds are performing their morning ritual. When we return to the lodge, the guide leads us on an ethno-botanical walk through the forest, pointing out flora used in the daily lives of rainforest people. The guide explains how certain plants are used for medicinal or healing purposes, which ones can be made into the best bows and arrows, and how to select trees and leaves for home construction. After lunch and a short rest, we hike through the rainforest to the Pampas del Heath, the largest remaining undisturbed savanna in the Amazon. The contrast is striking as we emerge from the mature rainforest onto the grassland plain of the Pampas. (B/L/D)*
Day 3 - Heath River Wildlife Center / Sandoval Lake Lodge
We breakfast in the floating blind at the macaw and parrot clay lick for a last round of looks and photos. We return to the lodge to pack, and then it's back on the Madre de Dios River, box lunch in hand, for the trip to Sandoval Lake Lodge, located on the banks of one of the most beautiful lakes in Amazonian Peru. During the river trip back downstream, families of Capybaras are often spotted on the banks of the river. Weighing up to 120 pounds (55 kilograms), this giant, three-toed relative of the guinea pig is the largest rodent in the world. On the journey to Sandoval Lake Lodge we will also visit the Ese'Eja native community of Sonene, where there will be an opportunity to interact with the community and purchase local handicrafts. We embark at the trail head to Sandoval Lake Lodge and walk for 45 minutes on a wide, flat trail through the forest, stopping to look at birds, butterflies, and towering trees. At the end of the trail, we board dugout canoes or catamarans, and are paddled across the lake in the golden afternoon light. We drift through flooded palm forest and listen to the babbling of Red-bellied Macaws overhead as they roost in treetops for the night. We arrive at the lodge around nightfall, and walk up the torch-lit path to dinner in the dining hall. (B/L/D)*
Day 4 - Sandoval Lake at Tambopata National Reserve
Rising at dawn you will board the motor-canoe to visit the Camungo Oxbow Lake. In addition to touring the lake by catamaran to look for the resident family of giant otters and other lakeside fauna, we will explore the forest trails and visit the 40 meter or 130 foot high canopy platform. This platform provides a beautiful view of the Camungo Lake as well as the forest canopy, and on very clear days it is possible to look over the rainforest to the Andes. (B/L/D)*
Day 5 - Sandoval Lake to Cusco or Lima
After a dawn breakfast, we paddle across the lake, perhaps encountering a family of macaws leaving their roost to forage or a troupe of monkeys greeting the day. We hike back out to the river and return to Puerto Maldonado for the flight back to Cusco or Lima. (B)*
Important note: 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.
|
| *(Meals code: B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner) |
Includes: Accommodations, airport transfers, mentioned meals, scheduled private or regular tours as your selection, entrance fees, land transportation and English speaking guide.
Not included: International & internal airfares, airport departure taxes; tips to porters, guide and drivers, expenses of personal nature; meals not included in the itinerary; alcoholic beverages. Travel Insurance.
Our sample programs are for information only and can be customized.
For pricing, please contact us at 1-888-232-4125 or info@peru-tours.biz |
|
|
