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Sandoval and Valencia Lake
in
one tour
Code : ValS4/3
(1Lake Night + 2 Nights at the Wasai Maldonado
Lodge)
Enjoy the tropical town of Puerto Maldonado, the beautiful Sandoval Lake and Valencia , the largest lake in the region close to the border with Bolivia.
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Day 1 : We’ll meet you at the airport and take you to the Wasai Maldonado Lodge. After a refreshing fruit drink and the chance to settle into your bungalow you’ll receive a talk that explains the whole tour. After lunch you’ll have free time to explore the charming city of Puerto Maldonado and to make any last minute purchases. You could rent one of the popular motorized three wheelers for the modest price of only $6 an hour with a chauffer. It has the capacity to take 2 passengers around the city. You can also rent motorcycles and bicycles for about $2 an hour. You can even head out to Lake Chorrillos, where you can paddle around in a canoe, fish, or enjoy a relaxing bath. On the way you’ll observe picturesque colonial farms.
That evening you’ll dine and stay at the Wasai Maldonado Lodge.
Day 2 Sandoval and Valencia Lakes
After a very early breakfast at 5am, we’ll embark on the trip along the Madre de Dios river towards Lake Valencia. To reach the shores of Lake Sandoval we’ll walk on a jungle path for about 3.5 kilometers. From there on we’ll paddle in canoes to enjoy the incomparable beauty of Lake Sandoval, and with any luck we’ll spot a family of giant otters that inhabit the lake. We’ll also enjoy the rich, year round fauna of the lake, such as exotic birds, monkeys and amphibians. At midday we’ll return to our point of departure to continue on our journey. Along this route we’ll pass islands overflowing with vegetation, with occasional encounters with birds, amphibians and mammals on their shores. Around 3:30pm we’ll arrive at the beginning of a 3km walk to Lake Valencia where a canoe will be waiting to take us to the refuge. (It is possible to add, though it’s not currently included in this package, an extra hour and a half in a boat to explore the lake’s natural drainage system of canals. Please consult with us about this option before beginning the journey. After getting settled in at the refuge we’ll rest a bit so that later we can go out and observe the special spot where the birds gather to spend the night. This spot is called “Bird Island” The birds take refuge here, because it’s the safest place to spend the night as it is inaccessible to the jungles predators. Afterwards we’ll watch the sunset behind the forest trees in a brilliant display of colors.
We’ll return to the refuge to dine. Then after dinner we’ll return to the lake in canoes to observe dozens of caimans some of them as much as 5 meters long.
Day 3 Valencia Lake
We’ll wake to the sound of howler monkeys and macaws moving through the refuge and get a very early start, 5am, to the macaws Collpa, or clay lick. We’ll observe as many as six species of parrots and other birds such as toucans, wild turkeys, and the many other species that come to the lick to ingest the minerals and salts they need to neutralize the toxins they’ve accumulated from the fruits and seeds they eat in the jungle. This clay lick is also, sometimes, visited by mammals such as monkeys, Capybaras, peccaries, and tapirs.
That activity will last until about 8am. Afterwards we’ll return to the refuge for breakfast, and a brief rest before initiating a new activity: A 5 kilometer circular path on which, if we’re lucky, we’ll spot Trumpeters, tapirs, monkeys, peccaries, turkeys and other animals. Our expert, local guides will show us medicinal plants, and some the largest trees in the forest. Then we’ll return to the refuge for a succulent lunch.
After lunch and brief rest we’ll begin our return to Puerto Maldonado. We’ll arrive at dusk just in time for a delicious barbecue.
Day 4
Breakfast and transfer to the airport.
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