“Tambo Blanquillo Lodge” is located two and a half hours downriver from Boca Manu. At the lodge, there will be platforms with a comfortable dining room. The reserve has three Oxbow Lakes (Blanco, Blanquillo, and Camungo Oxbow Lakes) with ideal conditions to observe giant otters from a wooden catamaran. Also, there is a 45-meter metal tower, a perfect location where bird watchers can spot many birds.
Near the lodge, there is one of the most beautiful places in the world called “Collpa.” A Collpa is a clay lick where some species of mammals and birds go every day to neutralize the toxins in their system. In Blanquillo, tourists can enjoy an amazing Macaw Clay Lick. Red and green macaws are daily visitors of the clay lick, along with many parrots and medium-sized macaws.
One distinctive habitat nearby “Tambo Blanquillo” is the Shebonal forest. This type of forest is high in clay content, creating clay licks, locally known as Collpa, which are specially used by macaws and other rainforest species as a healthy diet supplement that helps them remove toxins from their digestive tracts. Macaws usually obtain these noxious chemical substances from unripe fruits they ingest.
Our lodge is just 30 minutes away from the Macaw Clay Lick. A blind of 10 meters in altitude has been built facing it, so you can take close-up pictures without disturbing the birds' activity. It consists of 40 comfortable seats, each with a personal counter where your binoculars and cameras can be placed to give you better stability to take superb pictures of the macaws on the clay lick. Breakfast will be served at the blind, and a toilet facility is available.
We will be picking you up from Puerto Maldonado airport or bus terminal and will drive you to our office. Here you can leave your bags.
We will then drive you to the boat pier. Here you will be embarking on our motorboat for a scenic ride on Madre de Dios river to our jungle lodge. Our lodge is located in the heart of the rainforest.
After checking in, we will start the Lake Sandoval Peru Tour. We will be visiting Monkey Island. As the name suggests, the island is home to different species of monkeys. Our local guide will explain the way of life of different monkeys here.
We will then do a canopy walk. It is one of the unique experiences that offers a breathtaking view of the Amazon rainforest from the top of the trees. After this experience, we will return to our lodge.
Our crew will be serving an exclusive Amazonian meal for dinner. After dinner, we will head out for a short night tour to spot alligators.
After breakfast, we will be crossing the Madre de Dios river. We will be hiking for three kilometers. During the hike, the guide will explain the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest.
We will witness the beauty of Lake Sandoval Peru. It is a paradise for nature lovers. Here you will be able to see plenty of animals, birds, and sloths. We will be going further on our boat to get a closer look at these animals.
Lake Sandoval is also inhabited by giant otters (animals in danger of extinction) and very big black caimans (the biggest one registered is five meters long).
After this experience, we will have lunch in the reserve zone. We will then return to the lodge to check out. Depending on your flight timing, we will be taking the boat back to Puerto Maldonado. Our crew will meet you at the boat pier to transfer you to the center and onward to the airport or bus terminal.
Tambopata National Reserve is a protected natural area of Peru. It is located in the department of Madre de Dios. Tambopata National Reserve was created on 4 September of the 2000. With an area of 274,690 hectares, this protected natural area has an altitudinal gradient average of 200 metres in a range of 300-400 metres.
Tambopata National Reserve is one of the main destinations within the National System of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SINANPE). Due to its great biodiversity and protected natural habitats, this reserve is a privileged site for contact with nature in regard to flora, fauna and landscapes. The most visited tourist destination is Lake Sandoval. It covers 127 hectares and is inhabited by macaws that abound in the vegetation surrounding the lake, as well as herons, kingfishers, caimans, and otters. This tourist area has lodges for visitors.
Tambopata is popular for its clay lick. In fact, it is the largest clay lick in the world. Hundreds of birds fly to eat the clay, which helps them flush out toxins from their bodies. Between 5:30 and 9:00 am, there is an agglomeration of macaws and parrots that form a spectacle of color and wildlife for tourists. The main collpas are Chuncho and Colorado, both are on the banks of the Tambopata River.
It is located in the Tambopata National Reserve, a sanctuary for world fauna, surrounded by exuberant vegetation in the department of Madre de Dios. Lake Sandoval has registered more than a thousand species of birds, in addition to the giant otter, the black caiman, the river wolf, macaws, turtles, and cranes, many of them in danger of extinction. It is a sort of ecological pantry of Peru, where the nocturnal sounds of the jungle reign in their most natural state.
The variety of marine fauna is another feature of the place, with 6,500 species of fish, including the famous paiche, a select ingredient of the highest regional cuisine due to its delicate and tender meat.
Lake Sandoval is within the Tambopata National Reserve in southeastern Peru, and is 14 km from the nearest city, Puerto Maldonado. You can book flights to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco or Lima.
Visitors take a motorized boat from the city (30 minutes) or from their lodge and then walk a 3 km path from the river bank through the forest, stopping on the way to admire the endemic orchids and other plants, birds, butterflies, and if there is luck, Amazonian animals.
The walk is between half an hour and two hours, depending on how muddy the trail is. Some travelers who prefer not to walk or cannot walk as much can ask to be taken in an oriental buggy.
At the end of the trail, visitors are taken by a narrow channel in a small non-motorized canoe until Lake Sandoval is reached (about 15 minutes).
The Lake Sandoval tour was definitely a highlight of my Amazon adventure. The lake is absolutely stunning, and the wildlife sightings, from playful monkeys to exotic birds, made it feel like being in a nature documentary. The boat rides were peaceful and offered a great way to soak in the beauty of the surroundings. However, the tour felt a bit rushed, and I would have loved a bit more time to explore the area at a slower pace.
The lodge accommodations were basic but comfortable, though I think a bit more attention to detail could make the stay more enjoyable. The guide was great, but I would have appreciated a bit more in-depth knowledge about the flora and fauna.
L’excursion au lac Sandoval a été sans aucun doute un moment fort de mon aventure en Amazonie. Le lac est absolument magnifique, et l’observation de la faune, des singes joueurs aux oiseaux exotiques, m’a donné l’impression d’être dans un documentaire animalier. Les promenades en bateau étaient paisibles et m’ont permis de m’imprégner de la beauté des environs. Cependant, l’excursion m’a semblé un peu précipitée, et j’aurais apprécié un peu plus de temps pour explorer la région à un rythme plus lent.
L’hébergement en lodge était simple mais confortable, même si je pense qu’un peu plus d’attention aux détails aurait rendu le séjour plus agréable. Le guide était excellent, mais j’aurais apprécié une connaissance plus approfondie de la faune et de la flore.
