Macaws Clay Lick and Lake Sandoval (4 Days)

Adventure on a 2-hour trip in a 4×4 vehicle to the Tambopata River. We will cross the river in our boat to reach the Monte Amazónico Collpa Chuncho Lodge, where we will be given a brief welcome and we will get settled into our rooms.

After lunch, in the afternoon, we will take an introductory hike into the jungle, where we will get our first up-close look at different animals. Then at night, we will eat dinner and we will be able to rest up for the next day.

We will get up very early to go and visit one of the largest collpas (clay licks) in the world, the Macaw Clay Lick. Along the 1.5-hour trip there, we will see different species of animals, such as the capybara, caiman, tapir, and others.

Once at the collpa, we will see how hundreds of birds come here to eat clay at the walls formed by erosion. According to specialists, some birds display this behavior to supplement their diets and get rid of toxins they may ingest during the day.

After this, we will return to the lodge to eat breakfast and then start the trip back to Puerto Maldonado, where we will take a trip by boat to our next place of lodging, the Monte Amazónico Sandoval Lodge. We will settle into our rooms and have a chance to rest.

After lunch, we will visit Monkey Island, where we will see different species such as Capuchin monkeys and common squirrel monkeys.

At night, we will head out on the boat with our flashlights to observe white caimans on the sand banks of the Madre de Dios River. Here we will also get to observe some capybaras, the world’s largest rodent. Once we are back at the lodge, we will eat dinner and we will be able to rest up for the next day.

We will get up early to eat breakfast and then start a 3-kilometer hike to Lake Sandoval. Here we will take a paddle boat trip, where we will be able to get an even better view of the animals inhabiting the area surrounding the lake, such as birds and different species of monkeys. Also, if we are lucky, we will be able to see some animals that live in the lake, like piranhas and the giant otter. After this adventure, we will return to the lodge to eat lunch and rest for the remainder of the afternoon.

At night, we will take a hike to observe the diversity of insects, amphibians, and reptiles that are nocturnal. Then, we will have dinner and go to sleep.

We will get up early in the morning to take a hike through a canopy installed at a height of 30 meters (98 feet). This will allow us to make little stops on different observation platforms above the Tambopata National Reserve. From atop these platforms, we can observe different birds, such as toucans, macaws, and oropendolas, among others. We will also get a panoramic view of the Madre de Dios River and its surrounding vegetation.

Afterwards, we will return to the lodge to eat breakfast and start the return trip to the city of Puerto Maldonado to end the tour.