Remote Amazon

Arriving into Puerto Maldonado airport we are met by our transfer driver and taken to our local office. Here we receive our duffle bags into which we transfer our belongings for the next few days. From the Tambopata river port we transfer by boat down the mighty Madre de Dios River for around 4 hours and through Bolivian passport control to Heath River which forms the remote border between Peru and Bolivia. We arrive at our remote lodge late afternoon located deep in the world’s largest pristine rainforest.

Note: Please ensure you are booked on the first flight of the day from Lima or Cusco into Puerto Maldonado.

Over the next two days we enjoy a host of jungle activities and have enough time to optimize our chances of seeing plenty of wildlife whilst also having time to relax and soak up the jungle atmosphere. We take the short boat ride up the Heath River to the Macaw clay lick, one of the 5 largest in the world. From our floating blind we enjoy breakfast whilst we wait for the colourful macaws and parrots to arrive. These magnificent birds come down in the morning to feed on the clay which helps them detoxify some of the fruits and nuts that they eat. The blind provides a fantastic shelter to observe the macaws in their natural habitat, the photography opportunities are fantastic! We also have the opportunity to visit the mammal clay lick where we have excellent chances of seeing tapir.

In the afternoons we take walks through the jungle with our guide looking for tapir, capybara, frogs and jaguar which are hiding in the undergrowth and all manner of monkeys including howler and squirrel monkeys which are chanting as they leap from tree to tree above us. There are also plenty of medicinal plants to discover and our guide also takes us through the plants and trees used by the local Indians to build their homes, canoes and bow and arrows.

From the lodge we hike through the rainforest to the Pampas del heath the largest remaining undisturbed savannah in the Amazon. As we emerge from the dense jungle the wide sweeping plains open up before us – what a contrast, this really is a unique experience. Walking across the plains we arrive at dusk to watch the beautiful blue and yellow or sometimes red and green macaws taking their nightly flight back from the jungle to their nesting trees in the savannah before returning to the lodge.

In the morning we have another opportunity to spend time at the Macaw clay lick before we visit Ese'Eja native community of Sonene. This is a great opportunity to interact with the local indigenous people who, living in such a remote location, still have the same lifestyle and practice the same traditions and they have for hundreds of years. There is also an opportunity to purchase their local handicrafts.

Returning to the lodge to collect our things we then depart by boat leaving the Heath River behind us and once again cross the Bolivian border navigating back towards Puerto Maldonado.

The walk from the river into Sandoval Lake is half the adventure! The three kilometre walk takes us through the forest until we reach a small canal where we board canoes. From the forest floor rise 100 foot Mauritia palms, aboard our canoe we paddle through the flooded forest which opens up on to stunning palm fringed Sandoval Lake. Arriving at the lake late afternoon is the perfect time for wildlife viewing; we take a leisurely paddle around the lake looking for spider monkeys, colourful bird life and the giant otters to which the oxbow lake is home. We remain on the lake and watch the changing colours of the sun setting over the beautiful surrounds before enjoying dinner at Sandoval Lake lodge. This evening we have time to relax in the lodge or there is an opportunity to go on a night walk through the grounds looking for tarantulas and other creatures.

After breakfast on our final day in the jungle we have another opportunity to spend time on the lake with the playful giant otters and the wildlife before returning to Puerto Maldonado where our jungle adventure comes to an end.