Lake Sandoval

Sandoval is a former bend of the Madre de Dios that the river cut off, leaving a long still lake enclosed by rainforest and a fringe of aguaje palms standing in water. Getting there means a short boat ride from Puerto Maldonado and then a walk of about five kilometres on a flat trail that turns to deep mud after rain, before you take a canoe onto the water. A family of giant otters lives on the lake and is seen often though not always, usually early. Black caiman lie along the margins, hoatzin crash about in the lakeside branches, and macaws cross overhead in the evening.

What you actually see

• Giant otters - a resident family, most reliably seen from a canoe in the first hours of light.
• Black caiman - large individuals along the shallow margins and among the palm roots.
• Aguaje palm swamp - the ring of palms standing in water around the whole lake edge.
• Hoatzin - noisy, prehistoric-looking birds in the vegetation at the water's edge.

When to go

Dawn and late afternoon are when the otters fish and the birds move; the middle of the day on the lake is hot and empty. May to October keeps the trail firmer underfoot. Staying overnight at the lake avoids the mid-morning arrival of day groups from town and puts you on the water at the right hour.

Honest expectations

The five kilometre trail is flat but frequently ankle-deep in mud, and rubber boots are essential rather than optional. The otters are wild and there are days when they simply do not appear. By mid-morning several canoes share a fairly small lake. Mosquitoes at the boat landing are severe. Day trips involve more walking and boating than lake time.

Nearby

Puerto Maldonado is under an hour away, and the Tambopata reserve lies upriver.