Sandoval Lake Lodge

a black-water lagoon with rich and diverse wildlife

Set alongside the eponymous oxbow around 10 km east of Puerto Maldonaldo in southeast Peru, Sandoval Lake Lodge is a pleasant but relatively simple property, but one which happens to be in a particularly strong location for wildlife.

For environmental and economic reasons the lodge has been constructed using mainly reclaimed or sustainably harvested local materials, including driftwood mahogany from the river, lianas and crisneja palm tree leaves for the roof.

The lodge is centred on a large and relatively modest main building which contains the main lounge and dining spaces.

Rooms

Guest accommodation is in 25 simple rooms arranged in two long low buildings, with (sometimes unpredictable) hot water showers and ceiling fans.

Although these rooms are private, the sound insulation between them is famously poor.

You will notice from the imagery that both the rooms (and the main building) do not look as swish as the more upmarket properties in this area. One of the main reasons for this is that all the rooms are fully enclosed within insect screens, which may not be as aesthetically pleasing, but is certainly functional and we feel is a really big positive.

The fact that the rooms only have fans and no air-conditioning means that they are liable to become uncomfortable in these high temperatures and humidities.

Activities

Sandoval Lake Lodge offers a relatively wide range of guided activities, including …

• Motorboat safari
• Canoe safari
• Night motorboat safari
• Clay licks for parrots and macaws
• Hides
• Forest walks
• Night walking safari
• Canopy walkways
• Farm walks

The Tambopata Amazon area is usually reached by air into Puerto Maldonaldo, usually preceded by Cusco and followed by Lima, meaning that it tends to fit into the tail end of an exploration of Peru.

The usual stay duration is 3-4 nights in a single lodge.

Sandoval Lake Lodge is often combined with the much more remote Heath River Research Center, in which case the combination typically extends over 6-7 nights.

Seasonality

The best time to visit Tambopata is generally considered to be the Apr-Oct dry season.

Although this area is dominated by tropical rainforest (which is usually indicative of a pretty stable year round climate), Tambopata actually experiences quite a considerable seasonal range.

Temperatures are quite stable year round, with peak daytime temperatures typically rising to around 31C/88F (peaking around 37C/98F), with nighttime temperatures dropping to 17C/63F. Given the high year round humidities, these night conditions can be quite sticky and uncomfortable (yet airconditioning is notably by its absence). During the Nov-Mar rainy season those nighttime temperatures can be a few degrees higher, which doesn’t help.

If you don’t enjoy high temperatures, then Jun-Jul is the best bet, since southerly winds can bring in slightly cooler fronts.

But the biggest seasonal difference is rainfall. During the Nov-Mar rainy season the precipitation rises to around 300mm/6” per month, which is pretty high. Downpours can be torrential and enduring. Whilst there’s still a lot of sunny weather around, it is possible to have consecutive days of overcast weather.

During the converse Apr-Oct dry season rainfall drops to around 75mm/3” per month, which means there are still regular showers, but they tend to be light and intermittent, with sunny weather prevailing.

Getting there

The Tambopata area can be easily accessed by internal flights into Padre Jose Aldamiz Airport in Puerto Maldonado, notably with regular connections to Lima and Cusco.

The lodge is accessed by a combination of road and motorboat transfers.

From Puerto Maldonado the lodge is accessed by means of a motorboat transfer down the Rio Alto Madre de Dios, followed by a hike of around 2vkm deep into the forest (which is now a boardwalk rather than a muddy trail), then a twenty minute canoe ride across the secret lake and finally a five minute walk to the main building.

an unusually wildlife-focused property