Heath River Wildlife Center + Lago Sandoval

Day 1: Arrive in Puerto Maldonado and Heath River Wildlife Center

• Reception at the airport in Puerto Maldonado and transfer to the port of Madre de Dios. We board a motorboat for an approximately 4½ hour drive to the Heath River Wildlife Center. The trail leads along the Madre de Dios river to the border between Peru and Bolivia. On this trip can be seen on the river banks around 75% of the original forests, while this is only 15% on the Tambopata river.

• Upon reaching the Heath river, the natural border between Peru and Bolivia, we transfer to smaller boats for the onward journey to the Heath River Wildlife Center. The sole owners of this accommodation are the Ese Eje natives of this zone.

• A cold lunch will be served during the journey.

• On this trip it is important to carry your passport with you.

• Our hosts, the native Ese Eje, will guide us in the afternoon around the accommodation to explore the jungle, spot different species of monkeys and observe countless species of birds that inhabit this paradise place.

• After dinner we explore the jungle with our flashlights. Also included is a small collpa where various mammals gather to eat soil that gives certain properties to their diet.

Day 2: Macaw Clay Lick

• Early in the morning we board the boat to cruise upstream on the Heath river to the interesting clay lick of macaws and parrots. The journey takes between 45 minutes and an hour. Birds and a family or two of capybaras can usually be spotted along the way. The capybaras are the largest rodents in the world, huge relatives of the guinea pigs and very photogenic. They can weigh up to 55 kg.

• We observe the Collpa from a floating hide, specially designed for this purpose. While we admire this natural spectacle, we can have breakfast in peace. First come the small parrots with their electric blue and emerald green colors, followed by the large macaws with red and bright green colors. The birds come to the collpa to eat earth.

• Some years there is less activity in the clay licks of southern Peru in May, June and early July. If you want to photograph these birds specifically, you should take these circumstances into account.

• After this magnificent spectacle we return to the hostel. Our local guide accompanies us on an ethno-botanical walk through the forest, explaining how the Ese Ejas use many of the trees and plants, as natural medicines, as raw material for making bows and arrows and for building dwellings.

• After lunch and a short rest, we go by boat to another part of the forest, where, after a short hike, we find the brazil nut trees, which reach a height of 55 m. We learn how the Ese Ejas cut those nuts that fall from the treetops. For decades, this has been an important economic activity for the Ese Ejas to generate income. Now ecotourism is becoming a source of income to improve living standards.

• If you still feel strong enough after dinner, you can observe the nightlife in the jungle on a hike.

Day 3: Macaw Clay Lick, Sandoval Lake Lodge

• Once again we get up very early to visit the macaw clay lick a second time. Afterwards we return to the accommodation, collect our luggage and start the drive to Sandoval Lake Lodge on the shores of lake Sandoval, considered by many jungle connoisseurs to be one of the most beautiful and attractive lakes in the peruvian jungle.

• A cold lunch will be served on the way.

• The boat trip, first on the Heath river and then on the Madre de Dios river, we finish at the start of a path that after a 45-minute hike we reach a narrow canal. From here, a small boat takes you to lake Sandoval. The journey continues in a catamaran to Sandoval Lake Lodge. On the way we observe the famous aguajales, a submerged area covered with palm trees, where especially in the evening the macaws come to spend the night or stay in the nests.

• Dinner and time to relax in the cozy rooms overlooking the lake.

Day 4: Sandoval Lake Lodge

• Get up early to visit lake Sandoval. Birds in search of food can be observed and with a bit of luck a family of giant otters. These animals are threatened with extinction. The early morning hours are undoubtedly the best for observing wildlife and getting good photos.

• Back to the accommodation for breakfast.

• Hike along the paths with explanations of the peculiarities of the jungle and the medicinal use of some plants of the area.

• After lunch and a short rest, visit to the eastern part of the lake, where live 5 different species of monkeys, including the capuchin monkey.

• Return to the lodge for dinner.

• Then back to the lake to see the black caimans, the rarest in the Amazon.

Day 5: Puerto Maldonado

• After breakfast transfer to Puerto Maldonado airport.

Note: Changes may be made to improve the various activities, as well as for climatic or organizational reasons.