About 10 kilometres east of Puerto Maldonado, in Peru's Amazon basin, the Rio Madre del Dios has shifted over the years and left a lake that is now been turned into a national park that is a treasure trove of wildlife.
At the resort office, we were told to pack only essentials in our day packs, to leave everything else behind. Our guide led us back down to the riverbank, where another boat was waiting for us.
The Tambopata River opens at Puerto Maldonado into the Rio Madre del Dios, and from there we went 10 kilometres downstream before jumping out and following our guide down another path.
After three kilometres, we came to a cantina at a small pond that was filled with flat-bottomed boats that our guide called canoes. Sure, I'll buy that.
The seven of us piled in (three couples plus our guide, who took the stern) and the guide took us down a short creek, which opened into the lake.
Our guide, Donald, said that the lake was five kilometres across its widest point but that seemed a bit of a stretch. By my reckoning, it semmed more plausible that the perimeter of the lake was five kms. Either way, it was beautiful and teeming with life. Myriad fish and cayman filled the water, while fountless species of bird perched in the bushes and trees.
Plus, we saw three species of monkeys: red howlers, cappucci, and squirrel monkeys.
But the highlight of Sandoval Lake is something we came across within minutes of exiting the creek: giant otters.
Baby giant otters.
They were taking shelter on a tiny island that held palm trees. Our guide figured that they were taking shelter to nap, possibly after feasting on fish.
Our accommodation was a short way away, tucked into the jungle. It was little more than a shack with beds, a toilet, and sink. The walls between our room and our neighbours, the Swiss couple, was open after eight feet. We could hear everything from each other.
And we were thankful for our bug nets over the beds.
We rested for a couple of hours and then made our way back to the canoe for a sunset paddle, where we saw even more birds, cayman, and monkeys. We stayed out beyond sunset and made our way back in darkness, with the stars our only guide and with large fisher bats doing their best to keep the mosquitoes off us.
Donald knew the lake well and guided our boat straight to our dock, only turning on his flashlight when he needed to be precise at getting the boat aligned with the dock.
Crossing Sandoval Lake, the starry sky was both familiar and different. We saw new constellations, though I did find the Big Dipper. It was upside-down, a reminder that we weren't in the northern hemisphere.
The next morning, we left the shacks a half-hour earlier than planned so that we could have a leisurely paddle and see more wildlife. The paddle did not disappoint.
Back in Puerto Maldonado, we said goodbye to the two couples who had been with us over the five days, plus Donald, who was an expert guide. DW and I stayed one more day in this southeast Peruvian town, as we had clothes to wash and didn't want to go straight to the airport.
We were also pretty ripe and wouldn't have wanted to offend the other passengers.
Early on Friday, we flew back to Lima. Just one more day in the big city before we head home. We won't reach home until Sunday morning and at the time of writing this post (Thursday afternoon), I can't wait.
Peru has been amazing and it's been a worthwhile trip. We've met some wonderful people, had some great food, and have seen the diversity of this country.
DW says that we have to come back, and perhaps we will, but it was hard on my body. My lungs have taken a beating and I had one bad day with my stomach (I know, that can happen anywhere). But I'm also starting to feel my age and I'll be returning home with bruises and muscle aches.
But I certainly won't say that I'll never come back.