Stay at an Amazon eco-lodge to experience a jungle teeming with life
Paddington Bear is said to have lived in "darkest Peru" with his Aunt Lucy until she moved to the Home for Retired Bears in Lima. My suspicion is that he came from some part of the Peruvian rainforest.
Before taking this trip, I only associated the Amazon jungle with Brazil, so discovering that it includes part of Peru adds to a sense of mystery. We take a short flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonaldo, leave surplus luggage in a travel company office, then board a motorized boat for a half-hour trip down the Madres del Dios River -- a wide, muddy tributary of the Amazon.
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We hike three kilometres of trail, then spend a final half hour in a canoe being paddled across Sandoval Lake. As one guide book says, "getting there is half the fun".
In the late afternoon, after a brief recovery time in the lodge, we take a two-hour boat trip, being silently paddled around the banks of this huge oxbow lake, a non-intrusive way to observe in safety. The boat is two canoes joined by a viewing platform, catamaran style.
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Every aspect of the environment seems teeming with life. It is almost sensory overload as even the air is alive with noises from the jungle. We are treated to the raucous passing of a large troupe of squirrel monkeys crashing from tree to tree.
It is understated to describe bird life as abundant as we see everything from herons to vultures. As dusk falls, there are waves of different species of birds taking turns to devour the insects -- once the night hawks have had their fill, hoards of bats swoop in the fading light.
Apparently it is just as active below the water's surface with piranhas, stingrays, and electric eels -- information that reduces the temptation of trailing your hand in the water.
We are told the story of a giant anaconda that tried to pull a dog off a boat and how the owner lost a piece of arm in a successful attempt to save his pet.
Modest-sized white caiman (from the crocodile family) watch us from the banks and only dive when our boat gets too close. Adult caiman are reputed to be formidable; we hear of another lodge where meat was thrown into the water so tourists could actually see the larger black caiman, until a lone photographer was attacked and killed.
Perhaps it's better not to disturb natural cycles. I'm content just to see the shore dotted with menacing sets of red gleams, the reflection of their eyes in flashlight beams.
The next trip around the lake leaves at six the following morning, a thick mist giving the scene a magical quality. We are rewarded with our first sighting of a family of giant otters jostling and diving and making a sound rather like Chewbacca from Star Wars.
Later, through binoculars we see them munching on part of the six kilos of fish that each adult consumes every day.
The lodge is really happy that this family is increasing; a sign that tourists are not causing much of an "ecological footprint." The lodge deserves the positive publicity produced by a BBC documentary filmed on this lake about the life of giant otters.
A guide leads a small group on a botanical walk through jungle trails. She describes the normal squawks of multi-coloured macaws, and attributes their absence this morning to the looming presence of sentinel hawks.
We hear stories about how the garlic tree protects animals sleeping among its roots. We marvel at walking trees with their many small trunks allowing them to move up to 50 centimetres a year in order to get more sunlight.
Products from the jungle are amazing in their scope and variety: everything from leaves that make lipstick to bark that can bring about abortion.
We discuss the ethics concerning the profits made by certain North American pharmaceutical companies who base various drugs on rainforest products yet provide no recognition to the country of origin.
There is one intriguing product which, when taken after fasting, is supposed to cause you to see episodes from your past, both good and bad.
Our guide tells us of his experience with a Curandero or shaman who made a potion including the bark of the kapok or ironwood tree. J. K. Rowling should come here if she needs additional inspiration to end the Harry Potter series.
Sandoval Lake Lodge is built out of ecologically correct driftwood mahogany and is partly owned by a non-profit conservation group. It provides a restful haven with excellent food, and a row of hammocks for reading and dozing through afternoon heat.
In the evenings mosquito nets are arranged around beds, although the mosquitoes are surprisingly minimal. The generator goes off at 10 p.m. sharp, ending all activity as the lodge is plunged into darkness.
Many guests are keen naturalists, like a couple from Scotland who came to see just one bird that inhabits this particular area of Peru. But we are content to watch the sunset over the water, and wonder why Paddington ever decided to leave. Darkest Peru has so much to entice you to stay.
On the web:
Sandoval Lake Lodge: www.inkanatura.com/sandovallakelodge.asp
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