Lago Yacumama is one of those tourist attractions that I recommend to my own friends and family when they’re visiting Puerto Maldonado. It’s just too easy to visit lake Yacumama and it’s teeming with wildlife.
Even if you’re planning a trip to one of the other oxbow lakes like Lake Sandoval, you should still be planning to visit Lago Yacumama when visiting Puerto Maldonado and Tambopata. Not least because it’s a different style of oxbow lake and it provides a stunning contrast. Plus, it’s cheaper and easier to access.
Everything you need to know to visit Lago Yacumama
Lago Yacumama in Puerto Maldonado
Lago Yacumama is located very close to Puerto Maldonado. It’s an oxbow lake like Lake Sandoval. It’s a former section of river that’s been cut off and now forms a lake. Yet it has a completely different type of vegetation, with tall palm trees growing out of the lake itself.
The palm trees are home to a large colony of chestnut fronted macaws. And in the lake you will see large black caiman and water birds. It’s in Lago Yacumama that you’ll have the chance to fish for piranha using traditional cane rods. Fishing is prohibited in Lake Sandoval.
Lago Yacumama is only accessible by road. It takes roughly 10-15 minutes to reach Lago Yacumama from the Plaza de Armas of Puerto Maldonado. All of the official tours of Lago Yacumama do include hotel pick up and drop off. So you don’t need to worry about transport.
Now, you do need a tour guide to visit Lago Yacumama. It’s run by a local community and you can’t just randomly arrive on your own and paddle around the lake. So do book a tour to Lago Yacumama ahead of time.
Best time to visit Lago Yacumama
The best time to visit Lago Yacumama is during the winter dry season. Which runs from May to October. During the winter season there is less chance of rain and flooding. But don’t be fooled into thinking winter is cold, it’s still very much hot and humid in the amazon.
We typically visit for the sunrise when all the parrots are just waking up. And when we get to watch the sun rise through the tree tops. Yet, some tours also run at sunset. Both times of day are beautiful.
The one thing you definitely don’t want to do in the amazon region of Peru, is to book a lake or river tour that runs at midday. Being out on the water in the midday sun, even in winter, is incredibly hot and uncomfortable. And the boats themselves will heat up very quickly.
Travel tip: Always avoid any midday lake or river tours in the amazon rainforest. It’s unusual for a provider to run anything in the middle of the day. But if they do, don’t book it. You’ll see less wildlife along the banks and be at a higher chance of getting burnt or having heat stroke.
Lago Yacumama Tours: What to expect!
While tours and the quality of tour guides can differ between the different tour providers, the experience is vastly the same. What you can expect from a tour of Lago Yacumama is to be picked up from your hotel or hostel in Puerto Maldonado and driven to Lago Yacumama.
Upon reaching Lago Yacumama you will first need your tour guide to book you into the premises with the local indigenous community that owns and maintains the lake. This check in process should take no more than 10 minutes and your name and country of origin will be entered into the visitor book.
During check in, your guide will also collect paddles for the canoes and cane rods to go piranha fishing in the lake. All of this is arranged between the tour provider and the local community.
Once check in is completed, you will be taken down to the canoe dock on the lake through the surrounding rainforest. The walk is very easy and is at a leisurely pace. On the way down to the canoe dock, your local guide will point out the wildlife, medicinal plants and if you’re lucky, they will also explain some of the local legends!
Once at the lake, you’ll board the canoe and your guide will sit at the back to paddle. And they will slowly paddle you out through the main side stream into the larger lake. Keep your eyes peeled for the resident ‘water puppies’ (large black caiman) that inhabit the lake.
Be sure to listen to the constant chattering of the chestnut fronted macaws nesting overhead. The lake and it’s surrounding area is a huge macaw nesting ground. The tops of the palm trees are filled with macaws attending to their young.
Once you’ve had your fill of being paddled around the lake, which is very large, your guide will find a suitable spot for you to try piranha fishing using traditional cane rods.
Being a keen sport fisherman, this is one part of the tour that I though I’d really enjoy. And it was quite fun. But we were consistently outfished by a canoe full of young ladies who’d never been fishing before.
So it was a little embarrassing for my own canoe full of keen fisherman. Nevertheless, piranha fishing is another experience that I recommend to all of my own friends and family when they’re visiting Puerto Maldonado!
After a spot of piranha fishing, you’ll have an opportunity to get paddled around the lake some more. Before heading back to the docks, returning the paddles, signing out and heading home.
Now, during the sign out process, you’ll get a chance to leave an inspiring message for the local community in the visitor book. So do think up a message to pass on.
Bonus points for emphasizing ecological conservation and preservation of the amazon rainforest. Peru has a very real problem when it comes to pollution, logging and strip mining!
Lago Yacumama piranha fishing tip: Your guide will put the bait on the hook for you. And when you catch a piranha they will take it off and handle the fish for you. So you don’t hook yourself and so that the piranhas don’t take any chunks out of your fingers with their razor sharp teeth!
Tips for making the most of your Lago Yacumama adventure
The best tip I can give you when visiting Lago Yacumama is to have a small day pack with a few critical items. When visiting the lake, you will need:
- Insect repellent with DEET
- Sunscreen with a high SPF rating
- Sunglasses
- Water Bottle (or some other beverage)
Now, the mosquitos and other bugs in the amazon are no joke. The mosquitos in Puerto Maldonado can bite you through multiple layers of clothing. About the only thing I find that slows them down are long sleeved overshirts and bug spray with very high amounts of DEET.
Beyond the mosquitos and other bugs, it’s always the sun that gets me. And while my long sleeved overshirt does help, I always pack high SPF sunscreen and wear sunglasses for the glare off the water. Plus, I always have a water bottle on hand.
Lago Yacumama Travel Tip: The tours are typically around 3 hours long. You will get thirsty and there are no convenience stores or vendors in the area. So do pack a water bottle or some other beverage to keep you hydrated in the jungle heat.
Lago Yacumama versus Lake Sandoval
I’m constantly asked which lake is ‘better’ for tourists visiting Puerto Maldonado for the first time. And I always recommend that everyone visit both.
Lago Yacumama and Lake Sandoval are both oxbow lakes. But they both look entirely different from one another. And they have distinctly different vegetation and different bird species. Plus, in Lake Sandoval fishing is prohibited and you won’t have an opportunity to see what lurks beneath the waters surface.
Sure, you’ll see ‘parrots’ and caiman in both lakes. And If you can’t tell the difference between caiman or parrot species, or you simply don’t care, then you could just visit one lake or the other. But then if you don’t care about the incredible diversity of life in the amazon, why visit at all?
In Lake Sandoval you’ll have a better chance of seeing giant river otters and monkeys. But in Lago Yacumama you’ll have a better chance of seeing the caiman, piranha and wetland bird species up close. You need to visit both lakes if you want to see ‘everything’.
The other thing that popped out to me when I visited was the cost. Lago Yacumama is significantly cheaper to visit than Lake Sandoval. Because Lake Sandoval is well known to tourists and there is greater demand to visit it, the costs are higher. Lago Yacumama could be a cheaper alternative for those who can’t afford to visit both lakes.
My Verdict: Is Lago Yacumama worth visiting?
Absolutely! Lago Yacumama is the cheapest and easiest oxbow lake to visit while in the peruvian amazon rainforest. And it should be the first lake you visit after arriving in Puerto Maldonado!
Just be sure to pack the bug spray and other recommended items and you’ll have an amazing time full of instagram worthy photo opportunities. Lago Yacumama is a hidden gem in Puerto Maldonado!
