You’ll find good swimming, boating and fishing at this popular local spot, also called Laguna de Sauce. Day tours (S85 per person, minimum two people) and overnight excursions are available, as are accommodations, from camping to upscale bungalows. There are also a couple of waterfalls nearby and some fairly undeveloped thermal springs, just after the river crossing. Reach the lake by crossing the Río Huallaga, 45km away, on a vehicle raft ferry and continuing by car or taxi for another 45 minutes.

Several combis (minibuses; S15, two hours) go each day to nearby Sauce from a bus stop on Marginal Sur cuadra (block) 7 in the Banda de Shilcayo district, east of the town. Taxi drivers know it.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Chazuta

11.46 MILES

This small village is famed throughout the region for its elegant pottery. It has artisan workshops, a small museum showcasing pre-Inca funerary urns, and…

2. Cataratas de Ahuashiyacu

18.6 MILES

This 40m waterfall has a small restaurant nearby and a locally favored swimming spot. Four-hour tours cost around S35 per person. It's possible to reach…

3. Alto Shilcayo

19.11 MILES

Dense jungle lies just 3km from the city limits of the crazy, cacophonous metropolis of Tareapoto. This section of the Aréa de Conservación Regional…

4. Lamas

28.23 MILES

This town, a short drive from Tarapoto, is remarkable in the way that it is split into two distinct halves with mestizo (person of mixed indigenous and…

6. Castillo de Lamas

28.55 MILES

Some deride it as a tasteless white elephant; others laud it for its eccentricity. Whatever your position, this ‘mock’ Italian castle that rises out of…