About 1 1/2 hours from Taropoto, half by road and half by piste you reach the Laguna by crossing Rio Huallaga. The crossing is made by a ferry that carries 4 cars at most. It is an ingenious system powered by the current of the river. By pointing the bow of the ferry up river it gains momentum and is held to the track across by a cable suspended above. It is therefore a very environmentally friendly mode of transport.
The lake was in fact greenish brown but substantial, about 5 x 2 km and 35m deep. The package included a 45 minute launch trip with explanations of some of the essential but not very memorable fact, like who owned what dwellings on the shore. When we landed at a ecology centre on the shore we were able to relax in hammocks or swim before a lunch of comida tipica. I did both and then walked around watching a couple of guys fishing from a hollowed out canoe and checking out the wildlife, including a sloth who seemed friendly enough but had giant claws. There were several types of birds to watch and after a longish afternoon's relax we went to another wildlife centre and watched some playful and distinctive animals which I think they called kuni but I can't identify it on the internet.
This amounted to a pretty good day at a cost of $27 all in. I had the company of 3 others and our driver/guide and was picked up and delivered to my hotel.
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