Paracas

About 3.5 hours from Lima, through the sandy desert, you arrive in Paracas, a quiet beachside town and the gateway to Islas Ballestas.


This photo was taken from one of the waterfront restaurants that serve fresh fish that came in the same day.  Paracas is very small and pretty walkable.  The major attraction here is Islas Ballestas which has 2 tours per day – one at 8am and one at 10am.  I was told the earlier tour was better since the ocean was calmer.

My main goal was to see penguins, but I also saw lots of sea lions and plenty of birds.

The people in this area harvest the guano of the birds and sell it as a fertilizer.  Apparently it’s quite expensive.  The tours last about 2 hours and give you a good view of the wildlife in the area.  The boats are speedboats without a cabin, so I suggest a windbreaker as it can get quite windy and cold.

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