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Ballestas Islands & National Reserve of Paracas from Ica: Discover Wildlife & Beaches
4.7
70 Ratings
Ica
Join us for a visit to the Ballestas Islands in Paracas, explore the National Reserve and appreciate its magnificent beaches, offering perfect opportunities for breathtaking photographs. Our expertly trained tour guides will fill you in on the area’s rich history.
Join us for a visit to the Ballestas Islands in Paracas, explore the National Reserve and appreciate its magnificent beaches, offering perfect opportunities for breathtaking photographs. Our expertly trained tour guides will fill you in on the area’s rich history.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Ica - The pickups for the Paracas Tour & Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve start from hotels in the center of Ica and Huacachina at approximately 7:00 am and conclude at your hotel in Ica around 4:30 pm. If any passenger wishes to stay in Paracas at the end of the tour, they may do so at their own responsibility (the tour can end in…
- Ica - The pickups for the Paracas Tour & Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve start from hotels in the center of Ica and Huacachina at approximately 7:00 am and conclude at your hotel in Ica around 4:30 pm. If any passenger wishes to stay in Paracas at the end of the tour, they may do so at their own responsibility (the tour can end in Paracas at approximately 3:30 pm).
- Ballestas Islands - Upon arrival in the district of Paracas, we will check in and embark directly to the Ballestas Islands, which includes:
- Modern Tourist Boat for 40 passengers.
- Official Bilingual Tour Guide.
- Tickets for seats on the tourist boat to the Ballestas Islands.
- Observation of the mysterious giant geoglyph “El Candelabro,” located on the slope of a hill, which remains unchanged over time.
- Enjoy the spectacular islands with arch or portal shapes, where a diverse variety of marine fauna can be observed, including sea lions, penguins, mollusks, pelicans, seagulls, and various types of “Guano” producing birds (natural fertilizer or manure).
- The sea tour will last 2 hours, with 1 hour within the Ballestas Islands and 1 hour for round-trip transfers.
- Return to the Paracas tourist pier.
- Paracas National Reserve - Once the Ballestas Islands Tour is completed, we will proceed with the Tour to the Paracas National Reserve, which includes:
- Land transportation to the Paracas National Reserve.
- Visit to the Isthmus Peninsula Viewpoint.
- Visit to Red Beach.
- Visit to Lagunillas Beach.
- Free time for swimming and lunch at Lagunillas Beach.
- Visit to La Mina Beach.
- All taxes and entrance fees.
- Return transfer to the city of Ica.
What's Included
- Guía Oficial de Turismo
- Tour Islas Ballestas
- Transporte Turístico
- Tour a la Reserva Nacional de Paracas
- Guía Oficial de Turismo
- Tour Islas Ballestas
- Transporte Turístico
- Tour a la Reserva Nacional de Paracas
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Hospedaje
- Tickets de Bus Interprovincial (Lima/Ica)
- Ticket turístico en Paracas S/22.00 soles por persona
- Lunch
- Hospedaje
- Tickets de Bus Interprovincial (Lima/Ica)
- Ticket turístico en Paracas S/22.00 soles por persona
Additional Information
- Pregnant women cannot board tourist sliders.
- In the case of bad weather on the day of the tour, and there is no departure to the Ballestas Islands, passengers will be offered a refund of S/40.00 soles per person. And the tour to the Paracas National Reserve will continue.
- On holidays the pick up will be 30 minutes earlier than normal, and it will…
- Pregnant women cannot board tourist sliders.
- In the case of bad weather on the day of the tour, and there is no departure to the Ballestas Islands, passengers will be offered a refund of S/40.00 soles per person. And the tour to the Paracas National Reserve will continue.
- On holidays the pick up will be 30 minutes earlier than normal, and it will be at the Plaza de Armas and the Huacachina Oasis. The end of the tour will be in the Plaza de Armas.
- The group option is in a minibus with natural ventilation (windows open), the private option is in an air-conditioned vehicle.
Location
Plaza de Armas de Ica
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(70 Ratings)
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Sonjad1194
Apr 27, 2026
Beautiful getaway with respect for nature - Recommended! Much respect for nature.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Clebicar
Mar 14, 2026
Incredible Tour - Spectacular tour!!! The Ballestas Islands, located near Paracas, Peru, are a coastal natural sanctuary famous for its high biodiversity, housing thousands of sea lions, humboldt penguins and guaneras. Known as "mini Galápagos", these protected volcanic islands offer a must-see boat tours for wildlife observation in their natural habitat. Do not fail to take the walk, as it is very top and you will appreciate spectacular landscapes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
24c_sarh
Oct 11, 2025
Beautiful as always - Beautiful, it wasn't 30 years ago and now the boats are bigger and faster. Well the tour, just a little congested. I do remember you used to see more animals, but it may be due to the season. The Boat Enterprise service was very good. Excellent option to go with children.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennec2022
Sep 5, 2025
Fantastic! - Amazing guide Luis! Lots of information and facts about Paracas. Fun boat trip where we saw a lot of different sea animals! The national reserve was also very beautiful!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mylesm467
Sep 1, 2025
Don’t miss this - Stunning sights, saw plenty of sea lions, penguins, and cool birds. Boat ride was fun, beach was beautiful. Don’t miss this part of Peru
Review provided by Tripadvisor
V2327wvjordim
Aug 17, 2025
Perfect! - The experience was great, both the tour and the guide was perfect. We were recommended a place to eat that the truth could not have better views and the food was also very good.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stefansprakel1
Aug 1, 2025
Great trip - Great trip, good communication and basically covers all the things you want to see. Lunch is not included but they had enough options for everyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Edward_b
Apr 20, 2026
The tour was very... - The tour was very interesting. The Ballestas Island was absolutely incredible — we saw a dolphin, seals, sea lions, penguins, pelicans, and other fascinating birds. The national park is very beautiful, with an amazing combination of yellow landscapes and blue sea.
I wish the bus had been better. The air conditioning didn’t work, and the bus itself wasn’t very clean.
Review provided by Viator
Nievesr377
Feb 26, 2026
Personally I thought the time was very short, but it looked quite - It was a lot of fun and you learn a lot about marine life
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grace_a
Nov 22, 2025
Would NOT Recommend - The islands are great. This is NOT a Spanish/English tour. It’s entirely in Spanish with maybe 1 sentience in English for full 10+ sentences in Spanish. The return is extremely unorganized. As mentioned by other reviewers, we picked up random people on the way back. The tour also stops at random places in Ica. Our guide got out for 10 or so minutes flagging a taxi for a couple because they wouldn’t return to their hotel. Six people got dropped off and told to walk back to their Airbnb, including a family with a young child.
Also important to note the transportation is NOT air conditioned and gets ridiculously hot.
Review provided by Viator
