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Ballestas Islands Tour: Witness Candelabra Geoglyph and Marine Life, and Paracas Reserve Visit
4.0
31 Ratings
Paracas
Embark on a boat journey to witness the magnificent Candelabra geoglyph, Peruvian boobies, Humboldt penguins, and a plethora of sea creatures at the Ballestas Islands group. In the afternoon, take a trip to the untouched Paracas Natural Reserve to view the La Catedral rock formation and observe flamingos and parihuanas from a stunning vantage point.
Embark on a boat journey to witness the magnificent Candelabra geoglyph, Peruvian boobies, Humboldt penguins, and a plethora of sea creatures at the Ballestas Islands group. In the afternoon, take a trip to the untouched Paracas Natural Reserve to view the La Catedral rock formation and observe flamingos and parihuanas from a stunning vantage point.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Ballestas Islands - Depart from the boat dock in Paracas at 8:00 am for your visit to the Ballestas Islands archipelago. As you cruise west from the tiny beach town of Paracas, you won’t be able to miss the Candelabra geoglyph, a 150m high and 50m wide figure of a candlestick etched into the mountain, rumored to have been an ancient guide for…
- Ballestas Islands - Depart from the boat dock in Paracas at 8:00 am for your visit to the Ballestas Islands archipelago. As you cruise west from the tiny beach town of Paracas, you won’t be able to miss the Candelabra geoglyph, a 150m high and 50m wide figure of a candlestick etched into the mountain, rumored to have been an ancient guide for sailors or a connection to the Nazca lines. A short description and time for photos is given before cruising on to the famous Ballestas Islands.
Ballestas islands is an excellent opportunity to see large families of over 100 sea lions sleeping on the shores, basking in the sun on the rocks or some barking loudly in efforts to protect their territory. Spot cormorants, the Peruvian booby and Peruvian pelican as well as other impressive varieties of sea bird species and Humboldt penguins nesting together in small groups. Feeling lucky? Watch the waters for dolphins.
Apart from the abundant marine and bird life found here, the Ballestas Islands are also very well known for the guano (seabird droppings) deposited on the island over thousands of years which creates a natural reserve of nitrogen-rich fertilizer over 50 meters deep in some areas. The guano came to be Peru’s #1 export in the mid-19th century however today the extraction of guano has been regulated to every 10 years.
The return trip to Paracas is a quick, very windy, direct boat ride to the dock. Upon arrival at 10:00 am, your first tour comes to an end. You should have some time to take photos of the friendly pelicans that hang out on the shoreline beside the dock. Then make your way to the same departure point for your next tour.
What's Included
- Ballestas Islands Boat Ride
- Transportation
- English-speaking guides
- Paracas National Reserve Tour
- Ballestas Islands Boat Ride
- Transportation
- English-speaking guides
- Paracas National Reserve Tour
What's Not Included
- Paracas National Reserve Entrance Fee (11 Soles)
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Ballestas Islands Entrance Fee (16 Soles)
- Paracas National Reserve Entrance Fee (11 Soles)
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Ballestas Islands Entrance Fee (16 Soles)
Additional Information
- Suggestions for Ballestas Islands Boat Tour: Make sure you bring adequate clothing to keep you protected from the cool ocean air, the sun and spray from the sea. Bring a pair of binoculars to get a closer look at the birds and sea lions. If you are prone to motion sickness, you should take medication about a half-hour before you board.
- Suggestions…
- Suggestions for Ballestas Islands Boat Tour: Make sure you bring adequate clothing to keep you protected from the cool ocean air, the sun and spray from the sea. Bring a pair of binoculars to get a closer look at the birds and sea lions. If you are prone to motion sickness, you should take medication about a half-hour before you board.
- Suggestions for Paracas National Reserve Tour: If you are taking this day tour during summer (December to March), please bring an extra set of fresh clothing due to high temperatures, especially during January and February. For the rest of the year, please bring a jacket to protect you from cold winds. Sun block, hat and sunglasses are highly recommended.
- Not recommended for child aged 6 and under
Location
Paracas
Departure Point: Paracas Local Office
(Paracas Explorer Office in Paracas located inside the Ballestas Island hotel, A.H.ALAN GARCIA PEREZ mz -LT 9 EL CHACO)
Address: Paracas Explorer Office in Paracas located inside the Ballestas Island hotel, A.H.ALAN GARCIA PEREZ mz -LT 9 EL CHACO)
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
4.0
(31 Ratings)
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184velia
Nov 7, 2022
Everything I'd expect - The tour guides were enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and the tour itself was organised efficiently.
Worth mentioning that there is a 45min gap between the Ballestas Islands tour and that of the national park, where you come back to Paracas and can get a coffee or early lunch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
4sharit
Oct 4, 2022
Fabulous - Great views. Up close to marine life I wanted to see. Fantastic price.
Arrive 15- 20 minutes early. We cut it a little to close but still made it. If you sit in back of the boat, its easier to get great picts but you will get wet. We went in October so didn't get to see babies but still worth going this time of year.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kaylee
Jun 10, 2022
Paracas Reserve/Ballesta Island - Guides were super friendly and knowledgeable! The ballestas island guide pointed out a ton of different wildlife for us and was able to answer a bunch of questions. The paracas reserve guide was super funny and made sure we all had an enjoyable time. He also recommended a good lunch spot for after the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charisma2015
Mar 7, 2022
Wonderful tour! - The tour of both the islands and the national reserve were just wonderful. We saw Peruvian penguins and thousands of birds/sea lions on the islands. The boat would stop and get close enough to take photos. The national reserve was quite interesting. The lunch stop was on the expensive side but it was good. I would recommend taking this tour while in Paracas.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cathy
Nov 7, 2019
Boobie Birds - Loved this trip the boats were modern and the guide was really educational. I would do this again all the birds and animals are as advertised.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B7sty
May 1, 2019
Like being in a national geographic documentary - The 2 hour Ballestas Island tour was a highlight of our trip to Peru. We saw hundreds of penguins, seals and birds. The journey took us passed the candelabra lines in the mountainside. We also saw dolphins on the way to the islands. The boat trip is definitely worth doing.
We had low expectations when we entered the National Park as it was just a lot of sand. However very quickly we came across amazing viewpoints - red sand and cliffs meeting the ocean.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolh977
Mar 23, 2023
Great sites poorly organized tour operator. - Both the boat tour and the park were wonderful. I would fully recommend the sites. But tour operator did a poor job. After the boat tour we were told to return to the travel agency by 10:50 for the 11:00 park tour. We were then walked back to the port to meet the tour guide. He said, small delay, be back in 10 minutes. We returned and waited another 30 minutes. We thought the tour may have left without us. We get in a van that is ???? old with a cracked windshield. I am in the jump seat next to the driver, seat belt broken. No air conditioning. The tour begins by going to an overlook site of the city. Then back to paracas. Tour guide gets out???? Ten minutes later he returns with more people. Not enough seats so the guide does not have a seat. Although the time was much shorter we enjoyed the park. On the way home the driver runs over a large rock. The driver was concerned about the condition of the vehicle ,drove about 10 miles per hour and stopped 4 times to look under the hood. We were on a cruise and had a time considerations. Very stressful. In the end everything was fine but I would find a tour operator with better communication and equipment.
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Belle
Dec 16, 2022
Disappointing Paracas reserve tour - Boat tour is fine lots of wild birds and some sealions and a couple of penguins. Reserve tour at 11 organised through Paracas travel really disappointing. 2 stops to see the playa roja a full hour at playa Mina - wasn’t told that should bring swimming gear and a full hour and half for lunch before returning to Paracas. This tour would be better done in a taxi if you are not on your own.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
232jima
Jun 20, 2023
Don't waste you time and money on this tour - Booked a private tour with Vista Adventures. About 3 1/2-hour ride from our hotel to Paracas and a little more returning. Guide slept 1/2 of the way down and probably 2/3 of the return. Guide was supposed to have some knowledge of local birds - he was totally clueless. Boat ride to the islands was supposed to last 2 hours - lasted a little over half that. Most of the lectures were in Spanish with snippets of English. If you have never seen a sea lion, you'd probably be interested. Otherwise, riding in a boat jockeying for position qround a small buoy with 3 other tour boats to see a few sleeping sea lions was underwhelming. There were a few more sea lions in a couple spots on the islands and quite a few sea birds - all of which you can see on the beach without wasting your time on the boat. Tour advertises penguins and they didn't bother to stop for people to see the single random penguin that swam by. Again, you could see twice as many swimming around the bay from the dock. We finished by going back by the buoy - sea l;ions were still sleeping and no more exciting. When they advertise that you will be taking the first boat, they mean the first one for their company. Three other boats let before ours and they were the ones that first started circling the buoy.
The Paracas Reserve and museum were no more exciting. The museum was a joke for contents but we were able to walk towards the water to get a distant view of the flamingos and a few other birds I was able to show the guide.
We were supposed to visit the Naldo Navarro winery but the guide decided to skip that so we could return back to Lima in time to beat some of the rush hour traffic.
I recommend not wasting your money for this "private tour" and instead arranging your own transportation to Paracas. You can get boat tickets when you get there for way less money. Then go on your own to the winery if you want to see that. There is a nice restaurant just up the street from the boat dock for lunch. In our case, the guide just dumped us off and left for a while. I think the restaurant manager felt sorry for us because he brought us complimentary piscos so we could taste their local drink. (it was good)
Everything is a long way south of Lima so plan to take a full day.
To end this on a positive note, we had an excellent driver who smoothly maneuvered through amazing traffic and gave us a completely comfortable ride.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Koendegeus
Aug 6, 2022
Paracas - I've travelled for many months and made the mistake to book a voucher via tripadvisor. I would like to go to the Ballestas Islands and to be sure of this I made a reservation. Don't make the same mistake. There are plenty of tourist offices in Paracas. Thereby we didn't went to Ballestas but to Isla Blanco (because of the weather). I didn't went with this tour and made the tour at 11. Didn't got any refund and went by myself on the bike to the desert (much better than in a touristbus). So don't book in forehand and see the morning itself. Normally my qay of travelling and you see it's much better. Ballestas is beautiful the tourist trap of Paracas isn't. 1 day is enough;)
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