Ballestas Islands – Huacachina and Nazca Lines

Today, we will pick you up at 05h00 from your hotel in Lima to transfer you to the bus terminal. Your private car will take you to Paracas, on a journey of approximately 4 hours. Your trip to the Ballestas Islands begins at 9 a.m. We’ll head  to the harbor and sail out into the Bay of Paracas. It takes about 30 minutes to get out to the Ballestas Islands.

On the way, we’ll pass by the famous Candelabro (chandelier), a large-scale geoglyph built by the Paracas culture around 200 BC. While its exact purpose is unknown, some theories suggest it represents the trident or lightning rod of the god Viracocha, and it might have served as a sign to sailors, who could easily see it from the sea.

When we reach the islands, we’ll have about one hour to explore by boat. Going ashore is forbidden, as it could disturb the natural balance of this vital reserve. But we can see plenty from the boat, and you’ll have magnificent views of the islands and their many residents. Your guide will point out the various animals that call these craggy islands home. You’ll see Humboldt penguins hopping around and an incredible amount of seabirds, including gulls, terns, pelicans, guanays, cormorants and blue-footed boobies. You’ll also be able to spot hundreds of fur seals and sea lions, and maybe marine otters or possibly a humpback whale, which come to these waters between August and October.

Afterwards, we’ll head back towards Paracas harbor, arriving at around 11 a.m. This is where our tour ends. After this tour, we will transfer you to the bus terminal to take the bus to Ica that will take about 2 hours and a half. Once in Ica, we will head you to the hotel in Ica.

After our Ballestas tour, we will take you to the city of Ica for a tour of the city. We will visit the Regional Museum to learn more about this desert region of Peru. Next up is the Huacachina Desert and its famous Oasis. This magical Lagoon, sometimes called “The Oasis of America.” is the perfect place to relax and enjoy lunch. This pretty village is surrounded by a spectacular landscape of dunes, with the shining lagoon sitting in this otherwise arid location. The greenish water comes from a subterranean spring, creating a literal oasis. Apart from being a relaxed place to stay, Huacachina is also famous for two adrenalin-pumping activities: sand boarding and dune buggy rides, both of which are great fun! Sandboarding can be done by anyone in reasonable physical condition. Beginners tend to slide down the dunes on their stomachs, while more experienced sandboarders ride their boards in the same way as a snowboard. After the sandboarding activity, we can enjoy the adrenaline-filled dune buggies, where our guide will take us out in a tubular car to enjoy a ride across the famous dunes of the Huacachina. The sunset is spectacular in this part of the world!

After this action-packed day, we will drop you off at your chosen hotel in Ica or Nazca.