Leaving from Lima, there are a couple of bus companies that go to Paracas. Since we didn’t have much time in Lima, we booked our tickets online with Cruz del Sur for 33 PEN1 each. The bus departed at 12.45 PM and the journey is just over 4 hours long, reaching Paracas by 5 PM. The town is very small and the bus drops you off on the main strip by the tour stalls and main beach. The main road is paved, but to get to our hotel which was a 10-minute walk inland, we had to go via sandy roads. Once inland, there aren’t many shops or restaurants and it is mainly residential.
Finding Activities and Transportation
We dropped off our bags at the hotel and then headed back to the strip to look for tours and transportation for our next destination; Ica. The tour agencies offer several activities such as quad biking and a plane ride to view the Nazca Lines for a lot cheaper than what we found online. We only had a day though and we intended to visit Las Islas Ballestas. We decided to look for the pier to see if we could buy the tickets there but it was closed. However, the security guard told us that tours are sold directly at the pier for cheaper, but we had to come in the morning since they’d closed already. Our main concern was the timings since buses to Ica leave in the early afternoon. We were assured that taking the early morning tour would have us back before midday. With activities and transportation sorted, we wandered alongside the seaside boardwalk coming across several arts and crafts stalls. We then decided to have dinner at one of the restaurants to catch the sunset. We had a great view of the sunset and one of the best ceviches I tried in all of Peru.
The following day, we got up early in the morning to head to the pier to get a ticket for the Islas Ballestas. But before that, we made a stop by the transport agency that was taking us to Ica later to drop off our backpacks. We were then at the pier at around 7.30 AM. We purchased a boat tour for 25 PEN leaving at 8 AM and were told the latest we’d be back by was 10.30 AM. Our bus was due to leave at 11 AM so we’d be cutting it close. Once you have your tour ticket, a guide comes round calling out the tour group and directs you to the pier entrance. Here you have to pay a National Park Fee of 11 PEN and the Port Tax of 5 PEN. If you’ve already visited the National Park, then make sure to keep the receipt so you don’t pay it here again. Once through, we were shown to the boat. The boat we got on could sit around 80 people and the seats are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Try to sit on the left if possible as most of the wildlife will be on the left side.
Once everyone is on, the boat leaves the pier and the guide will give an overview of what to expect. The guide delivers all information in Spanish and English. As we were leaving the pier, we were lucky enough to have come across a family of dolphins. There must have been around 10 of them surfacing simultaneously. The captain slowed down for a couple of minutes for us to get some pictures and then we were on our way again. The boats are very fast, so it may be a bit bumpy at times and you should expect to get a little wet. The captain also slows down as the boat passes the Candelabro. The guide then goes on to give some information on this Geoglyph which is estimated to date back to around 200 BC. Its creation remains a mystery and the guide shares a couple of theories.
It takes around 30-40 minutes to reach the islands. Once there, the first thing you’ll notice is the sheer number of birds on the rocky islands. The guide will talk about the wildlife that lives here and will help you spot penguins clumsily walking around. We got a chance to see a couple of them dive into the sea. Although you do get fairly close to the islands, pictures are best taken with a DSLR camera with a long-range optical lens. My GoPro here could not get any close-ups, but great landscape shots. Nevertheless, there are excellent close-up photo opportunities of the sea lions sunbathing on the rocks. You may even get a chance to witness an argument over territory between the sea lions. In total, the boat roams around the islands for about 40 minutes before heading back to the pier.
We indeed did manage to make it back by 10.30 AM and hurried to the transport agency to grab our bags. Luckily, the vehicle was waiting right opposite the office. Rather than a bus though, it was more of a minibus/people carrier, and our bags were secured to the roof. It was comfortable enough for the 1-hour journey to Ica. Overall, it is a short trip to the islands but more than enough. It’s also possible to take this tour from Lima but taking into account the travel time, it’ll be a full-day tour with only 2 hours visiting the islands. Taking the tour from Ica is probably better since it’s much closer. However, staying a night there was convenient and we got to check out the town a little.
