Ballestas, Paracas, Huacachina, Nazca lines – 4 Peru highlights south of Lima

Desert meets the ocean. Thousands of birds spread like a carpet over rocky islands. Mysterious geoglyphs drawn on arid plains. Miles of sand dunes and an oasis in the middle of nowhere. All of these and much more – packed within 400 km from Lima, the capital city of Peru. Let us head towards South Peru to discover the four highlights of the region – Ballestas islands, Paracas National Reserve, oasis of Huacachina and flight over the Nazca lines.

1. Isla Ballestas

Did you ever ride, fly or swim with thousands of swarming birds? No? Well, here is your chance. The boat ride to Ballestas Islands is packed with such actions and more, the beginning of the South Peru trip.

The Ballestas islands boat tour starts from a town called Paracas, around 3 hours drive from Lima. The pier, where the boat trip starts, has a mid-sized block where we waited until our turn came for the boat ride. The islands are about half an hour boat ride away from the coast of Paracas town. The unimaginative start might make you feel like you have done that numerous times. But you don’t know yet what’s in store!

The dolphins

It started with finding the dolphins, which turned into a chase as they appeared and vanished in the blink of an eye. Not that I was surprised as this was some sight that we had witnessed on multiple occasions, including Goa (India), Chilka Lake (India) and Bocas del Toro (Panama). Nevertheless, we are never tired of watching the antics that these incredible creatures manage. We had been lucky to spot an impromptu show by a couple of loma (‘dolphin’ in Thai) near a pier in Koh Lanta. This Peruvian dolphin couple took turns in showing up, teasing our cameras while we kept turning our heads around to catch a glimpse of their dives.

Sudden insertion of history: The Candelabra

We continued with our journey cutting through the waves on a somewhat bumpy ride for a while. An island (not Ballestas yet) started to appear at a distance. As we inched closer, the island revealed a huge candelabra engraved on the sandy surface. It is a mysterious mark that was used to send some signal to the passing sailors (as per one of the theories of its purpose of creation). The candelabra, supposedly dating back to 200 BC, have strangely remained intact and prominent even after all these years. The region receives little to no rainfall and wind, which otherwise could have eroded the mark away.

Here come the birds

While we were engrossed on the candelabra, our boat had started catching up with the aquatic birds. Some were relaxing on the land, keeping their wings wide open to dry after their hunting dips in the water. Others were flying hard around our boat in thousands, still in quest for their morning hunt. Some of the groups of birds drew edged figures on the sky with their flight patterns. It was an amazing sight to behold. Others flocked in their own way, plunging and hovering in and around our boat, leading us to their kingdom.

There it is, Ballestas!

And there it was! Ballestas Islands are a collection of islands that are home to thousands of creatures- aquatic birds, sea lions, vultures and penguins! Yes, penguins as well. Get excited but don’t get ‘Antarctica-excited’ yet! We spotted a few penguins and watched their funnily odd walk until the group plunged into the sea. They acted like showstoppers in the midst of the mob of birds and then disappeared saying ‘Now plan your trip to Antarctica!’.

The sea lions formed photogenic mounds taking the shapes of the rough edges of the rocks where they lied lazily, drying in the morning sun. Their faces looked like they did not care about what was going on around them. As if peace has prevailed on earth and the only responsibility they have is to display cuteness just laying around.

The Isla Ballestas are nicknamed Poor Man’s Galapagos because of its crew of amazing species that you can observe such close to the mainland. We were busy with our cameras within 5-10 minutes into the sea and watched to our heart’s content this incredible sanctuary of protected wildlife.

Check out our photo story of Ballestas Islands here.

Tips

Take the morning slot of the tour (8am) as the wildlife is more active during the morning hours and the ride is less bumpy.

There will be a multilingual guide (spoke English and Spanish during our tour) on the boat to provide details on the history of the place and the natural wonders.

2. Paracas National Reserve

The exploration of the natural wonders of this desert-meets-ocean town continue after your Ballestas trip. There is more in store in this little town. Take a break to brush up your geology, geography and natural history knowledge as everything is packed up in the next bit of our story of South Peru.

How we love our picture-perfect beaches with the curvy coconut trees leaning over them? Well, that is not exactly how the beaches look like inside the Paracas National Reserve. Yet, get ready to experience the stunning views of the ocean. Sometimes from the beach. Sometimes from the desert hills overlooking the ocean.

We found the hills particularly stunning with the views of blue ocean on one hand and the miles of sand dunes on another, both carrying your gaze to the eternity. Anything turns into a tiny object in this vast ocean of emptiness.

This is another great place in Paracas to watch and photograph the captivities of water birds up close – storks, gulls, Peruvian pelicans, vultures, etc.

The other interesting feature of the Paracas National Reserve is the rock formations. The erosion over the years have created their own art and casually left them in the middle of the sea.

Tips

You can book the tour from the local tour companies in Paracas, there are many. Keep in mind that private tours, while on the more expensive side, will allow you more time in the natural reserve.

Do not forget to carry your jacket for visiting these beaches! We visited in October and were wrapped in chilly winds.

3. Huacachina Sand Dunes, Ica

Unlike Paracas, the sand dunes of Huacachina are inland. A prominent oasis forms the focal point of this small town amidst the sand swirls. There are two ways to experience Huacachina.

The relaxing bit

The small oasis lake with surrounding vegetation and an adjacent park, creates a beautiful ambiance for ‘doing nothing’. And the dunes of course! You can walk up the dunes and find your spot overlooking the oasis. While staring at the horizon, try not to wonder how the small towns popped up in the middle of those dunes. Catch the sunset from up the dunes and relax all you please. But do keep in mind that the climb will not be a joy one. But hey, think about the prize at the end – the calories you burnt! Well, and the vistas of course.

The adventure activities

Everyone doesn’t want to settle for just the relaxation. Some may want the adrenaline rush as well to balance their calm. The dune buggies and sand-boarding experiences in Huacachina address just that.

The dune buggies are basically iron skeletons having wheels and refurbished motor engines. The driver takes you along the twists and turns and flies over the undulations while you either scream or grind your teeth, whichever suits you in such situations. Not to worry, he lets you put your bones back in shape by stopping at the odd edges of different parts of the dunes. Take your living-life-on-the-edge selfies before getting back to the bone-wrenching ride.

We didn’t try the sand-boarding as we were already pretty happy having ourselves intact after the dune buggy ride. But it was interesting to watch other people rolling down the dunes, clinging hard to their sand boards.

Tips

You can simply book the activities on the spot, as there are many operators with similar buggies and equipment. No prior booking required.

Bonus – Ica Pisco Tour

The vineyard tour in Ica can also be an interesting activity on your South Peru trip. You will be taken on a tour of Pisco making and you get to sample some Pisco as well. Yay! Unfortunately, the day we visited the ‘Club Tacama’ for the tour happened to be a dry day because of the legislative elections the day after. I know! However, we had a great lunch and the food, as in all over Peru, was excellent.

4. Nazca Lines

If you are thinking what more can you have on your trip to South Peru, then you are missing the climax! The lines of Nazca are as mysterious as history can get. Researchers have multiple theories about the reasons why the Nazca people drew these geoglyphs, on the surface of this arid part of Peru.  Honestly, we had our reservations about doing this for various reasons – expensive ($100 per person plus departure tax for a 30 minute flight), possibility of nausea and safety concerns. But we still went for it! So should you take the Nazca Lines flight? Yes, of course. The flights are still the best way to experience these cryptic lines. Read this post for details on how to do the Nazca Lines flight right.

Now we have explored the 4 highlights of the region touching nature, geography, history, adventure in this trip South of Lima, a wonderful way to experience the diversity of Peru. If you are craving for more ideas to explore this beautiful country, read our fellow travel blogger’s guide on backpacking across Peru.

Before we sign off, here are couple of quick notes on the bus services to explore these places.

Premier Bus services to explore South Peru from Lima

All major travel agencies can arrange tours by car to South Peru and the proximity to Lima helps. Also, there are premier bus services which are convenient and offer flexible hop-on/hop-off travels to these destinations.

Peruhop has lots of itineraries to explore these destinations of South Coast. Also, you can choose to include accommodation from the tours you book with them.

Cruz del Sur is another premier bus service for traveling to these destinations and there are multiple timings to choose from based on your itinerary.

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