As I hop on the bus departing from Lima, it feels like my travel adventure is now actually beginning.
Islas Ballestas
Most people visit Paracas for the Islas Ballestas, an island group with the nickname “the poor man’s Galapagos islands”. For 40 soles one the many agencies take you on a 2 hour boat tour to these islands. From the boat you can spot wildlife such as penguins, sea lions, dolphins and birds.
With these tours I notice I enjoy very different travel experiences than most people. As I really don’t care much about seeing some animals from a distance, but I did enjoy the scenery!
Paracas National Reserve
My personal highlight in Paracas is renting a moped (100 soles / €25) and explore the Paracas National Reserve. Visiting these parts independently gives me the ultimate freedom, and driving through a desert-like landscape is simply magical. But yes, the roads are bumpy, so not for those with a faint of heart.
The road through the National Park
Riding a moped through the desert and it’s bumpy roads
The Paracas National Reserve is a peninsula, the Southern area is where the worthwhile viewpoints are such as: Playa Roja, Mirrador Lagunillas, Playa la Mina, Playa el Raspon, Mirador Istmo I + II, Playa Yumaque and La Catedral. It took me about 5.5 hours to explore all these, while making many photo stops and have lunch in between too.
Lagunillas
Playa de la Mina
Mirador Istmo II
La Catedral
