Islas Ballestas, Ica Region, Peru
4.5 (2.766 reviews) Spent 2-3 hours Ranking #1 in Paracas Islands
Lovely trip well worth it
If you are travelling on a cruise and passes through Paracas, don't miss this opportunity and visit the Ballestas islands. This tour is for all visitors who are landing at San Martin Port where you can enjoy a half day trip around the beautiful Islands. You will be able to spot thousands of marine species such as, penguins, sea lions, sea birds, dolphins and many other species.
Address
, Paracas, Peru, Postal Code: 11660.
Current local date and time now
Friday, May 03, 2024, 12:54
User Ratings
4.5 based on (2.766 reviews)
Excellent
68%
Good
26%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Reviews
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5Sean S 5:00 PM Jan 7, 2020
A beautiful day for a boat tour
We went with Paracas Explorer at 0800, and the water was calm and the sun was warm but not yet hot. The driver kept a steady pace so the people seated at the back of the boat did not get splashed. That said, the front of the boat is where you want to be sitting: you have the first glimpses, and the longest time to snap pictures. We had a knowledgeable guide, who was bilingual and was able to answer our questions with ease. We also got lucky, and our astute driver spotted some sea lions sunning on the front hull of a parked ocean liner, and then found some jelly fish! He was able to get exceptionally close to the jagged rocks around Ballestas and we had views of the wildlife second to none.
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5heatherjasper 5:00 PM Mar 8, 2020
Amazing bio-diversity!
This was billed as a "mini Galapagos" which I think is an exaggeration, but it is still definitely worth a visit. We paid 50 soles each and got a covered boat - which was key because the sun is brutal and it's too windy for a hat. We got the unexpected bonus of going by the "Candelabra" which is a giant carving in a hillside facing the sea. Similar to but also very different from the Nazca lines. We were there the first of March and were happy to find that February is birthing season for sea lions. There is a beach that is actually called the maternity ward because that is where sea lions go to give birth. It was absolutely crawling with sea lions! We also saw a species of crab that only eats guano and lots of orange star fish. The bird list is much longer: Humboldt penguin (we only saw one because most have left this season), Peruvian diving-petrel, Peruvian pelican, Peruvian booby, Neotropic cormorant, Red-legged cormorant, Guanay cormorant, American Oystercatcher, Blackish Oystercatcher, Kelp gull, Grey gull, Peruvian Tern, South American Tern, Inca tern.
