Safari to Paracas

the Nazca Lines and the Islas Ballestas

Set on the Pacific Coast around 200km south of Lima, Paracas National Park is a significant conservation area, which contains the Islas Ballestas, whose prodigious wildlife has caused them to become known as ‘The Poor Man’s Galapagos’.

Boat trips out to the islands provide views of this rugged coastline, with dramatic arches and sea caves. Over 150 species of marine birds can be found along these cliffs, including albatrosses, boobies, pelicans and cormorants.

The beaches in between are home to large colonies of sea lions, seals and Humboldt penguins, whilst the waters are rich with marine life, including dolphins and turtles.

One of the most iconic images of these islands is El Candelabro (the Paracas Candelabra), a 150m / 500’ geoglyph etched into the desert hillside, which is thought to date to around 200 BC.

The famous Nazca lines lie 200 km further south and are most commonly visited by light aircraft from the nearby Pisco Airport. These flights provide by far the best impression on this vast monument.

If you do also choose to head down there by road then you can also visit the Cementerio de Chauchilla, which contains twelve restored graves displaying mummies from the Chinacha period.

Other activities in the greater Paracas region include some very pleasant wine tours in the area around the inland town of Ica, which is also home to the famously photogenic (but hideously touristy) Oasis de la Huahachina, a renowned location for dune-boarding.

Closer to Paracas there are plenty of options for exploring the very scenic desert areas, including hiking, mountain-biking, sand-boarding, dune-buggy rides, kayaking and catamaran sailing.

The best time to visit Paracas is generally considered to be during the Dec-Apr, when the weather tends to be clearer and more sunny.

The area experiences two distinct seasons …

The period of Dec-Apr is the warmest time of year, with peak daytime temperatures typically reaching around 26C/79F and nighttime temperatures remaining relatively high at around 19C/66F. The key advantage at this time of year is the higher levels of sunshine, which average out around 6 hrs per day. There’s virtually no rainfall.

The converse May-Nov season is cooler, with peak daytime temperatures typically reaching around 22C/71F and nighttime temperatures remaining relatively high at around 16C/61F. Although rainfall remains negligible, there can be persistent sea fogs, which cause the levels of sunshine to drop to less than an hour a day in Jun-Aug. These fogs are usually around dawn, clear during the morning and then close back in around lunchtime for the rest of the day, so weather-dependent activities are usually best done between 0800-1200hrs.

This climate pattern is completely opposite to conditions up in the Andes, which means that it’s impossible to visit Peru and experience ideal conditions throughout the whole of your trip.

Most people end up prioritising the conditions in the highlands and live with whatever the coast has to throw at them. But it does make the shoulder seasons of May and November look all the more attractive, especially given that visitor numbers are much lower than the Jul-Sep peak season.

Note that these foggy conditions only affect the coastline from Lima southwards, but locations further north (Trujillo, Chiclayo and Mancora) are good year round.

Getting there

The Paracas area is usually accessed by means of a 4-5 hour road transfer from Lima.

Where to stay

The most popular area to stay when visiting this part of the southern coastal plateau is the rather functional ocean-front settlement of Paracas, inside the national park, which contains a handful of decent resort hotels.

The usual stay duration is 2 nights, which allows time for the flight over the Nazca lines and a boat trip out to the islands, 3 nights if you want to take your time and include some of the other lesser activities (or maybe actually spend some time by the pool).

drive down from Lima, usually for three nights