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Ballestas Islands and Tambo Colorado Tour from San Martin Port: Visit Inca Fortress and Pisco Town
3.2
6 Ratings
Paracas
Should your sea odyssey anchor at San Martin Port, take advantage of this splendid chance and explore the Ballestas Islands, the town of Pisco and the fascinating Inca stronghold of Tambo Colorado on our unique group expedition.
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Islas Ballestas - You will be met by our guide at 9:15am at San Martin Port, then you will be transferred to Paracas town, at this point you will meet the rest of the group and board our speedboat to begin the adventure to the stunning Ballestas Island. On the way you will stop at the Paracas peninsula to see the enigmatic figure of the Candelabro, a stunning design drawn on the side of a hill in the Peninsula. Nobody knows for sure who did it or why. There are many hypotheses regarding its origin, some believe it is related to the Nazca Lines but still found no proof or evidence that can define its creation. Afterwards, you’ll head off to Ballestas Island, where you will see a stunning world filled with birds and sea lions. Here, you’ll visit the three islands at a distance allowed, navigating inside some caves, depending on the condition of the sea. On your return to the port, you will board our vehicle to drive towards Pisco town for a sightseeing tour where you will visit the main square, Municipal Palace and among others places of interest. Afterwards we all be travelling east for 35 minutes to finally arrive to the well preserve Inca Fortress of Tambo Colorado. Tambo Colorado was an Inca settlement and was most likely built at the end of the 15th century and was ruled by the Inca Emperor Pachacutec. It was known as Puka Tampu, Pucallacta or Pucahuasi and its buildings are typical Wary (Ayacucho) and Inca (Cusco) culture influences, have buildings of ceremonial plazas, houses, ceremonial platforms and the main building known as La Fortaleza. It is believed that Tambo Colorado was used as an administrative/ceremonial and military place to control the main road from the coast to the highlands also this place was to service as resting place for the Inca and his army across the Inca territory. The site consists of several structure around a large central plaza. The central plaza is shaped like a trapezoid with its largest side being 492-ft (150-m) long. The main structure is grouped together in a northern and southern Palaces, plus some ceremonial platforms. Because of local environmental conditions, many of the buildings original colours have been preserved, helping experts reconstruct the site. Finally, you will return to San Martin Port to re-join your ship.
What's Included
- Convenient pickup and drop-off at San Martin Port.
- Inclusive of all group activities and transportation.
- Bilingual guide speaking both English and Spanish.
- Complimentary bottle of water.
What's Not Included
- Personal Travel Insurance
- Entrance fees. 21 soles per person (7 USD) local payment at reception.
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional Information
- If your ship has any delay in arriving, we strongly suggest to notify us three to four days in advance so we can arrange a new pick up time. We also suggest you to keep checking your emails in case the pickup time changes.
- Printed travel voucher or E-travel voucher along with your passport or any ID its required before boarding (verification purpose only).
Location
Islas Ballestas
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.2
(6 Ratings)
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1 star
Q4616zamarionw
Mar 24, 2024
Great natural experience - A very organised tour. The guides were local and ensured we had full information, views and support. The guide at Tambo Colorado had in-depth knowledge of the site, with his museum background. Very friendly and assistive. We did get some ocean spray crossing to the Ballestas Islands, and that is to be expected. The staff ensured that we stopped t see all the wildlife. We developed a good understanding of the birdlife and sea lions who had recently calved.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Louise_k
Jan 30, 2024
Good tour! - Both the Ballestas Island & Tambo Colorado trips were wonderful. The lady tour guide ‘Olinga’ was very detailed and explained very well for the boat trip. Fabio was a lively guide at Tambo, however, he spent a lot of time talking with the driver in Spanish during the drive that I felt was a bit distracting. But overall I enjoyed the whole tour very much.
Review provided by Viator
George
Feb 7, 2018
Ballestas Island has plenty of birds... - <p>Ballestas Island has plenty of birds and penguins. There were only 2 of us on the long ride to Tambo Colorado. The ruins had a lot of graffiti. The driver/guide did not speak English so we did not get a good description of the ruins. I would not recommend the Tambo Colorado portion of the tour.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Dawn
Apr 26, 2023
Replacement Tour from San Martin Port - This tour was cancelled as Tambo Colorado was closed for Maintenance and replaced by Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Park, so disappointed. The day was enjoyable but NOT what I wanted to do and I think this tour was less expensive but no refund.
Review provided by Viator
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