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Ballestas Islands Tour: Witness Candelabra Geoglyph and Marine Life, and Paracas Reserve Visit
4.1
37 Ratings
Paracas
Embark on a boat journey to witness the magnificent Candelabra geoglyph, Peruvian boobies, Humboldt penguins, and a plethora of sea creatures at the Ballestas Islands group. In the afternoon, take a trip to the untouched Paracas Natural Reserve to view the La Catedral rock formation and observe flamingos and parihuanas from a stunning vantage point.
Embark on a boat journey to witness the magnificent Candelabra geoglyph, Peruvian boobies, Humboldt penguins, and a plethora of sea creatures at the Ballestas Islands group. In the afternoon, take a trip to the untouched Paracas Natural Reserve to view the La Catedral rock formation and observe flamingos and parihuanas from a stunning vantage point.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Islas Ballestas - Begin your journey from the Paracas boat dock at 8:00 am to explore the Ballestas Islands archipelago. As you sail west from the quaint beach town of Paracas, the Candelabra geoglyph will catch your eye. This impressive 150m high and 50m wide candlestick figure is etched into the mountain and is believed to have served as an…
- Islas Ballestas - Begin your journey from the Paracas boat dock at 8:00 am to explore the Ballestas Islands archipelago. As you sail west from the quaint beach town of Paracas, the Candelabra geoglyph will catch your eye. This impressive 150m high and 50m wide candlestick figure is etched into the mountain and is believed to have served as an ancient guide for sailors or a connection to the Nazca lines. A brief explanation and photo opportunity are provided before continuing to the renowned Ballestas Islands.
The Ballestas Islands offer a fantastic chance to observe large groups of over 100 sea lions lounging on the shores, sunbathing on the rocks, or barking loudly to defend their territory. You can also spot cormorants, the Peruvian booby, and Peruvian pelican, along with other remarkable sea bird species and Humboldt penguins nesting in small groups. Feeling fortunate? Keep an eye on the waters for dolphins.
In addition to the rich marine and bird life, the Ballestas Islands are famous for the guano (seabird droppings) accumulated over thousands of years, creating a natural reserve of nitrogen-rich fertilizer, reaching depths of over 50 meters in some areas. Guano became Peru’s top export in the mid-19th century, but today its extraction is regulated to every 10 years.
The return trip to Paracas is a swift, breezy, direct boat ride back to the dock. Upon arrival at 10:00 am, your first tour concludes. You’ll have some time to capture photos of the friendly pelicans that frequent the shoreline near the dock. Then, proceed to the same departure point for your next tour.
- Paracas National Reserve - At 11:00 am, set off for the Paracas National Reserve for a guided tour through this pristine and unique natural reserve located south of Pisco. Visit the Mirador de Flamencos to see flamingos feeding at the shore, and continue your journey to the Centro de Interpretacion to learn about the reserve’s fauna. Here, you can view skeletons of whales, sea lions, and penguins. Conclude your tour by going off-road in the desert to the stunning Lagunillas Beach, where you can enjoy lunch with a view (not included). At Lagunillas, those interested in swimming are welcome to take a dip! Return to Paracas.
What's Included
- Ballestas Islands Boat Ride
- Transportation
- English-speaking guides
- Paracas National Reserve Tour
- Ballestas Islands Boat Ride
- Transportation
- English-speaking guides
- Paracas National Reserve Tour
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
Additional Information
- Suggestions for Ballestas Islands Boat Tour: Make sure you bring adequate clothing to keep you protected from the cool ocean air, the sun and spray from the sea. Bring a pair of binoculars to get a closer look at the birds and sea lions. If you are prone to motion sickness, you should take medication about a half-hour before you board.
- Suggestions…
- Suggestions for Ballestas Islands Boat Tour: Make sure you bring adequate clothing to keep you protected from the cool ocean air, the sun and spray from the sea. Bring a pair of binoculars to get a closer look at the birds and sea lions. If you are prone to motion sickness, you should take medication about a half-hour before you board.
- Suggestions for Paracas National Reserve Tour: If you are taking this day tour during summer (December to March), please bring an extra set of fresh clothing due to high temperatures, especially during January and February. For the rest of the year, please bring a jacket to protect you from cold winds. Sun block, hat and sunglasses are highly recommended.
- Not recommended for child aged 6 and under
Location
Travel agency Paracas Explorer
Departure Point: Paracas Local Office - Av Paracas Mz D Lte 5, Paracas, Peru (next to the Gran Palma hotel)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.1
(37 Ratings)
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R2921aalaurah
Jan 13, 2026
Unmissable for all ages - Unmissable for all ages .excellent explanations by our guide Juan Pipa of www.expeditionBallesta. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Road62542084192
Nov 21, 2025
Two great tours in a day. - The Ballestas Islands were teeming with different forms of life, The day I went, we even got lucky and saw a whale surface. Of particular interest were the penguins and sea lions. There is also a huge glyph of unknown purpose or origin on a hillside that is quite striking.
The tour of the nation reserve was led by a charming and intelligent guide named Barbara. The views are spectacular and well worth seeing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen_l
Mar 16, 2025
It was pretty smooth, the... - It was pretty smooth, the tour guides were nice and knowledgeable and we really enjoyed our experience.
Review provided by Viator
184velia
Nov 7, 2022
Everything I'd expect - The tour guides were enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and the tour itself was organised efficiently.
Worth mentioning that there is a 45min gap between the Ballestas Islands tour and that of the national park, where you come back to Paracas and can get a coffee or early lunch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
4sharit
Oct 4, 2022
Fabulous - Great views. Up close to marine life I wanted to see. Fantastic price.
Arrive 15- 20 minutes early. We cut it a little to close but still made it. If you sit in back of the boat, its easier to get great picts but you will get wet. We went in October so didn't get to see babies but still worth going this time of year.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
972susannet
Sep 1, 2025
It was ok - The boat ride was good, however due to the weather we were unable to see Ballestas Island, however we were taken to White Island and saw lots of wild life. The second part of the tour was ok, however we never went to the flamingo viewpoint, and for me this was the most important part of the tour. So I was truly disappointed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bradwago
Dec 15, 2024
Book the Boat Island Trip, Skip the Van Tour - This is a 2 part tour that seems to be operated by different vendors. The 8-10am boat trip to the island was good. Just the right amount of time. A little chilly, so bring an extra layer of clothes. Then one hour down time. The 11-3 driving tour to the national reserve was only mildly interesting. There were two hours of somewhat spectacular coastal panoramas. and 2 hours of lunch and swimming. We didn't eat, but those who did seemed happy. Very few in our group swam...very cold water. If I were to do it again, I'd just do the boat trip to the island and and skip the driving trip to the reserve. I'm very certain that the limited journey is possible to book...there were many boats all leaving at the same time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolh977
Mar 23, 2023
Great sites poorly organized tour operator. - Both the boat tour and the park were wonderful. I would fully recommend the sites. But tour operator did a poor job. After the boat tour we were told to return to the travel agency by 10:50 for the 11:00 park tour. We were then walked back to the port to meet the tour guide. He said, small delay, be back in 10 minutes. We returned and waited another 30 minutes. We thought the tour may have left without us. We get in a van that is ???? old with a cracked windshield. I am in the jump seat next to the driver, seat belt broken. No air conditioning. The tour begins by going to an overlook site of the city. Then back to paracas. Tour guide gets out???? Ten minutes later he returns with more people. Not enough seats so the guide does not have a seat. Although the time was much shorter we enjoyed the park. On the way home the driver runs over a large rock. The driver was concerned about the condition of the vehicle ,drove about 10 miles per hour and stopped 4 times to look under the hood. We were on a cruise and had a time considerations. Very stressful. In the end everything was fine but I would find a tour operator with better communication and equipment.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Belle
Dec 16, 2022
Disappointing Paracas reserve tour - Boat tour is fine lots of wild birds and some sealions and a couple of penguins. Reserve tour at 11 organised through Paracas travel really disappointing. 2 stops to see the playa roja a full hour at playa Mina - wasn’t told that should bring swimming gear and a full hour and half for lunch before returning to Paracas. This tour would be better done in a taxi if you are not on your own.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
232jima
Jun 20, 2023
Don't waste you time and money on this tour - Booked a private tour with Vista Adventures. About 3 1/2-hour ride from our hotel to Paracas and a little more returning. Guide slept 1/2 of the way down and probably 2/3 of the return. Guide was supposed to have some knowledge of local birds - he was totally clueless. Boat ride to the islands was supposed to last 2 hours - lasted a little over half that. Most of the lectures were in Spanish with snippets of English. If you have never seen a sea lion, you'd probably be interested. Otherwise, riding in a boat jockeying for position qround a small buoy with 3 other tour boats to see a few sleeping sea lions was underwhelming. There were a few more sea lions in a couple spots on the islands and quite a few sea birds - all of which you can see on the beach without wasting your time on the boat. Tour advertises penguins and they didn't bother to stop for people to see the single random penguin that swam by. Again, you could see twice as many swimming around the bay from the dock. We finished by going back by the buoy - sea l;ions were still sleeping and no more exciting. When they advertise that you will be taking the first boat, they mean the first one for their company. Three other boats let before ours and they were the ones that first started circling the buoy.
The Paracas Reserve and museum were no more exciting. The museum was a joke for contents but we were able to walk towards the water to get a distant view of the flamingos and a few other birds I was able to show the guide.
We were supposed to visit the Naldo Navarro winery but the guide decided to skip that so we could return back to Lima in time to beat some of the rush hour traffic.
I recommend not wasting your money for this "private tour" and instead arranging your own transportation to Paracas. You can get boat tickets when you get there for way less money. Then go on your own to the winery if you want to see that. There is a nice restaurant just up the street from the boat dock for lunch. In our case, the guide just dumped us off and left for a while. I think the restaurant manager felt sorry for us because he brought us complimentary piscos so we could taste their local drink. (it was good)
Everything is a long way south of Lima so plan to take a full day.
To end this on a positive note, we had an excellent driver who smoothly maneuvered through amazing traffic and gave us a completely comfortable ride.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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