Peru · PARACAS TOURS
A desert reserve running straight into the Pacific, with the islands offshore and the dunes inland. These 15 cover the boat trips, the reserve circuits and the long days from Lima, priced and clear on how early the boat leaves.
See Ballestas Islands wildlife, taste pisco, and race across Huacachina dunes on this long, high-value day trip from Lima.
“this trip takes the whole day, but it is well worth the money. the transportation is very comfortable for the long trip. 100% recommend”
Review of Paracas’ Ballestas Islands and National Reserve tour, with sea lions, penguins, desert beaches, practical tips, and honest value advice.
“Loved the tour. Totally better than I imagined. This team was amazing. An unforgettable journey.”
See El Candelabro, Humboldt penguins, sea lions, and seabirds on a two-hour Ballestas Islands boat tour from Paracas for $17.
“Well organised and a great way to sea nature in its natural surroundings. Plenty of birds and sea lions to photograph and a very informative guide.”
Ride Huacachina’s desert dunes by buggy, try sandboarding, and watch the sunset over Peru’s oasis on this lively two-hour trip.
“Muy rapido! He was amazing when we asked to go fast at the end. Racing back and fully experiencing the roller coaster feel of tipping over sand dunes and screaming. Absolutely amazing!!”
Cruise to Ballestas Islands, spot sea lions and penguins, then explore Playa Roja and swim at Lagunillas for $34.
“El tour se divide en 2 partes: primero fuimos en speedboat a las Islas Ballestas, donde vimos pingüinos y lobos marinos y El Candelabro. Tras volver a Paracas, nos recogieron para la segunda parte a la Reserva Natural de Paracas, donde hicimos paradas en varios spots para ver el paisaje. En la penúltima parada había opción de bañarse en el mar y en la última podías comer en un restaurante frente al mar. El tiempo para la parada de la comida fue muy limitado, debería ser algo más de tiempo. Andrea, la chica de la agencia fue muy amable con nosotros en todo momento, gracias!”
Sail from Paracas to the Ballestas Islands for penguins, sea lions, seabirds, and the Candelabro geoglyph on a $17 guided boat tour.
“It was incredible. Everything worked perfectly well and Lucio, our guide, was amazing! He is clearly passionate about his job and loves the Island. His English is also very good!”
See Ballestas sea lions and Humboldt penguins, taste pisco, then race across Ica’s dunes by buggy for a Huacachina sunset.
“One of the best tours ever! It has a boat ride, wildlife sightings, desert buggy drive, pisco tasting, sandboarding, and free desserts tasting. Our tourguide Oswaldo is the best, he had so much energy and provided great service from at 4am until 11pm when the tour ended. He had speakers for music to make the mood great, candies/oil for sea sickness, and provided interesting info about the sites. He even facilitated the pisco sour tasting which was great! Our driver wilfredo drove smoothly as well, the bus was very comfortable which was helpful as it was a long drive. 100/10 would recommend!”
Drive a two-person mini buggy through Paracas National Reserve, with coastal views, Red Beach, Yumaque Beach, and a desert rush.
“Le premier départ du matin permet d'avoir le désert pour soi.”
Review of the 2-hour Ballestas Islands boat tour from Puerto San Martín, with wildlife, the Candelabra, costs, seating tips, and booking advice.
“The boat you ride on is a covered speed boat. The ride was pleasant although I would recommend wearing sunscreen. We saw the candelabra, pelicans, just 3 humbolt penguins, many cute baby sea lions, crabs, vultures, and the island with all of its arches and caves. I would recommend that you sit on the left side facing the front since that is the side with most of the views. They did turn the boat around so both sides could see but I wished I had been on the opposite side. Many of my photos have heads in them. I booked this as a cruise ship shore excursion and we docked…”
Learn to sandboard or sandski Huacachina’s giant dunes with expert instruction, a dune buggy ride, GoPro footage, and sunset views.
“This was an incredible experience! Don’t forget to bring a buff to protect your face from the sand. The views and photos were amazing. It was my first time doing this, and Tony’s mentoring helped me stand and slide through the dunes. I tried sandboarding, but the sand skiing looked just as fun as sandboarding. The boogie is super fun!”
Soar above Paracas National Reserve on a private tandem flight with transfers, insurance, and sweeping coastal views for $107.70.
“Great guys and great experience. Took my 58 year old mom and 14 year old son. Both enjoyed it. Great views”
Tour Ica’s historic wineries, taste pisco and wine, and visit Tacama, El Arrabal, and Nietto with hotel transport.
“We really enjoyed our afternoon seeing the wineries and tasting the different wines and Piscos. Sam’s travel experiences were very responsive to messages and everything felt very organised! Highlight was the Tacoma winery, an amazing building and experience. Thank you!”
Visit Ica’s vineyards, learn pisco production, taste local wines, and enjoy regional food on a small-group tour from Ica or Huacachina.
“it was a quite good experience. friendly guiding and much interesting information about production and processes.”
See sea lions, Humboldt penguins, the Candelabra geoglyph, and Paracas desert views on this port-friendly half-day excursion.
“The tour was great with very knowledgeable guides. It was time well spent. They need to be more organized in meeting the passengers. It was very difficult to find the tour & then it took a lot of time to get organized.”
Ride a scooter through Paracas National Reserve to Playa Roja, Yumaque, the Cathedral, and more, with flexible timing and low-cost freedom.
“Flexible and let us change dates due to illness. Flexible about timings of starting. Good instructions on where to go.”
Pick a ridge, a river or a kitchen.
