The Best Boat Tour From Paracas – The Ballestas Islands
This tour is what most people stop by Paracas for! These famous islands are a small group found off the coast from Paracas and easily reached by boat. A quick 2 hour tour here will get you to and from the islands, with STUNNING views in between. Coastlines, marine life, and beautiful views can be expected here (see for yourself below!).
Paracas – Ballestas Islands Tour
We booked this tour through the two day Paracas – Huacachina tour with Lima Experience (linked here) that departs and returns from Lima which made the whole planning and logistical side of things SO easy. We chose the two day tour to have more time exploring Paracas, as the one day tour you only see the Ballestas Islands and we wanted to see more of it (such as kayaking experiences and national reserve ATV tours!) and just relax in the sun too! However this group of little islands is so worth the visit.
We were guided off our bus towards the marina. This is where we all gathered together and hopped onto a boat. There was seating on either side for two people each, and the top was covered so we had some shade (thank god – it was HOT!). We made our way over to the islands, where we travel by coastlines with stunning views and make it to the group of islands where we spotted penguins, tons of bird species, many seals, and just all around stunning views.
The whole tour was about 1.5-2 hours all together, and it was SO worth the trip, the penguins alone made it the cutest view ever. Because it was included, we don’t have a cost breakdown for this, but from what I see online they aren’t crazy expensive (thus worth the $$).
Tips
- Sunscreen & Sunglasses & Hats: Although there is shade, it’s really hot out so being protected is definitely worth it.
- Meds: If you get seasick, although it’s not a crazy boat ride by any means (we have had many worse!), it’s always helpful to have meds on hand to help you feel your best.
- Outside Seat. If you want to snap some pics, the seat by the edge is ofcourse going to give you the best opportunity to do so. There is no better side really, as the boat operator will turn the boat from each side to ensure everyone gets a good view of whatever is on offer!
Similar Tours in Paracas
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Here are some tours in Paracas that visit the islands (and more!):
- Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve Tour: This seven hour tour hits the two spots (the islands & the reserve) to give you the best views that Paracas has to offer.
- Ballestas Islands Tour: This is about 1.5-2 hour boat ride tour that takes you to the stunning Ballestas Islands to admire the scenery and spot wildlife (penguins, seals, birds, & more!).
More Information About Paracas
If you want to know more about this tour, other tours, and our experience, check out our other Peru blog posts for more information. We seriously loved this part of Peru during our trip, and hope you do too.
