Back

Boat trip to the Ballestas Islands

per47-boat-trip-to-ballestas-paracas-free-vti

Take a trip to one of Peru's most important marine wildlife reserves, passing the mysterious Candelabra geoglyph etched in the desert sand.

Lying off the coast of Paracas, the Ballestas Islands are a habitat for lively colonies of sea lions, penguins and seabirds including albatrosses, boobies and pelicans. This was once the centre of the lucrative guano trade, but these days it's more famous for the wildlife-watching boat trips that take you right up into a rocky territory where natural arches and caves provide shelter for thousands of marine animals and birds.

The boat will also pull up beside the Candelabra, a 200m etching in a sandy hillside that is thought to be over 2,000 years old. Reminiscent of the Nazca Lines, this huge geoglyph adds an air of mystery to a region steeped in natural beauty.

Peru
Paracas, Ica and Nazca

Papagaio

Your edit for Latin American inspiration

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

View Extraordinary Inspiration
Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Carrie
    Carrie Gallagher - Travel Expert

    A former JLA tour leader, Carrie brings a wealth of on-the-ground experience to our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours department.

  • Chris
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Charlotte
    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

  • Maggie
    Maggie Wilson - Travel Expert

    Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

  • Sophie
    Sophie Barber - Travel Expert

    Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

0 1 2 3 4 5