Peru · BALLESTAS ISLANDS BOAT TOURS
16 reviewed
Sea lions piled on the rocks, Humboldt penguins on the ledges, and enough guanay cormorants that the guano was once worth more than silver. Here the Ballestas boat trips are compared: the early departures with the flattest water, which ones add the Paracas National Reserve and its red beach, and which run the whole thing from Lima in a day.
From Paracas, speedboat to Ballestas for sea lions and penguins, then ride the desert of Paracas National Reserve, with a bilingual guide.
“Loved the tour. Totally better than I imagined. This team was amazing. An unforgettable journey.”
Two hours of speedboat wildlife viewing in Paracas, with the El Candelabro geoglyph stop and protected islands from the sea.
“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.”
Speedboat to Islas Ballestas and the Candelabro, then Paracas Reserve red-sand Playa Roja and swim at Lagunillas, from Paracas.
“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!”
Eco-friendly speedboat from Paracas to Ballestas Islands with bilingual guide, penguins and sea lions, plus Candelabro stop.
“Activity was fine. I will ever book thru your company again because my phone has been flooded with advertising since I booked. I donot want your advertising, get off my phone.”
Fly over the Nazca Lines from Lima area, tour Ballestas wildlife by speedboat, and relax at Huacachina Oasis in one long day.
“The experience was amazing! Cesar went above and beyond to make our experience a really memorable one. We customized our tour and added driving the ATV quad bikes in the desert and also we wanted to watch the sunset in the Huaccachina desert which is an absolute must. We removed the Ballestas part to accomodate for all of this. We got back to Lima by 11pm and once again Cesar attended to our every need. Would definitely recommend.”
Start at 5am from Miraflores for Paracas, Ballestas penguins, Pisco tastings, and Huacachina sandboarding and dune buggies.
“Both locations were memorable yet different and the excitement of not knowing what you will see and the thrill of the rides were fulfilling”
Fast-paced Peru day trip from Lima to Paracas for Ballestas wildlife and to Huacachina for dune buggies, sandboarding, and sunset.
“Amazing experience! The guide was proactive and everything was perfectly arranged.”
Drive your own mini buggy go-kart in Paracas National Reserve, hitting Yumaque Beach, Playa Roja, and a high viewpoint for big desert views.
“Le premier départ du matin permet d'avoir le désert pour soi.”
2-hour speedboat tour to the Ballestas Islands from Paracas, with Candelabra stop, lifejacket included, and wildlife spotting for $49.
“Besides the very confusing information about the pick up location and time, we enjoyed the trip itself very much.”
Early Lima pickup for Ballestas wildlife by boat, a Nazca Lines flight, and Huacachina sandboarding. Long day, big views.
“Pick up at 4:30AM, 2 hours drive to go to Ballestas. Very crowded but we waited only 20 minutes. Lot of animals to see! Then 20 minutes drive to go to Pisco Airport to have a 2 hour flight for Nazca. 30 minutes to go to the site of the line. 30 minutes above the lines. 30 minutes or come back to Pisco Airport. Then 2 hours drive to the Oasis. Crowded, a lot of infrastructures. Have a lunch here (even if it’s 4PM…) 4 hours drive to come back around 9PM. The driver Martin was awesome, really safe. The guide was useless, slept the entire time in the car…”
A full-day combo of Ballestas Islands wildlife and a Nazca Lines Cessna flight, with early logistics and a few must-know comfort tips.
“Don't waste you money! The local tour operator is totally disorganised and the guides they use can't speak enough English to make themselves understood. Due to really poor organization on the ground I nearly missed the start of the tour entirely as this was much earlier than was communicated to me by Viator and on the voucher I printed out before I left on my trip. In addition, once again because of poor planning I landed up wasting 2 hours in a 1-horse town waiting for my flight over the Nazca lines and then due to bad weather which is NOT the fault of the company at all, I wasn't…”
From Pisco, cruise to Islas Ballestas for sea lions and the Candelabro, then tour Paracas National Reserve beaches.
“The itinerary could have been done without a tour. The guide was nice. The boat trip was a crowded public marina. The national reserve only stopped at the tourist lookouts. Very little value for the money.”
Ride a scooter through Paracas National Reserve with a marked route, helmet and glasses included, plus stop for viewpoints and classic photo spots.
“Great place to hire scooters! Very friendly and helpful staff.”
From Ica, see El Candelabro and wildlife on Ballestas Islands, then tour Paracas Reserve beaches like Playa Roja and Lagunillas.
“The islands are great. This is NOT a Spanish/English tour. It’s entirely in Spanish with maybe 1 sentience in English for full 10+ sentences in Spanish. The return is extremely unorganized. As mentioned by other reviewers, we picked up random people on the way back. The tour also stops at random places in Ica. Our guide got out for 10 or so minutes flagging a taxi for a couple because they wouldn’t return to their hotel. Six people got dropped off and told to walk back to their Airbnb, including a family with a young child. Also important to note the transportation is NOT air conditioned and gets ridiculously hot.”
Small-group Ballestas and Huacachina day trip from Lima with easy pickup, a boat ride for wildlife, plus pisco tasting and dune thrills.
“Me encantó! Lo recomiendo totalmente! Me gustó mucho la excursión a las Islas Ballestas, un verdadero espectáculo, y la experiencia por el desierto fue divertida 😄”
