This guide is for you if you are in Lima and want to see the place where the desert runs straight into the Pacific. Paracas is a long day: twelve hours, most of them on the road. Here is what you need to settle before you book: the Ballestas Islands question, the wind, what you will and will not see in the reserve, and whether a night down the coast suits you better.
First, the Ballestas Islands
This is the decision to make before anything else. The boats to the islands leave Paracas at 07:30 and 10:00. From a 07:00 pick-up in Lima you arrive after the second one has gone, so the islands are not part of this day.
The islands are about 30 minutes by boat from the coast. The boats go close to the rocks for the sea lions and the guano birds, but they do not land. On the way out, from the water, you also see the Candelabro, a large figure cut into the hillside on the north of the Paracas peninsula.
If the islands matter to you, the answer is a night on the coast. We can drop you in Paracas one day and collect you on another, and you take an early boat from El Chaco in between. Message us before you book and we will price it.
What the reserve is
The Paracas National Reserve was created on 25 September 1975 to protect the marine and coastal ecosystems of this part of Peru. It covers 335,000 hectares of desert, shore and sea. It is a Ramsar site, recognised as a resting and feeding place for migratory birds. The estimated count runs to 216 species of birds, 36 of mammals and 168 of fish, including Chilean flamingos, Humboldt penguins, sea lions, the marine otter and, offshore, dolphins and humpback whales. You will not see all of that from the clifftops, but it explains why so much of the coast here is protected.
The reserve takes its name from the Paracas culture, which flourished from about 700 BC and is known for its textiles. More than 100 archaeological sites have been found inside the reserve. The Julio C. Tello site museum holds around 120 pieces from that culture, including funerary bundles and trepanned skulls. If you want time there, tell your driver in the morning.
How the day fits together
Paracas is about 300 kilometres south of Lima, and the reserve is at kilometre 245 of the Panamericana Sur. The road is paved the whole way. Allow about three hours each way, more when the traffic coming back into Lima is heavy.
- 07:00, pick-up anywhere in Lima.
- 10:30, the reserve: cliffs, viewpoints over the Pacific and Playa Roja.
- 13:00, Lagunillas, a fishing cove inside the reserve, for lunch.
- 14:15, El Chaco, the seafront of Paracas town.
- 15:00, the drive north, back at your hotel at about 19:00.
About two and a half hours go on the reserve itself, which is the part most people come for. Because the car is yours, you can stay longer at a viewpoint and shorten lunch, or the other way round.
Playa Roja
The red beach takes its colour from fragments of granodiorite rock broken off at Punta Santa María and worn down by the waves. The sea keeps bringing more, which is why the colour stays.
La Catedral
Older photographs of Paracas often show La Catedral, a rock formation off the coast of the reserve. It collapsed in the earthquake of August 2007 and can no longer be seen. The viewpoint that carries its name is still on the circuit.
Wind, sun and what to bring
The reserve is open desert. There is little shade, the sun is strong, and in the afternoon the wind gets up. The local winds, known as the Paracas winds, lift the sand and can cut visibility. Bring:
- sun cream, a hat and sunglasses;
- a wind jacket or a light warm layer for the afternoon;
- water for the day;
- local cash for the reserve entrance, lunch and small purchases.
The price of the tour covers the vehicle, the driver, fuel, tolls and parking. The reserve entrance, any boat trip and lunch are not included. The reserve's day hours are posted by the park authority and can change, so check them before you go if you are planning your own visit.
Lunch at Lagunillas is in the seafood restaurants on the shore. Scallops, sea urchins, clams and octopus are harvested sustainably along this coast, so ask what came in that morning.
On your own, or with a driver
If you are staying on the coast for a night or more, you can see the reserve from there and take an island boat in the morning, without a long drive at either end. In a single day from Lima, a private car is about time: no waiting for connections, and the freedom to leave the reserve when you have seen enough, not when a group is ready. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits travellers who have already seen the city and want a full day of landscape, and anyone driving down the coast who wants a first look before deciding whether to come back for longer.
Think twice if you have small children who struggle in a car: six hours on the road is a lot in one day. Think twice too if you were hoping to add Huacachina. It is too far to include in a day from Lima and needs a night away. For a shorter day out with ruins in the desert, look at the Pachacamac tour. Our guide to day trips from Lima compares all five.
Questions people ask
Can we swim at Playa Roja?
Ask your driver on the day which beaches are open to visitors. The reserve has rules on where you can go, including fences around the places where birds nest, and they must be respected.
What if there are more than 16 of us?
You travel in two vehicles on one booking. Message us through the contact page and we will price it.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up for a full refund. See our cancellation page.
Booking Paracas
Decide first whether the Ballestas Islands matter; if they do, message us about a night on the coast. If not, pack for sun and wind, and keep the evening light. The timings and inclusions are on the Paracas National Reserve day trip page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
