Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve Day Trip from Paracas

From USD 33

4.03

33 reviews

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Overview

Available languages

English

Spanish

7 hours

Mobile ticket

Take a boat tour to see the impressive Candelabra geoglyph, Peruvian boobies, Humboldt penguins, and abundant marine life at the Ballestas Islands archipelago. Visit the pristine Paracas Natural Reserve in the afternoon to see La Catedral rock formation and watch flamingos and parihuanas from a breathtaking scenic overlook.

Additional Info

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Suggestions for Ballestas Islands Boat Tour: Make sure you bring adequate clothing to keep you protected from the cool ocean air, the sun and spray from the sea. Bring a pair of binoculars to get a closer look at the birds and sea lions. If you are prone to motion sickness, you should take medication about a half-hour before you board.

Suggestions for Paracas National Reserve Tour: If you are taking this day tour during summer (December to March), please bring an extra set of fresh clothing due to high temperatures, especially during January and February. For the rest of the year, please bring a jacket to protect you from cold winds. Sun block, hat and sunglasses are highly recommended.

Not recommended for child aged 6 and under

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Ballestas Islands Boat Ride

Transportation

English-speaking guides

Paracas National Reserve Tour

Food and drinks

Gratuities

Options

Per Person

Reviews

4.03

33 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

It was pretty smooth, the...
Karen L,
Mar 16, 2025
- Viator
5.00
It was pretty smooth, the tour guides were nice and knowledgeable and we really enjoyed our experience.
The Ballesta Islands were AMAZING...
Kristen T,
Jan 8, 2018
- Viator
4.00
The Ballesta Islands were AMAZING! There was an abundance of sea lions and birds. We even saw crabs and starfish and penguins. The National Reserve wasn't was excited as I expected and the lunch was crazy expensive, but overall, a very good tour.
Very professional and inspiring...
Kaisa Liisa H,
Jul 31, 2017
- Viator
5.00
Very professional and inspiring guides both for English and Spanish speaking customers. Both Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve trips were perfectly scheduled and guided. With the help of positive attitude of the guides people started to chat with each other as if we had been friends already before.
Ballestas Islands tour was worth it...
Jericho L,
Dec 6, 2016
- Viator
3.00
Ballestas Islands tour was worth it, but the Paracas National Reserve was not.

Ballestas Islands tour good:
Got you up close to the animals.
Boat slowed down for pictures.
Various locations visited.
Neat information from tour guide.

The bad:
Wear wind-proof jacket and a hat as it is both sunny, windy and chilly.
Likely to get pooped on by birds as a few people did.

Paracas National Reserve tour good:
A few nice viewpoints if you don't have much ocean / desert experience.

The bad:
Tour guide only gave 30 minutes at the first location that had 3 sights to see and told us we only had time for ONE. Picking one was difficult and left you sad you missed out on the other two. Could have time to see anthropology museum, natural history museum, or walk to beach and see flamingos. Definitely not enough time for all 3, or even 2. This was very upsetting to many people including myself. Side Opinion: museums were terrible, go see flamingos.
Visited 3 viewpoints and were all pretty much similar scenery and it got old fast.
Last stop was a 2 hour waste at a very overpriced seafood restaurant that we couldn't afford anything.
No bathrooms, not even at restaurant. Dock near restaurant had pay-for bathrooms that were dirty and no running water.

Save your time and money. Get the islands tour and take a taxi into the reserve to look at viewpoints and museums if you'd like.
Nice trip to see over 250,000 birds and...
Ernest L,
Oct 10, 2016
- Viator
5.00
Nice trip to see over 250,000 birds and desert wonder.