Blogs from Ballestas Islands, Ica, Peru, South America - page 3

The first time I travelled south from Lima, I missed Paracas and the Ballesta Islands entirely. Hadn't heard about them. Weren't on my radar. Eventually I heard enough pleasantries about the area that I decided it should be the first stop on my Beach Hopping Summer Tour. The Islas are also referred to as the Poor Man's Galapagos due to the massive numbers of birds and marine life that flock to the reserve. Minus some lizards, blue-footed boobies and the ability to swim in the water, I'm happy to confirm that the reserve stands up to its nickname. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear the guide from the back of the boat where I was seated so I don't know exactly how many types of birds there are, but we saw penguins and that alone will keep my ... read more

Yesterday we travelled to the Ballestas Islands from a little port called Paracas. The Ballestas Islands can only be reached by boat and visitors are not allowed on the Islands. The boat that took as out can best be described as a high powered open speed boat with 2 very powerful engines at the rear. We sped off from the port on a very calm sea (thankfully) and after about 40 minutes we approached the Islands. They were teeming with wild life and I never seen so much in one spot. There was so much it was surreal and David Attenborough would be in his element. Apparently there are over 160 species of marine birds including penguins, boobies, Inca terns and pelicans all of which we saw. On top of that there were hundreds of sea ... read more

Tim Version: * Saw a hell of a lot of birds, penguins, sea lions and other wildlife. * Also saw just what an earthquake can do to a town with basically build buildings, its incredible. The version dodging the dropping bird poop: Islas Ballestas, with the tag of "The poor man's Galapogos" is a place I wasn't sure if I wanted to see or not but I was really feeling the need to see the ocean and some wildlife so that pointed to me being insane not to do it, and I'm glad I went. Leaving from Lima very very early in a very comfy Cruz Del Sur bus gave it a good start. You get some great desert views as the sunlight slowly creeps up over the surrounding sand dunes and dusty mountains, and they ... read more

When we got off our bus in Ica we met a tour guide working for the bus company. He offered us a tour to the Ballestas islands and the Paracas national park for around €25 each. There was another girl there at the time so for the three of us together he did a deal (well, he let us think he was doing us a deal!). After that he dropped us to our hostel where he knew everyone so we knew he had to be legitimate. He was to pick us up at 6:30am to bring us Paracas where we would get our boat to the islands. We decided to stay in Huacchina a small oasis town just outside Ica. Its so small you could do a lap of the place in 10-15 minutes. In the ... read more

We´re back from our two day jaunt! We had a busy time traveling to Paracas, Peru where the Ballestas Islands are nearby. Our hotel was nice and had a cute terrace to look at the beach for our anniversary. The bus we rode on was really nice as well, and we were in the VIP seats apparently. Very comfy chairs. The next morning we left for the boat tour to the islands, and got to see our very first glyph! The giant candelabra. There were several theories as to its existence, and apparently the wind is making it slowly disappear which is sad. However, it hardly ever rains in Lima so that has helped it sustain itself. Glyph- http://www.worldtravelerjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/candelabra.jpg At the islands, we saw a ton of animals! There were at least a hundred sealions ... read more