Paracas National Reserve
The National Reserve was established in 1975 and is important for the protection of both marine and bird life on the Paracas Peninsula. The Reserve is about 15km (9.3 miles) south of Pisco. It is a saline desert formed in the place of an ancient ocean. Paracas Reserve is the home to one of the largest sea-lion colonies in the world. You can see numerous birds along the coastline, including pink flamingo. Ballestas Islands (Islas Ballestas) near the reserve is a place where you can observe the life of penguins, sea lions, and many species of birds. If you visit the islands in March you will see female sea lions with babies – large numbers of these animals occupy the sandy beaches near the islands.
Ballestas Islands
This the Island to collect ‘guano’ (bird droppings), which is the best fertilizer and was valued more than gold at different times. When the first guano collectors arrived here these birds had accumulated guano reserves as deep as 20 to 70m.
Paracas Chandelier (Candelabro)
It is a huge geoglyph that dates to 200 BCE, the time of the Paracas culture. also know as the Candelabra of the Andes, which is possible to view during the boad ride to Ballestas island.
Huacachina
A village built around a small oasis (small natural lake in the desert) and surrounded by sand dunes in southwestern Peru. It is about five kilometers from the city of Ica in the Ica District of Ica Province. Its permanent population is around 100 people, although it hosts thousands of tourists each year. Its name means ‘little screaming boy’ based on Henry Cobb’s folklore story. Henry was a prince who turned into a merman (male mermaid) after swimming in the oasis and was chased through the desert by all of the young women due to his godlike good looks. It is also known as the “oasis of America”, it is a resort to local families from the nearby Ica city. Now a days also known as an attraction for tourists drawn by the sports of sandboarding on the sand dunes that stretch several hundred feet high. Other popular activities include dune buggy rides on buggies known locally as areneros.
The Nazca Lines
Located in southern Peru are a group of pre-Columbian geoglyphs etched into desert sands. Covering an area of nearly 1,000 sq. kilometers, there are about 300 different figures, including animals and plants. Composed of over 10,000 lines, some of which measure 30 meters wide and stretch more than 9 kilometers, the figures are most visible from the air or nearby hilltops. They were created between 500 BC and 500 AD. Most lines run straight across the landscape, but there are also figurative designs of animals and plants, made up of lines. The individual figurative geoglyph designs measure between 0.4 and 1.1 km across. The combined length of all the lines is over 1,300 km, and the group cover an area of about 50 sq km.
The lines are typically 10 to 15 cm deep. They were made by removing the top layer of reddish-brown iron oxide-coated pebbles to reveal a yellow-grey subsoil.The width of the lines varies considerably, but over half are slightly over one-third meter (just over 1 foot) wide. In some places they may be only a foot (30.5 cm) wide, and in others reach 6 feet wide. Some of the Nazca lines form shapes that are best seen from the air, though they are visible from the surrounding foothills and other high places.The shapes are usually made from one continuous line. The largest ones are about 370 m (1,200 ft) long.[8] Because of its isolation and the dry, windless, stable climate of the plateau, the lines have mostly been preserved naturally. Extremely rare changes in weather may temporarily alter the general designs. As of 2012, the lines are said to have been deteriorating because of an influx of squatters inhabiting the lands. The figures vary in complexity. Hundreds are simple lines and geometric shapes; more than 70 are zoomorphic designs of animals such as a hummingbird, spider, fish, llama, jaguar, monkey, lizard, dog and a human. Other shapes include trees and flowers.[2] Scholars differ in interpreting the purpose of the designs, but in general, they ascribe religious significance to them. They were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
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Jorge Chavez International Airport Lima Peru (Google Map)
3 Hours Before Flight Time
Paracas is a town on Peru’s west coast. It’s known for beaches, like El Chaco, set on sheltered Paracas Bay. The town is a launch point for the uninhabited Ballestas Islands, home to sea lions, pelicans and Humboldt penguins. Rugged, wildlife-rich Paracas National Reserve spans desert, ocean, islands and the Paracas Peninsula. The peninsula’s Paracas Candelabra is a huge prehistoric geoglyph, etched into a hillside. The following destinations are waiting for you:
Departure by bus Crucero or Royal Class from Lima to Paracas ..
Arrival and transfer to chosen hotel.
EXC. BALLESTAS ISLANDS AND PARACAS RESERVE: rock formations where there is an important marine fauna with guano birds, such as the guanay, the piquero and the zarcillo, we will continue our magnificent visit touring the National Reserve that was created in order to conserve a portion of the sea and the desert of Peru, giving protection to the diverse species of flora and fauna that live there. EXC. HUACACHINA, CITY TOUR, VITIVINICOLAS: We will start the tour with the visit to the main square of Ica and then we will go to Cachiche, also known as the town of the witches, we will visit the Huacachina which is an oasis located five kilometers west of the city. We will finish visiting some Ica wineries.
Night of Hotel in Nazca.
Breakfast at the hotel.
AM NAZCA LINES OVERFLIGHT: We will go to the airfield so you can take the 30-minute Traditional Nazca flyby where you can see 12 figures from the Nazca Lines. Among the larger geo glyphs are a bird of almost 300 m, a lizard of 180 m, a pelican of 135 m, a condor of 135 m, a monkey of 135 m and a spider of 42 meters. On the other hand are the imposing figures of the monkey, the spider and the snail, among others.
At the indicated time, transfer to the airport or bus station.
