Huacachina, Ballestas, Paracas

Huacachina is a small oasis in the middle of a desert outside of Ica. All the houses are built around the Laguna in the middle. My hostel has a swimming pool and a big garden with a giant turtle living in it. I relax there for some hours before going on the sand buggy and sand boarding tour. The boards are old and broken so the sand boarding is a deception. Better to slide down head first. The sand buggy however is really fun! Our driver takes us up and down the dunes at a tremendous pace. We scream as we pass the top and fly down, only to start again on the next top.

photos Huacachina

Ballestas is sometimes called “Poor man’s Galapagos”. I can assure you it’s not at all like Galapagos, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth seeing. From Huacachina the bus leaves early in the morning to bring us to the boat going out to the islands. Pelicans follow us as we enter the dung bird’s territory. Before, Peru used to export the bird shit to Europe as fertilizer, but they overdid it and had to stop the production, the fish were getting scarce in the ocean. Sea lions sunbathe on the rocks, vultures circle over our heads, but most impressive are the millions of birds nesting on the 3 islands.

Paracas is less visited than Ballestas it seems. A shame because it is really worth it. We are only three visiting, a charming couple from Isla Margarita, Venezuela, and me. We admire the beautiful scenery, the birdlife and finish off with having delicious lunch at a restaurant by the sea. The Cathedral, a rock formation that used to be the symbol of Paracas unfortunately collapsed during the latest earthquake. Vultures fly over the area in search for food. I jump on a bus to Lima, my last destination in South America.

photos Ballestas and Paracas