Pisco - Paracas National Park - Peru Travel Information

Photos from Pisco

Pisco is known amoung travelers as "The Galapagos Islands for the poor". The reason is that near the city, is the Paracas National Reserve, a large national park with a group of islands with lots of marine life.

Other than the visit to the Paracas national park, Pisco is not a very interesting town.

Getting to Pisco

Pisco is located about 220km southwest of Lima. There are many regular buses that pass through Pisco on their way south to Arequipa (or north on their way from Arequipa). It is important to make sure that your bus driver knows to drop you off near Pisco, because most buses only stop near Pisco, and do not go in.

From where the bus drops you, there will be many taxis and motorbikes that will take you to the town itseld.

Hotels in Pisco

Book your hotel in Pisco early to avoid last minute high prices, as hotels in Peru tend to fill up quickly. Click here to reserve your hotel in Pisco. (booking.com is our recommendation for the best prices and availability)

Ballestas Islands

There is no doubt that the most interesting part of the Paracas national park near Pisco is the Ballestas Islands. These islands are situated off the shores of Peru's near Pisco, and many large colonies of different marine animals live on them.

The reason why so many animals live here is because of the Humboldt Current that arrives to Peru's beaches at this point, and cools the sea waters. It also brings plenty of sea food, which makes it one of the most abundant fishing areas in the world.

On the island you can see sea lions, penguins and many types of sea birds.

Costs

The cheapest way to do this cruise is by taking an organized tour from Pisco that includes transportation to the port and back to Pisco and a cruise. Going directly to the port will only make the tour more expensive. The cost of the tour is about 25 Sol. Those who are interested can expend the tour and continue to the Paracas peninsula for an extra 10 Sol (in my opinion - a bit disappointing).

Getting there

In order to see Ballestas islands you need to take a motor boat that goes around the islands. It is not possible to disembark the boat like you can do in the Galapagos Islands. The boat tour takes about 2 hours. Take warm close with you, since it can be very cold!

Paracas Penunsula

The Paracas peninsula is also situated in Paracas National Park.

Route

A tour of the peninsula starts with a visit to a place called "The Cathedral", where you can observe a water cave and other rock formations from a view point located above the cave (you can not go down to it). After that, the tour continues to the museum "Museo de Sitio Julio Tello". The entrance to the museum is not included in the tour's price (entance fee is about 3.5 Sol). In the museum you can view findings from the Paracas era. The museum in Ica is much more impressive. In the end of the tour, you arrive to a lagoon where you can have lunch, swim in the water and walk along the beach. In summary, not very impressive and is worthwhile only if you don't have anything better to do but have enough money...

Fiesta del Señor de la Agonia

The celebrations of Señor de la Agonia lasts 3 days, during that time religious parades with Christ's statues are carried along the streets of Pisco and different shows are being held.

The route where the parade passes is decorated by believers with colorful ground paintings that are painted with soil and flowers' petals. The parade goes at nights and passes over these painting.