Ballestas DIY
Please, do not call them “poor man’s Galapagos”, absolutely they do not deserve it! “Galapagos younger sisters” can be better
For those who, like me, are independent travellers, some tips to reach them as a day trip from Lima, with the premise that it is easier to spend a night in in Paracas.
Before the cost details:
10 PEN taxi from Av. Larco Miraflores to terminal Soyuz bus
74 PEN return Vip bus Perùbus
20 PEN taxi from Pisco Cruz (on Panamericana) to Paracas
50 PEN trip to Ballestas and Paracas
10 PEN taxi from Pisco city centre to Pisco Cruz
10 PEN taxi from terminal Soyuz to Miraflores Av. Larco
Total : 174 PEN = 45 Euro
Usually the Peruvian tourist sites, both natural and archaeological, are all easy to reach with cheap trips organized by local agencies. Buses and minibuses collect people from various hotels bringing them almost anywhere, enough to book the night before. .
As soon as I arrive in Lima and consult a couple of agencies in Miraflores, I realize that the Ballestas are an exception. No organized trip, only private cars and prices starting from 250 USD.
The only alternative offered by the agencies is booking Cruz del Sur and Ormeño bus to Paracas, but unfortunately they are already fully booked. The tragel agent do not know if other smaller bus companies reach Paracas
The first problem is that I do not have the Lonely Planet guide for Lima. I did not buy the pdf because I thought it was useless.
The second is that each bus company in Lima has its own terminal.
The afternoon of September 6, the only one that I could dedicate to the visit of the capital, is spent on organizing the trip to Paracas. I have to be there early, 8.00, which is the time when boats leave, before the wind rises and the sea get rough.
I reach with a taxi Civa terminal, but I desolately discover that they do not have any direct service to Paracas. They inform me that the only company is Soyuz, and its subsidiary Perùbus, so I reach their terminal, which fortunately is not far. I just get information on timetables, and stupidly do not buy the tickets. I arrive at the terminal in the night at 1.30 and there is a small crowd waiting. The match Peru – Uruguay valid for the World Cup qualifiers is over, and a lot of fans with flags, trumpets, etc. are trying to return home, camping out everywhere. The queue at the counters is long.
It is not true that there are departures every 5 minutes, as claimed on the advertising banners. When it’s my time, I discover that the only left ticket are for the 4.00 ride, which means too late. Miraculously, after some insistence, at the Perùbus counter they find some unsold tickets on the 3.30 ride. Perùbus has VIP bus, with very comfortable and reclining semi-cama seats, and it is one hour faster than Soyuz to get to Paracas.
There is an on-board toilet, television, and they provide some food. The bus leaves and arrives on time, it almost never happened since I am here in Perù. The bus stop is on the Panamericana, near a junction called Cruzero.
A taxi driver takes me and my travel mate at the dock in Paracas
The trips prices are the same in all agencies. For what I can see, even the boats are more or less the same.
Unfortunately the day is grey, but at least it does not rain. The town, white houses with flat roofs, many guest houses, a lively promenade with tourists and pelicans, seems a bit sad.
Despite the gloomy atmosphere, the colors of the cliffs we go along are extraordinarily vivid, and varied.
I have no problems with sickness, but fortunately today the sea is calm. We reach the Candelabra, a large hieroglyphic structure which reminds the Nazca lines. Above us thousands of birds, gulls, cormorants, pelicans of various species. Same quantity on the banks
After a short stretch of sea, we reach the Ballestas Islands. Here we also find Humboldt penguins
and sea lions.
Passing under this winged crowd is very risky, there is no member of the expedition who could avoid to get some nice “souvenirs”, when it happens to me I am so busy observing the fauna that I don’t even notice.
The boats are very close to the rocks,
Which side of the boat ? In theory impartially the pilot approaches the banks alternately to make happy everybody, but I was sitting on the left side and I noticed that a lot more often than the right one I found myself face to face with the funny otariids, I do not know if it was a case, or what else ..
We return to Paracas (the excursion does not last more than 90 minutes, I think) and have about 45 minutes to have breakfast in the various restaurants of the waterfront.
At around 11 we leave with a van (I must say that mine is rather shaky) to Paracas National Park. Our guide takes us around repeating continuously “Adelante! Adelante! Rapido! Rapido!” in an interesting small museum where tons of info about the animals that inhabit the area and geological formations are displayed.
I really can’t stop all the time I wish !
Later we go to the Catedral, vaguely similar to the Australians 12 Apostles, the place is beautiful
Then some beaches, amongh which Playa Roja
We have dinner at Lagunillas, where small restaurants offer fresh fish
Considering that it takes 4 hours to reach Lima, I booked the 16.30 Perùbus ride. Since the tour ends at 15.30, it seems right on schedule.
I consider this trip absolutely unmissable, even given the excellent quality / price ratio