Paracas, Peru, is a town where the ocean meets the desert. The landscapes of the Paracas National Reserve range from Martian to beautiful beaches and breath-taking cliffs. You can see stretches of desert as far as the eye can see, and then suddenly there will be an ocean in the middle of that desert landscape. Paracas is truly unique for this clash of dry and aquatic landscapes and experiences. I headed to Paracas with Peru Hop from my initial stop in Lima and spent 2 short but incredible days in the area. This blog post will highlight what in my opinion are the best things to do in Paracas in 1-2 days.
Contents:
- Transportation
- Golden Shadows Trek
- Ballestras Island
- Paracas National Reserve
- Accommodations
- Dining
- Money
- Trip Costs for 2 days and 1 night
- Final thoughts
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Transportation:
The Peru Hop bus from Lima to Paracas picked me up at my hostel at 6:30am to kick off my full-south journey of Peru. We arrived in Paracas at about 1:30pm, where I was able to drop off my things at my hostel and wander to the beach to enjoy the sunshine and ocean for a few hours before my Golden Shadows trek was to start at 3:30pm that evening.
Golden Shadows Trek:
I would highly recommend the Golden Shadows Trek in Paracas. This easy guided trek starts a few hours before sunset in Paracas National reserve. You’ll climb up Martian desert landscapes and also see where the ocean collides with it – creating an incredible paradox of imagery – the ocean and the desert, all in one view. The way the shadows play against the desert landscape as you trek is also one of the highlights. The guide will take you to a spot where you can enjoy the sunset, and finally before taking the private bus back to town, you’ll have a chance to explore a unique desert tidal area where the waves smash up against the sandstone of the desert in another paradox of nature and imagery.
Ballestras Island:
Ballestras Island, also known as “Poor Man’s Galapagos” is also a great day trip to do while in Paracas. The only way to visit the islands are via the boats that leave from the Tourist Marina every day at 8am, 10am and noon. The 2 hour boat tour will take you close to the islands and some of the wildlife (seas, penguins, a variety of birds), but you will not get onto the protected islands. Enroute to the islands you’ll also pass by the Candelabra Geoglyph a giant 150m high, 50m wide geoglyph that has been etched 2 feet deep into the side of a large hill by the ocean. No one knows the origins of this geoglyph. Some have hypothetized that it is connected to the Nazca Lines, and others say it resembles a cactus that can cause hallucinations that grows in the area.
Paracas National Reserve:
Peru Hop customers get an 2 hour free tour of the Paracas National Reserve as the bus leaves Paracas for Huacachina included in the price of the bus tour package – this tour combined with the fact that I also did the Golden Shadows Trek in Paracas National Reserve the previous day, meant there was no need for me to take an additional tour of the national reserve. If you are travelling independently or if prefer to take a more in-depth tour of Paracas National Reserve consider this well-reviewed Dune-buggy tour that takes you to places you cannot reach by car or on foot around the reserve. You can also do a combined tour of Ballestras Islands and Paracas National Reserve.
Accommodations:
There are quite a few accommodation options available in Paracas – especially considering the small size of the town. Just a few blocks from the beach on Avenida Los Liberadores, you’ll find a plethora of different accommodation options from budget hostels like Paracas Backpackers House (for a quiet hostel experience), and Kokapelli Paracas Hostel (for the party hostel experience); to mid-range hotels like Los Frayles Hotel (main pickup and dropoff point for Peru Hop). For a luxury experience, the Hotel Paracas Luxury Collection Beach Resort (a member of the Marriott family) is a 5 star beachfront option.
Dining:
Paracas is a hub of fishing activity as well as a major tourist destination in Peru; so it is one of the best places in the country to get the freshest seafood. I had an amazing crab soup at Restaurante Nautilus for dinner one night as well as a delicious and super-fresh mixed cerviche right on the Malecon for lunch at the Cervicheria Rustikarreta.
Money:
Paracas is very cash-forward. The majority of purchases – including tours and hotels will be cash-only (unless you book ahead online). When I visited (Spring 2022), there were only 2 ATMs in the town, one was not working and the other charged about $5USD per transaction. Please try to bring extra cash from Lima, or USD$ to exchange for Sols, as getting cash reliably in Paracas can be quite tricky.
Trip Costs for 2 days and 1 night:
Accommodations: $9USD
Tours and Excursions: $60USD
Food and Dining: $49USD
Total: $118USD
Final thoughts:
While a tiny town, Paracas is definitely worth a stop on your Peruvian itinerary. I spent just two days and one night in this sleepy town, but was able to pack a lot of experiences (and a lot of seafood) in during my short time in the town. You can certainly space things out a bit more if you have more time; but even if you only have a short amount of time, this town where the desert meets the ocean is well worth the stop.