Islas Ballestas

To get to the Islas Ballestas, my mom and I had to wake up when most people in Lima were just catching a nice buzz and setting sights on their amor de la noche at the local discotecas. We caught a taxi to the Cruz Del Sur bus station in San Isidro at about 3:30am to catch our 4:15 bus to the south coast. At this time of night in this particular neighborhood, I was surprised to see the streets lined with prostitutes, many of whom sported nothing but a g-string and a coy, though jaded, smile.

After barely missing the bus because I was too caught up translating to my mom a children’s book about the Humboldt Penguins we would later see, we arrived into the small seaside village of Paracas with barely a moment to spare before hopping on the boat to Islas Ballestas. In addition to the standard hour-late arrival of the bus, we also did not make contact with the guide we paid to meet. Upon arriving we were thoroughly hassled by wheelers and dealers, which is standard in most places with a tourist draw.

Fortunately, the sun was already burning off the grey marine layer and we didn’t require the heavy jackets we schlepped onto the open-air boat trip. The fully loaded vessel took us first past a geoglyph called the Candelabra, which is similar to those seen in Nazca.

Candelabra

This huge figure etched into a massive sandy hill measures 150 mters in height by 50 meters wide. No one really knows when it was made or why or by whom, but there are several theories. Our trilingual guide explained that some people have connected them to the infamous Nazca lines, though this image was unlikely made by the same peoples. Others posit that the form is not a candelabra but a tribute to the Peruvian cactus San Pedro, which is prized for its potent hallucinogenic properties. Still others believe it might have served a navigational function back in the day.



The Islands
Soon after viewing this mystery, we headed through the choppy waters for the Islas Ballestas, which is considered by some to be the “Poor Man’s Galapagos.” (Having not been to the Galapagos I am unable to verify or reject such a claim.) Arriving to these small rocky islands one is greeted with the sights, sounds and smells of literally thousands of birds including the Peruvian pelican, Peruvian booby, guanay cormorant, and—my favorite—the Humboldt Penguin (named after the current that bathes Peru’s coast with unusually cold waters).



Bird Shit

Many of these sea birds produce massive amounts of nitrogen-rich guano (i.e. bird shit) as deep as 50 meters in some places on these islands. Guano is considered a premium fertilizer and has filled many opportunists’ pockets with riches throughout the centuries. In fact, it is such a valued resource that Spain waged war in the 1800s to gain control of some nearby guano-rich islands. Quite a lot of fuss has been made for these droppings indeed.


The Wolves of the Sea


In addition to birds, the caves and arches of these islands are home to hundreds of sea lions (los lobos del mar). While some are found in small groups sunning themselves sleepily on a rocky outcrop, others in a more sociable mood can be found nearly heaped upon one another on sandy shores, fighting over mating rights, or simply having a good squabble. Though I grew up near San Francisco’s Pier 39 and have lived for many years near La Jolla’s coves (both of which are favored by masses of sea lions) I believe this was the first time I have seen so many of these creatures in one natural location.




In my opinion, the Islas Ballestas are well worth the early morning rise, 4-hour bus ride, and 1.5-hour boat ride. One additional sighting towards the end of the sea journey has, of course, solidified this perspective. As we approached an area towards the shore, we were met with a big group of dolphins at least 10 strong. Some of you might know that I jokingly call dolphins my spirit animal (because they are badass), so to meet them happily frolicking in their natural habitat was quite a treat this morning! (Better than my last run-in with the dolphins in the tiny tank of Lima’s Hotel Delphines.)

After the Main Event

So all of this excitement was wrapped up by 10:30 in the morning and our bus home wasn’t scheduled to leave until 5:30 in the evening. I wondered for a moment why I hadn’t checked our itinerary a bit more closely before shelling out the cash for said adventure. To my knowledge there is not much to do in the tiny village of Paracas. The center of town looks like the architects abandoned their professions mid-way through construction, save for about 4 little restaurants on the main drag. We sat pondering our options for a short time before a woman who arranges tours approached us with our options.

Initially, we asked this jolly stout Peruvian lady if it was possible to catch an earlier bus but were soon informed that such an arrangement would be impossible because the bus company intentionally shut down their systems for the duration of the day. Not too surprising, though it baffled some other travelers with the same idea. She suggested that we take a 4 hours bus tour around the Paracas reserve. Mom and I weren’t sure about the idea of spending over 12 hours on a bus in one day. The prospect of sitting on the empty Paracas beach drinking Piscos and sunbathing sounded much more enticing. And the jolly Peruvian woman didn’t do that much to sell the Reserve option, which she described as a trip to a cathedral and some natural landscapes. We were all but talked out of the Reserve when we discovered that the lady had gone ahead and committed us to a taxi tour of the area with a younger couple and their 2-year-old son. Ah, what the hell, the piscos could wait.

And I am so glad that we went on this little outing! In fact it was one of my favorite ventures in this whole crazy land of Peru! The natural landscapes the jolly woman described with little enthusiasm peaked our interest and dazzled our eyes with each new scene.

Reserva Nacional De Paracas

The Paracas Reserve is a vast open desert abutting the sea. This makes for some beautiful contrasts between the stark yellows and browns of the seemingly still and lifeless dunes and salt flats and the kinetic azul coastal waters bathing the beaches below stunningly sheer cliffs. We began our trip with a visit to the cathedral, which was actually a rock formation just offshore that once resembled a cathedral before an earthquake sent parts of it into the sea. After this we visited a couple of beaches, one of which had dark crimson sand that was magnificently anomalous compared to its surroundings. Our last landscape views were of a lagoon with glowing waters punctuated with tiny fishing boats. Our taxi driver told us that this area was wiped out by a huge tsunami following the last major earthquake, which brought flood waters hundreds of meters onto land after taking out several small restaurants on the shore.














Our last stop on this little private taxi tour was a small wreck of a museum, which we were told was under construction following some major earthquake damage. It was charming and worth the visit nonetheless.

I am pretty certain that our little venture via taxi was by far the better way to see the reserve compared to the tour bus option (though I think both my mom and I would have gladly hopped into a dune buggy for this excursion). While the dune buggy will have to wait for my next visit, it was an excellent afternoon exploring the beauty of Peru’s south coast.