Someone once “drew” (or rather, scraped) a candelabrum on the hillside for some reason
Peru 2023
Day 5: August 24
Paracas - Huacachina
Peru 2023
Itinerary
We didn’t sleep very well. All night it was noisy outside: sometimes someone was singing in the middle of the night, sometimes cars were honking.
At 7 a.m. we went for breakfast. And at 8 our tour to the Ballestas Islands began.
These islands are known primarily for the birds that have settled there. It takes about 40 minutes by boat to reach the islands.
On the way to the islands, on one of the hills, we were shown the “Candelabra”.
To this day, it is still not exactly known who “drew” it and for what purpose. Serzhyk said it was made for tourists. Maybe so.
On the way to the islands, we pass by the Paracas Peninsula. Even here, many birds are already visible.
Birds. You can spot pelicans.
We are approaching the islands
The islands are small, and walking there is not allowed, so the birds can only be observed from the ocean.
It was very interesting, although the birds are very tiny from such a distance.
We saw penguins very far away. And also many pelicans, and other birds.
On another island, we saw many sea lions.
I really liked it!
The islands are covered with a many-meter-thick layer of guano (the light-colored material), which is highly valued. It is mined and sold here.
Flocks of Birds
In the distance on the slope, you can see a penguin
Sea lions
We returned to the shore, to Paracas, and immediately took a bus for a free sightseeing tour of the National Park.
The park is very beautiful. I was a little sad that I hadn’t planned in advance so that we could have explored it on our own.
With the tour, everything felt a bit rushed, and there wasn’t time to calmly enjoy this place.
The park is large, and we were taken to several main viewpoints. It resembles a desert, everything around is orange-yellow.
Paracas Peninsula. The ocean is beautiful, but swimming is prohibited.
At the observation deck
Red Beach
Lizard. Well camouflaged against its surroundings.
Our bus in the middle of the desert
After that, we headed to Huacachina. A small town (150 residents + a bunch of tourists) built in an oasis among sand dunes.
We checked into the hotel. For lunch, we had a beer and ate delicious rice with vegetables, French fries, and pieces of beef.
On the way to Huacachina
Our hotel. In Huacachina, accommodation is overpriced too
Lunch
After lunch we went to the dune to watch the sunset.
As always, climbing the dune was not easy.
We remembered how hard it was to scramble up the dune in Morocco.
We remembered that Morocco was more beautiful, the sand there was orange, and everything seemed magical.
Here the sand was grayish and the dune was not so endless. Nevertheless, it was still cool.
Buggy parking. Tourists ride them over the dunes. At first we didn’t want to, and then it was too late....
Serzhyk took this photo for a long time :) I’m in the background of Huacachina. You can see that the town has settled around the oasis.
Sandy Ridge
Descending into the city after sunset
For dinner, at a small shop, we bought 2 avocados, grissini, local black beer (delicious, similar to Czech black Kozel) and an orange cake for tea.
Huacachina in the Evening