Ballestas island - Peru

I’ve never been a big fan of bird watching in fact I remember my first field study at Uni and having many problems to make clear differences between a few species of birds. I do admire people with the fantastic skill of patient and sharp eye for spotting the most fantastic birds around the world. So when I was about to do my first tour to the Ballestas Island (285 km from Lima) and one of the attractions were the countless amount of birds I wasn’t too sure about me having much fun, luckily I was wrong.

After first half an hour after jumping on the boat we left Paracas Bay and stopped to see the magnanimous “Candelabra”, designed by the ancient Nazca, this figure on a sand mountain has 177 meters high and 54 meters wide. The boat keeps going for another 45 mins and this time we reach the islands, they became very famous in the mid 1800s due to the abundant presence of bird guano. What comes for the next hour is a endless varieties of birds, pelicans, penguins, starfish, sea lions…please don’t expect me to list all the birds I’ve seen since as I told you before I barely can make a difference between an sparrow and a pigeon. However this is a fantastic option to see animals in their natural environment and learn about the importance of this natural resource for the past of Peru.

Tours leaves everyday from El Chacho Port (20 mins away from Pisco town) and prices are basically determinate by your negotiation skills USD.15.00 to USD.20.00 are reasonable prices to pay.


REMEMBER.


• Bring sun’s block, hat and sunglasses.


• A fleece or a jacket since you’ll be in an open speed boat.


• There is PEN.5.00 fee to pay for the National Reserve and PEN.1.00 for the El Chaco Port Fee.