Islas Ballestas

The mysterious candelabra at Paracas.
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We left our comfy Lima hotel around 3 a.m. to catch an overnight bus into Paracas. Beware the local bus, at least if you want to get any sleep. Even though it is a long journey, the bus will stop for anyone. People flagged the bus down from the side of the road all along the route.

When we got into Paracas, we changed into a van that had been pre-arranged by a travel agency. The drivers the took us to the launching point for the boats to Islas Ballestas -- tagged the poor man's Galapagos. We crowded onto the boat, like a large Jon boat, with about 20 people. We tied on our life jackets and the boat took off, speeding across the water. The guide took a quick break to see a giant candelabra that was mysteriously carved into the hillside hundreds of years ago.

If you get lucky, you can see a group of Humboldt penguins waddling across the islands.
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Like Peru's other sand carvings, the origins of the design are a mystery. After a brief bilingual explanation (which is kind of boring when you speak both languages), the boat zipped on for another 15 minutes until we arrived to the nature preserve. Ballestas was once one of the world's largest producers of guano, and it isn't hard to see why. There were so many birds that it darkened the sky. Among the many varieties, we saw a gaggle of Humboldt penguins waddling across a ridge. Though Ballestas should be too far north to have a penguin population, it receives an artic current. Also, the islands are home to both North and South American sea lions. The boat floated within several feet of them, and there were dozens more stretched along a beach. I was told that they migrate, so getting to see such a large number is a matter of lucky timing. The islands owe their large avian population to the tranquility, dry weather (all across this desert it rains less than 2 mm per year) and many anchovetas that live in the bay.

One of the many flocks of birds that dwell here.
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As impressive as the wild life are the stunning rock formations that make up the islands. The water shines blue-green beneath natural rock arches. After about 30 minutes in the islands, we turned around and headed back to Paracas for breakfast. The several boats in our group raced across the bay, and a line of birds descended and raced alongside of for several minutes. The birds skimmed the water, flapping furiously they kept pace before pulling up and turning back across the bay.

As a warning for those with weak stomachs, the sea is often rougher later in the day, so try to be there for the morning boat as we were.