Paracas

Paracas trip ideas

Ballestas Islands and Paracas Reserve from San Martin Port

Name: Ballestas Islands and Paracas Reserve from San Martin Port
Brand: LAS ADVENTURE
SKU: 14547P9
Price: 100.00 USD
Rating: 4.5 (47 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceParacas, Peru

5 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Enjoy a short excursion during your time at port to the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve by speedboat. See the iconic Candelabra geoglyph carved into the side of a mountain and observe the native flora and fauna of the area, including sea lions, as you navigate through the caves. Receive a personalized experience with a private guide and learn about the Paracas area before rejoining your ship.

Explore the Ballestas Islands and Paracas Reserve on a short excursion
See the famous Candelabra geoglyph as you cruise by on a speedboat
Observe the flora and fauna of the Ballestas Islands including sea lions
Enjoy personalized services with a private guide

What's Included

Pickup and drop-off from San Martin Port
English and spanish speaking guide
Transportation for both tours in group.
Bottle of Water.

Personal travel insurance
Entrance fees. 22 soles per person (8 USD) local payment at reception
Food and drinks, unless specified

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Terminal Portuario General San Martín
Terminal Portuario Gral. San Martín, Paracas, Peru
Meeting point at San Martin Port - in front of your ship

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Meeting Point at San Martin Port (we will be waiting with a sign LAS ADVENTURE. FRONT OF THE SHIP) In case you are not coming by cruise ship, let know us the name of your hotel or bus company you coming.

What To Expect

Islas Ballestas (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
If your ship has any delay in arriving, we strongly suggest to notify us three to four days in advance so we can arrange a new pick up time. We also suggest you to keep checking your emails in case the pickup time changes.
Printed travel voucher or E-travel voucher along with your passport or any ID its required before boarding (verification purpose only).
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

47 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 47 reviews

To see Ballestas and Paracas, this is perfect.

Kara_S, Mar 2024

I really enjoyed this tour. The only complaint I have is the amount of time we waited to get on the boat. It was super crowded and I'm not sure how that can be fixed. BUT, the tour was great! I was super impressed with the captain's boating skills. The islands were great! Saw all the animals they advertise and even 6 Humboldt penguins!!! That was a great suprise. The bus part of the tour took us to some really great viewpoints and our guide answered every question. Thank you!

Ripped Off

John_B, Feb 2024

I contacted the tour operator a couple days prior to the date of the excursion as I was not completely sure where we were meeting. I gave him the name of the ship and our arrival time and received some time later an assurance that we would be met in the port. As it turned out, private tour operators are not allowed in the port, so we had to take a bus to the main entrance. When I arrived, I sent a message via WhatsApp to let him know we were there. No response. I sent another. No response. I tried a phone call. No answer. By now we had met about eight other people who had booked with the same tour operator. None of them had been able to make contact. I message Viator and asked them to call the operator. They had no response either. Viator should be ashamed for allowing this person to operate. Avoid this tour at all costs!

Paracas Highlights

Anje_D, Jan 2024

Olinka our tour guide was amazing! This trip was a great value for the money. I was able to visit both the Ballastas Islands and the Paracas National Park during our stop. The cruise line only offered either one and was charging double the money.

Over all great tour!

Karen_S, Dec 2023

They made it very easy went arriving by cruise ship. The boarding of the boat was a bit unorganized and we were nearly disconnected from the other 16 passengers on our tour. We had to be assertive to be with our group which was going on to a bus tour after the boat and was nearly loaded on a boat only going to the island tour. The step up out of the boat was nearly 2 feet high and my knee gave out so I was too injured to walk at the national park. They needed to add a step so the rise wasn't to extraordinarily high.

Ballistas Islands good, skip the Paracas Reserve

Robert_D, Dec 2023

We enjoyed the speed boat ride with 49 of our friends, to see the Candlelabra, penguins, sea lions and a variety of birds. Remember to use the restroom before departing. The boat ride is about one and a half hours (50 cents /person to use). The Paracas Reserve should have been dropped. Nothing to see in the desert.

Excellent excursion

Soung_L, Dec 2023

Excellent excursion. Knowledgeable guide. We saw lot of wild life. National Reserve is the place that beyond our expectation’s

Not recommended.

Gregg_B, Dec 2023

The company that ran the trip said that they had emailed us to start the trip at 8:00am instead of 9:15 which. Trip was not organized well.

Good experience

Bryan_T, Dec 2023

The tour was great with very knowledgeable guides. It was time well spent. They need to be more organized in meeting the passengers. It was very difficult to find the tour & then it took a lot of time to get organized.

Do it yourself

timothy_c, Dec 2023

The itinerary could have been done without a tour. The guide was nice. The boat trip was a crowded public marina. The national reserve only stopped at the tourist lookouts. Very little value for the money.

Amazing day trip.

John_B, Aug 2023

We had a great time in Paracas. Joel our driver recommended a great coffee shop to get breakfast before our tour, then we set out for the smaller islands on a boat for wildlife sighting. It was a very windy day but we saw sea lions, penguins, and various marine birds as well as the candelabra Nazca line. Once ashore we did a driving tour of Paracas national reserve where we learned about the geography, history, and geology of the area. Our tour guide was informative and spoke great English. If you’re in paracas for a half day or more, this tour is a must. Lad Adventure tour group was professional and flexible to our schedule.

A must see....a truly wonderful experience!

Daniel_D, Mar 2023

This region is amazing, it felt like we were in a movie, the desert sand is so beautiful, colorful and against the blue sky and the ocean it is unforgettable. this is a place YOU definitely want to see!

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thank you for your comments, what you say is true, the Paracas reserve is wonderful with its landscapes and with our guide who gives you information, it is very interesting

Exceeded all expectations

Martin_H, Mar 2023

Exceeded all expectations. The Ballestas Islands and wildlife were stunning. The Paracas Reserve was so unexpected, a truly unique desert.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

You have reserved one of the most wonderful activities that we have in Paracas, thank you very much for your trust and you are always welcome

Sea Lions, bazillions of birds and amazing desert

geoffrey_B, Jan 2023

This wide-ranging tour of wildlife, birds, the geoglyph and beautiful harsh landscapes was great. Our tour guide Osenka had broad knowledge of geography, geology, climate, wildlife and the culture of coastal Peru. She was very pleasant, informative, well organized and kept on schedule. We highly recommend her and this tour. Although it looks hot, it was beautiful, mild weather in December on the water and onshore.

Great day on land and sea

lanawparker, Dec 2022

Everything was as advertised and planned, pick up was easy, boat ride to see the wildlife was great, and desert reserve was very interesting. Our guide was thoughtful and clear and we hand enough time to explore the sights but not too much to get bored.

Beautiful Ballestas and Paracas!

carolretz, Jan 2020

What a diverse excursion! We first boarded a boat ( this one has a canopy, good thinking!) for the Ballestas Islands. We passed the hieroglyph the candelabra en route and saw many species of birds, including Humboldt penguins, brown pelicans, and one-eyed cormorants. Out boat also got to close to sea lions. When we returned to Paracas port, we boarded a bus to see the wonders of the Paracas Nature Reserve. Many gorgeous vistas of the Pacific Ocean, and vast desert dunes awaited us. This was a very enjoyable excursion!

amazing!!

Mary_M, Nov 2019

The lady Tour Guide was very informative and was simply amazing! she is very enthusiastic!!! and shared a lot of interesting facts. only constructive feedback is when you sit in the back of the speed boat, you CANNOT hear when the tour guide speaks!

Fabulous!

peaseblossom85, Oct 2019

What a wonderful combination of natural wonders this trip provides. The boat trip to the islands was amazing. So many different birds it was almost overload! The desert landscape in the Natural Reserve is very interesting and the guide enthusiastically passed on her knowledge. Highly recommended.

Misunderstandings

Eugene_K, May 2019

Guide unclear as to what park passes to purchase. Error caused us to pay for passes twice. The tours were great otherwise.

Excellent Tour 04/08/2019

Robert_S, Apr 2019

This tour was a great value. The island tour by boat was interesting and fun. The land tour showed nature's beauty in a very desolate and dry area. Our guide Manuel was energetic, helpful and simply did a wonderful job.

Great tour! We saw tons of birds...

Anita_G, Apr 2018

Great tour! We saw tons of birds, sea lions two types, and several penguins! The tour was a nice leisurely pace - plenty of time to enjoy all of the wildlife and take pictures. One the way out, enjoyed the Candelabra on the hillside. Following the boat tour to the Ballestas, drove through the Paracas Reserve and saw the fossils. Guide was knowledgeable and both tours were extremely enjoyable. Highly recommend.