The 15 Best Ballestas Islands Tours from Paracas

1.Paracas, Ballestas Islands and Huacachina Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,100 reviews · 17 hours (approx.) · from $75Our pick

Review of the 17-hour Paracas, Ballestas Islands and Huacachina tour from Lima, covering wildlife, pisco tasting, dune buggies, costs, and practical tips.

“Eas a lot of driving for questionable highlights. We did not get the show promised as the last item of the tour. On reflection, this may be why we had 50 soles contributed to our lunch payment, although that was never explained. A lot of driving with very boring scenery.”

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2.Ballestas Islands Guided Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 731 reviews · 2 hours · from $17

Cruise from Paracas to the Ballestas Islands for sea lions, penguins, seabirds, and the mysterious Candelabra, with a bilingual guide.

“We had an amazing time. Good service. The guide was amazing at pointing out the animals. When some of the more stupid guests tried screaming at one of the seals that was sleeping on a rock, the guide was quick to point out that the animals are not there for our pleasure. It’s not a circus. And that I really appreciated! I love to see guides that care about the animals we see and don’t treat them badly. She was also quick to point out that we should take one of the front seats so that we got some amazing views. Very happy we did that! Thanks for a great…”

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3.Paracas Reserve, Slave Tunnels & Ballestas Islands Full Day

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 659 reviews · 18 hours (approx.) · from $98

Review of Lima’s Paracas, Ballestas Islands, and Hacienda San José day trip, with wildlife, desert scenery, transport tips, costs, and drawbacks.

“We enjoyed seeing wildlife and beautiful geology of Ballistas islands. Nice lunch in Paracus as we waited for second activity. Hike in Paracus was moderately difficult, hiking up sand dunes/hillsides. I wouldn’t recommend for small children or people with mobility issues. Views from the top were spectacular and sunset as well. Tour guides were working hard to keep track of various tours for people on the bus. We were alerted that it would be a long time on the bus, and for us that was a bit long from Lima.”

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4.2 Day Tour from Lima: Paracas, Ballestas Island and Huacachina

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 472 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $149

Explore Paracas, Ballestas Islands, and Huacachina from Lima with boats, desert dunes, sandboarding, and comfortable transport.

“Well, what can I say other than what an amazing experience. It was definitely worth the money. The first day you arrive in Paracus around 2pm leaving you plenty of time to look around and prepare you for day (which is needed). We also meet up in the evening for dinner and drink to get to know each other abit more, which was great. Day two was amazing. You visit the Ballestas islands and get to see sealions, penguins and many birds. Paracas nature reserve with it's stunning landscape and beautiful views. Stop for lunch and a wine tour at a vineyard before arriving in Huacachina. The dune buggying and…”

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5.Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 356 reviews · 5 hours · from $60

Visit Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve in five hours, with sea lions, penguins, desert beaches, bilingual guides, and hotel pickup.

“We were expecting to have a crowded morning activity, which we had, nevertheless, we were breathtaking during the second part of our journey in the National Reserve of Paracas, it was magical, our guide was great, we were all alone in this huge and magnificent place.”

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6.Boat Tour of the Ballestas Islands in Paracas

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 333 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $20

Review of Paracas’ Ballestas Islands boat tour, with sea lions, penguins, seabirds, the Candelabra, costs, timing, and practical booking tips.

“Excellent service at the Paracas Explorers Travel Agency. The tour to the Island was most enjoyable, all explained well by the very amiable bi-lingual guide, Abigail. I highly recommend this group.”

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7.Ballestas Islands Morning Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 301 reviews · 2 hours · from $17

Review of Paracas’ $17 Ballestas Islands boat tour, with El Candelabro, sea lions, penguins, birds, practical tips, and honest drawbacks.

“The trip was perfect. Transportation, organisation, guide, everything was very good. The team was very professional and the guide provided very good information about the islands, view, animals.”

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8.Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve from Paracas

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 228 reviews · 7 hours · from $34

Review of the $34 Ballestas Islands and Paracas Reserve tour, with sea lions, penguins, flamingos, red sands, and Lagunillas Beach.

“El tour se divide en 2 partes: primero fuimos en speedboat a las Islas Ballestas, donde vimos pingüinos y lobos marinos y El Candelabro. Tras volver a Paracas, nos recogieron para la segunda parte a la Reserva Natural de Paracas, donde hicimos paradas en varios spots para ver el paisaje. En la penúltima parada había opción de bañarse en el mar y en la última podías comer en un restaurante frente al mar. El tiempo para la parada de la comida fue muy limitado, debería ser algo más de tiempo. Andrea, la chica de la agencia fue muy amable con nosotros en todo momento, gracias!”

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9.Ballestas Islands and Candelabro Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 175 reviews · 2 hours · from $15Best value

Review of Paracas’ $15 Ballestas Islands boat tour, with Humboldt penguins, sea lions, the Candelabra geoglyph, costs, and practical tips.

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10.Ballestas Islands tour all Inclusive

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 143 reviews · 2 hours · from $17

Sail from Paracas to the Ballestas Islands for penguins, sea lions, birds, and the Candelabro geoglyph with bilingual guides.

“Had the best guide who let us sit in VIP seats in the boat!”

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11.Ballestas & Huacachina Day Trip w/ Nazca Lines Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 117 reviews · 19h 30m · from $600

Review of Lima’s long day trip to Ballestas, Nazca Lines, and Huacachina, with practical advice on cost, timing, flights, and what to expect.

“Once in a life time trip! The longest day trip ever (got up 3 am, guide and driver pick up at the hotel by 3:30 am, back to the hotel around 11 pm). Drove probably more than 1000 km. It’s amazing how to combine three sites so precisely and timely for the entire trip. The guide, Christian B was great, knowledgeable, and courteous. The driver was amazing, since some part of the road were not in good shape. Overall an excellent choice, highly recommended!”

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12.Paracas & Huacachina- Day to Islas Ballestas & Sandboard

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 115 reviews · 14 to 15 hours (approx.) · from $79

Review of Lima’s long day trip to Ballestas Islands and Huacachina, with wildlife, pisco tasting, dune buggies, sandboarding, costs, and tips.

“Everything, the most stand out part was watching my daughter coming down the sand slide, and stopping halfway down. I never seen anything like it before. 😂😂😂”

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13.Ballestas Islands and Huacachina Sunset Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 113 reviews · 17 hours · from $65

See Ballestas wildlife, taste pisco, ride desert buggies, sandboard, and watch sunset at Huacachina on a full-day trip from Lima.

“Wonderful experience. Great value for the money. would do it over and over again. Best tour ever!”

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14.2-Hour Tour to the Ballestas Islands from Puerto San Martín

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 96 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $49

Review of the 2-hour Ballestas Islands boat tour from Puerto San Martín, with sea lions, penguins, the Candelabra, tips, price, and logistics.

“The boat you ride on is a covered speed boat. The ride was pleasant although I would recommend wearing sunscreen. We saw the candelabra, pelicans, just 3 humbolt penguins, many cute baby sea lions, crabs, vultures, and the island with all of its arches and caves. I would recommend that you sit on the left side facing the front since that is the side with most of the views. They did turn the boat around so both sides could see but I wished I had been on the opposite side. Many of my photos have heads in them. I booked this as a cruise ship shore excursion and we docked…”

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15.Ballestas, Nazca Lines & Huacachina Oasis

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 82 reviews · 14 to 19 hours (approx.) · from $550

Review of Lima’s Ballestas Islands, Nazca Lines flight, and Huacachina day tour, with practical advice on timing, cost, motion sickness, and value.

“We had a wonderful day and overall great experience. We were able to see a lot in a very short amount of time, but the pace felt rushed throughout the day. We even ended up paying our tour operator and driver extra just so we could stop for food at the end, as no time had been carved out for meals. That said, the tours at each location were truly 5-star and a definite highlight. We just wish we had a bit more time to enjoy each stop without feeling so rushed. Hats off to our driver—he was incredibly fast!”

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