The Islas Ballestas are a 45-minute boat ride from the popular beach resort town of Paracas, which is about 150km south of Lima. Home to massive South American Sea Lion colonies, crowded rookeries of Humboldt Penguins, a bounty of Blue-Footed Boobies and enough giant pelicans to keep the rocky islands permanently covered in guano, they should be near the top of any nature lover’s Peruvian itinerary.
Boats leave from the main port of Paracas to the Ballestas Islands all morning long
A two-hour guided tour of the islands costs under $US 20, which includes the mandatory fee for visiting the national reserve encompassing the area. Dolphins and seals frequently accompany passengers on their journey, swimming up to the boats and playing in the waves.
The carcas of a boat passed on route to the Islas Ballestas has become home to a flock of seabirds.
The boat ride out to the Ballestas Islands also offers visitors a view of El Candelabro, an ancient petroglyph etched into the sandy coastline outside of Paracas.
El Candelabro may be a beacon that helped ancient sailors located themselves.
The Ballestas Islands themselves are a cluster of jagged rock formations covering only about .05 square miles, but are protected as a nature reserve for the amazing variety of wildlife that call them home.
The Ballestas Islands sport several dramatic rock arches and pinnacles.
The most awe-inspiring of the island’s residents is undoubtedly the mighty Sea Lion, which can grow to over 9 feet long and often emits the loud roaring sound that earned it its name.
A large male Sea Lion suns itself in complete stillness.
The South American Sea Lion lives in large and extremely social colonies that completely dominate the rocky beaches and coves of the Ballestas Islands. The male Sea Lions constantly battle for territory in terms of both physical space and female members of their “harem.”
Sea Lions pack a beach on the Ballestas Islands
For the Humboldt Penguin, which is now listed as a “threatened species” and protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the Ballestas Islands serve as a sanctuary for breeding and feeding on the rich supply of fish living in the surrounding waters.
Humboldt Penguins live in large “rookeries” or “waddles” on top of several of the islands.
The skies above the Ballestas Islands are just as alive as the brightly colored yet freezing ocean itself, and 150 marine bird species including the exotic the Blue-Footed Booby, the Incan Tern and the Guanay Cormorant all make their home here. The most visible and perhaps the most elegant however are the slightly Jurassic looking pelicans that are a constant presence in the area.
Pelicans rest while other seabirds fly overhead.
Because of the high number of birds that live in the Ballestas Islands, the rocky tops of all the formations are completely covered in guano, which is preserved for years because of the near absence of rain in this part of Peru. The guano found here and in neighboring islands was once highly valuable and was collected and shipped all over the world.
Guano is a highly nutritious plant fertilizer made from bird droppings.
Due to the abundance of wildlife on the Ballestas Islands, visitors cannot leave their boats and walk around, but the tour does come very close to the shore and circles around prime animal viewing spots several times before heading back to the docks at Paracas.
