Paracas was a very special place to visit. It is a large national reserve that includes a big chunk of mainland as well as several small islands off the coast. We spent our first day there exploring the mainland area of the park in our truck, visiting several beaches and coastal cliff areas. The weirdest thing about the park is that there is absolutely no vegetation, so it is pretty much all sand, rock, and ocean, all beautifully barren. There were some sections where we lost the road because the only difference between road and not road is that one has more tire tracks.
That night we camped next to the ranger station near one of the beaches and the next morning we grumpily rushed to the nearby town of Paracas to catch the 9AM tour boat to visit the Islas Ballestas, which they like to call the "Peruvian Galapagos" because the islands are full of so many birds and other sea life. It was really impressive to see so much life in such a small space. When one bird took off another took its place. Any bit of shoreline was occupied by sea lions.
The tiny islands are so full of birds that there is a heavy coating of smelly white guano on every surface. Since the guano is so valuable as a fertilizer, and the islands are protected, there is an organized removal of the guano every 10 years. At all other times no humans are allowed on shore.
The famous and slightly boring Candelabra, on the waterline of the Paracus National Park.
Epic birdlife on the Islas Ballestas, part of the Paracus Reserve.
It almost seems like every surface is claimed by a bird or a sealion.
A bird drying out his wings.
Some penguinos enjoying the sun.
Another view of the pier.
Every 10 years the guano is mined from the islands for fertilizer, and the infrastructure makes fine bird homes during the interim.
Puerto Inca
