Islas Ballestas - Paracas, Peru
by Rebecca Hollman
updated Dec 21, 2018
Islas Ballestas
The Ballestas Islands (or Islas Ballestas) are a small group of islands located off the coast of Paracas, a beach town in central to south Peru. The islands are protected in the Paracas National Reserve under their own special reserve - the Isla Ballestas National Reserve. No one is allowed on the small islands except generally for research and scientific purposes. However, tours go around the island twice a day so tourists can see the wildlife and explore the islands by boat.
The reason for the richness of these islands is a specific ocean current called the Humboldt current, that brings cold water from the ocean floor up towards the surface along the coast of Peru. The cold water current also brings many nutrients to the surface and creates a feeding ground for sea life and creates the extremely rich waters on the coast of Peru. Interestingly enough, this current is also the reason for Peru’s desert coast and for the constant hazy, mist over the coast of Peru.
The islands are home to around 600,000 individual birds in the peak season. The most common type of bird is Guanay cormorant, which is the bird that creates the infamous guano. Guano is the name for bird poop and the government spends a large amount of money to come harvest the guano off of these islands because it is rich in many minerals. In the age before chemical fertilizer, guano was the best fertilizer option. Peru shipped boats of guano to Europe to sell for absorbent amounts of money during the 1840’s to 1870’s. Some of the boats had guano stacked over 12 stories high. Besides the cormorant, there are also other types of birds including terns, pelicans and Humboldt penguins. The islands are also home to one of the largest colonies of sea lions in the world.
Visiting the Islands
You better off spending the night before in the town of Paracas, although it is possible to also get there from Huacachina or Ica. You can either book your tour beforehand (through something like PeruHop or FindLocalTrips.com) or buy your ticket directly at the pier. The morning boat leaves at 8 AM and the second tour starts at 10 AM. Morning time is better for viewing since the ocean tends to be calmer in the morning. Bring a jacket, camera and motion sickness pills if you tend to get really sea sick. The tour is 2 hours long and goes past the Candelabra and around the perimeter of most of the islands. The cost of the 2 hour tour is S/ 50 or $15USD.