13 Ballestas Islands Tours in Paracas to Build a Day Around

1.Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve

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

From Paracas, ride a speedboat to Ballestas Islands with an English-Spanish guide, then explore Paracas National Reserve by van. You’ll see sea lions, penguins, seabirds, the Candelabro, Playa Roja, and Lagunillas Beach. Guides such as Olenka and Pablo are known for making the reserve tour personal and informative.

“the tour was well planning and very effective in schedule. the tour to ballestas was wonderful!”

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2.Ballestas Islands Morning Boat Tour

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

From Muelle El Chaco, you’ll cruise to El Candelabro and the Ballestas Islands with an English or Spanish guide. Expect sea lions, Humboldt penguins, seabirds, rock formations, life jackets, and a covered speedboat. Guides such as Daphne and Mario are especially helpful at spotting wildlife.

“Daphne and Mario were spectacular. Both very helpful in locating wildlife and to show us anything we may be missing. At first we were listening and they found us! Great English language too. Very personable. very organized and even chairs to sit on while waiting for the tour. The wildlife was phenomenal. The rock formations were more than we expected. This tour is priceless. Thank you so much. The boat was clean and each seat had a vibrant life jacket on it. . The drive out was well controlled. TheyThe boat is covered. Great viewing opportunity.”

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3.Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve from Paracas

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

Start with a boat ride past the Candelabro geoglyph to see sea lions, Humboldt penguins, and seabirds. After free time in El Chaco, ride through Paracas National Reserve to La Catedral, Playa Roja, a flamingo overlook, and Lagunillas Beach. English and Spanish guides lead the day.

“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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4.Ballestas Islands tour all Inclusive

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

Take a two-hour eco-friendly motorboat trip from Paracas to the Candelabro geoglyph and Ballestas Islands. You’ll see Humboldt penguins, sea lions, seabirds, and dramatic rock formations with an English or Spanish guide. Lucio has earned special praise for clear, enthusiastic guiding.

“It was incredible. Everything worked perfectly well and Lucio, our guide, was amazing! He is clearly passionate about his job and loves the Island. His English is also very good!”

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5.Ballestas Islands and Huacachina Sunset Day Trip

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

Join an English- or Spanish-speaking guide from Lima for a 17-hour day covering Paracas, the Ballestas Islands, a pisco winery, and Huacachina. Expect sea lions, penguins, desert buggies, beginner sandboarding, sunset views, and a very early start.

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

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

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

From Puerto San Martín, you’ll ride a covered speedboat to the Ballestas Islands, stopping first at the Candelabra geoglyph. A guide explains its size, materials, and possible origin before you continue to sea lions, Humboldt penguins, pelicans, boobies, crabs, and other seabirds.

“Besides the very confusing information about the pick up location and time, we enjoyed the trip itself very much.”

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7.Ballestas island & Paracas reserve from PISCO CRUISESHIP TERMINAL

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 71 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $100

From San Martín Port, your English-speaking guide takes you by modern bus and speedboat to the Ballestas Islands, then across Paracas Reserve. Look for sea lions, Humboldt penguins, seabirds, fossils, red beaches, and the Candelabra geoglyph. Guides such as Olenka and Brenda are praised for clear, friendly commentary.

“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.”

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8.Ballestas Island Cruise & Paracas Reserve Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 27 reviews · from $55

Meet your English- or Spanish-speaking guide at Las Adventure in Paracas for a group speedboat ride to Ballestas, a stop at the Candelabro, and a drive through Paracas National Reserve. See penguins, sea lions, pelicans, Playa Roja, and Lagunillas Beach before transport to Huacachina or Ica.

“L'esperienza è stata molto ben organizzata e molto gradita. I trasporti, le guide, l'organizzazione...tutto davvero apprezzato! Inoltre tutti sono stati di una gentilezza incredibile!”

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9.Ballestas Islands and Huacachina Oasis Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 11 reviews · 5 hours · from $118

Start at Paracas Harbor by speedboat for the Ballestas Islands and El Candelabro, then visit an Ica vineyard, museum, cathedral, and Huacachina Oasis. Your English, Spanish, or Italian guide handles the private drive, tasting, and dune time. Expect a full day, despite the five-hour listing.

“We had an amazing day! We loved our tour guides and they made sure everything was perfect for us. They were very kind, informative, and accommodating. Highly recommend using them!”

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10.Ballestas Islands, Huacachina with buggy Economic

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · 17 hours · from $95

Leave Lima before dawn for a speedboat ride past sea lions, Humboldt penguins, and the Candelabro, then visit a pisco winery near Ica before racing across Huacachina’s dunes by buggy. English and Spanish guides, including Miguel Ángel and Mayer, lead this long but action-packed day.

“Passeio perfeito. Créditos também para o Guia Miguel Ângelo que além de informar e conduzir bem, era uma simpatia.”

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11.From San Martin Port: Ballestas Island & Paracas Reserve

★★★★★★★★★★3.3 · 8 reviews · 5 hours · from $74

From San Martin Port, ride to El Chaco for a speedboat trip around the Ballestas Islands, then tour Paracas National Reserve by road. You will see sea lions, Humboldt penguins, seabirds, the Candelabro, Red Beach, Lagunillas, and the remains of the Cathedral with Spanish and English guiding.

“Pick up was prompt from our cruise ship. The queues for the boat trip were very busy & a little chaotic although we did end up with a guide who spoke English after being passed to several people. The islands were excellent and the boat did a good tour so we saw plenty of wildlife with good narrative. The Paracas nature reserve tour was good , a nice length and fabulous desert scenery. Our driver really only spoke Spanish so it was not easy to get much detailed information but he was very friendly and took some great photos of us.”

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12.From San Martin Port: Ballestas Islands Tour in Paracas

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 5 reviews · 3 hours · from $84

From San Martin Port, you ride 25 minutes to El Chaco Dock, then take a group speedboat around the Ballestas Islands with a Spanish and English guide. Look for sea lions, Humboldt penguins, pelicans, boobies, cormorants, and the ancient Candelabro geoglyph.

“Boat trip and pick up at the cruise port were good. However after we returned from the boat ride we were told by Noel he would be back to take us to the ship in 30 minutes. We waited one and a half hours and he never showed. We had to pay $40 USD for a ride back to the ship.”

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13.Ballestas Island & Paracas Reserve Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · 6 hours · from $100

From Ica, you’ll take a group speedboat to Ballestas Islands for seals, penguins, pelicans, and blue-footed boobies, then explore Paracas Reserve by private vehicle. The six-hour tour includes hotel pickup, an English, Spanish, or Italian guide, water, and drop-off in Ica or Paracas.

“The guides were really nice and gave good explanations. The organisation (including pick up and drop off) was really good.”

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