Down the coast 15 km from Pisco Puerto it the bay of Paracas, sheltered by the Paracas peninsula. The name means "sandstorm" - they can last for three days, especially in August; the wind gets up every afternoon, peaking at around 3pm.
The peninsula, a large area of coast to the south and the Ballestas Islands are a National Reserve. The Islands are spectacular, eroded into numerous arches and caves (ballesta means bow, as in archery), which provide shelter for thousands of seabirds, some of which are very rare, and hundreds of sea lions.
The Paracas National Reserve Park place where the sea meets the sand dunes of the desert. It has an extension of 335,000 square meters, and is the only protected reserve in Peru that includes the sea.
Escorted Tours including Paracas and the Ballestas Islands:
Essence of Peru (Lima, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Nazca Lines and Paracas)
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