Peru | Road Scholar Trip Extension: Paracas, Nazca and Ballestas Islands

This morning you will depart your hotel and will transfer to the bus station to board the bus to Paracas. This transfer is about 3 ½ hours. Paracas, 150 miles south of Lima, is home to Peru's largest coastal wildlife sanctuary. Within it are the Ballestas Islands, home to thousands of resident and migratory sea birds, including pelicans, boobies, cormorants, terns and penguins that share their habitat with herds of sea lions and fur seals. In the summer, condors and flamingoes are also frequent visitors to the bayshore. Paracas boasts a charming hotel that is ideal for a quick stopover or a weekend getaway.

After breakfast enjoy a flight over the Nazca Lines where your pilot will circle the famous figures of a monkey, a spider, a whale and gigantic bird drawn by the ancient Nazca culture. 50 square km of desert floor were covered centuries ago by vast drawings, figures of mammals, insects and deities. The Nazca Lines, discovered in 1927, are the most extraordinary legacy left by a culture that flourished in 300 BC. The lines are a series of complex designs, some up to 300 meters long which can only be seen in their true dimension from the sky, from an altitude of at least 1,500 feet. The Nazca culture is not believed to have been capable of manned flight. But the question remains as to how they crafted the drawings, what technology they used and what purpose the lines served. This afternoon you will enjoy a visit to Paracas National Park. Paracas National Reserve is a protected area located in the region of Ica, Peru and protects desert and marine ecosystems for their conservation and sustainable use. There are also archaeological remains of the Paracas culture inside the reserve. You will return back to the hotel for overnight.

Take an early morning excursion to the Ballestas Islands. It is known as the Little Galapagos, for their abundant marine life, such as seals, cormorants, penguins and many sea birds, some endemic to this region, like the Inca Turn. It is only a half hour journey to reach the island, where you will spend the next hour cruising around to explore and observe the spectacular bird and seal colonies. (People are not allowed to land). The early afternoon you will be transferred to the bus station and will return to Lima and transfer to the airport for your departure flight.