Hammerhead-shaped Península de Paracas and the astounding arid coast surrounding it comprise a reserve protecting one of the planet's rarest ecosystems: subtropical coastal desert. As a result, it sports a weird, wondrous geology and a full gamut of fauna. Visitors can swim off gorgeous sandy beaches, check out ancient geoglyphs, watch for sea lions and dolphins, or sample seafood along the coast.
Reserve Overview
The Centro de Interpretación, the reserve's visitor center, acquaints you with the area's bizarre landscapes – which include one of the world's few red-sand beaches, chiseled rock formations and wackily sculpted dunes – and its fauna, featuring flamingos, sea lions and dolphins. It's 2km southwest of the Reserva Nacional de Paracas entrance.
Better yet is the next-door Museo Julio C Tello, which exhibits interesting archaeological artifacts from the Paracas culture that once dominated the area. The fine collection includes textiles, a display of elongated skulls once used to differentiate the upper classes of the society, pottery and recreations of Paracas dwellings.
The bay in front of the complex is an excellent place to spot Chilean flamingos, and a path leads to a mirador (viewpoint) with a coffee shop from where these birds can be spotted from June through August.
Seafood & Epic Sand Drawings at Bahía Santo Domingo
The peninsula's north side road to Puerto General San Martín is far quieter than the one to the south. Playa Atenas is one of Paracas' best spots for kitesurfing. The area is also notable as one of the best places for seafood on the Peruvian coast. Inti Mar (inti-mar.com; scallop farm tour with diving, snorkeling and seafood snacks S170) is a working shellfish farm and restaurant and offers an eye-opening window into scallop cultivation. The Paracas culture had shellfish as its dietary mainstay.
The other big sight is the Candelabra Geoglyph, a giant three-pronged figure etched into the sandy hills. It is more than 150m high and 50m wide. Archaeological finds nearby date from at least 200 BCE, though the geoglyph's age is unknown. Theories as to its original purpose include it being a Nazca Lines outlier, a navigational aid for sailors and even a depiction of a hallucinogenic cactus species. Whichever theory you believe, it is spectacular and is best appreciated from a distance. Islas Ballestas boat trips offer excellent views.
Bedazzling Beaches
Reserva Nacional de Paracas is a fine place to experience some beach time with a difference. From the visitor center, travel 5km down Ruta a Lagunillas, the road to the peninsula's south side, to hit Playa Roja, one of South America's only red-sand beaches. The sand, tinted by iron oxide, contrasts strikingly with the low yellowish cliffs behind and the foaming blue sea. If you just want the visuals and not the beach itself, there is a mirador (viewpoint) at the intersection of Ruta a Lagunillas and Ruta a Playa Yummaque.
Continue straight past Lagunillas and then take a left on Via La Mina to the area's loveliest swimming beach, remote Playa La Mina, with the gentlest waters in the reserve. It's a rightly popular place with vacationing Peruvians in the January to March high season. If it's too crowded for you, head north to nearby Playa Raspón, a sandy cove accessed by stairs running down the rock face.
Bring plenty of food and water when visiting any of the peninsula's beaches, which don't have any facilities.
Watch for Wildlife at Punta Arquillo
The Paracas area has some of the South Coast's best wildlife-watching. Besides the fantastic sealife seen on an Islas Ballestas tour, plenty is visible on dry land. Begin on the shoreline in front of Centro de Interpretación, with its renowned flamingo-viewing. Next, just before Ruta a Lagunillas reaches Lagunillas village, another road spurs right (southwest) to cliff-top lookout Punta Arquillo, below which a sea lion colony can be glimpsed on the rocks. Flotillas of jellyfish patrol the waters, some reaching 70cm in diameter, and Andean condors occasionally swoop by.
At 6.5km south of the Centro de Interpretación, Playa Yumaque gets busy in high season, but at other times, this beach makes a quiet spot for bird- and dolphin-watching.
Harness the Winds for Kitesurfing
Paracas provides some of Peru's finest kitesurfing, so if you want to try a new adventure sport here, this is it.
Most outfitters are located at "Kite Point" in Santo Domingo, south of El Chaco near the Hyatt and about 1.5km north of the reserve entrance. Operators include Kangaroo Kite (kangarookite.net), a popular kite school offering classes for beginners (one-/three-hour courses S265/760).
The best locations for kitesurfing are in the Bahía Santo Domingo – Playa Atenas is particularly good – or around Laguna Grande, an off-grid village 34km from the reserve entrance, with a large sandbar-protected inlet.
Cycling the Reserve
An adventurous option for exploring here is by rental bike. Agencies like the reputable Paracas Explorer Paracas Explorer (paracasexplorer.com) in El Chaco rent bikes for about S55 per day. It's then 6.5km to Centro de Interpretación, 11km to the peninsula's south side and on to Playa La Mina, and 24km back via La Catedral rock stack to El Chaco.
See the Sunset over La Catedral
There could be no more fitting conclusion to your reserve adventure than watching the sun sink over La Catedral, a former natural rock arch that crumbled during a 2007 earthquake into a nevertheless bulky rock stack ramparted by soaring cliffs. The landmark is due south of Playa Yumaque.
