After some good ole mountain playtime, we were ready for a little desert escape. The 3 hour bus ride to Paracas felt incredibly breezy in comparison to our previous 19 hours of cumulative ride time going to and returning from Huaraz. Sweet, sweet sunshine was also more than welcome after another gray day in Lima. 

This charming town nestled along the coast provided quite the change of pace. Our two days here were complete with what everyone comes for: ceviche and Las Ballestas. Our time here began our journey on the typical tourist (gringo) trail down south through Peru. 

Paracas Highlights

Reserva Nacional de Paracas. After being sold on a “downhill” ride through the reserve, we got ourselves some bikes and set off on quite the adventure. This was indeed not downhill. We were provided with some Type-2 fun (hurt now, yay for memories) while fighting against gusts of headwind for a majority of the ride. The struggle was real, but we swear we look back fondly on this experience. The beauty of the arid desert meeting ocean had us in awe. 

Las Ballestas aka “The Poor Man’s Galapagos”. What we (& everyone else here) came for. Sure, you get what you pay for but we saw penguins!! Our guide was lovely ensuring that everyone had a chance to see the variety of birds, sea lions, and the Paracas Candelabra up close while sharing fun facts. One of those facts being that every 5 years the guano (aka white gold…aka bird poop) is harvested and put to use. 

We were spoiled with beautiful sunsets on the beach each evening. I’m not sure I trust people who don’t love sunsets.

Eats & Drinks

Of course we had our share of ceviche, which was delicious but left us wondering: where are the tortilla chips?! Our latest obsession is cancha (toasted corn) provided while waiting for food at restaurants. Thank you to the kind servers for giving us more refills than are probably acceptable for two humans to consume. 

Huacachina

Oh Huacachina, you funny little place. This quaint desert oasis, reminiscent of your favorite stranded in the Sahara fantasy, spans about 3 blocks and brings to the table one primary draw. Going up and down the surrounding gargantuan sand dunes via gravity, sand boards/skis, or by way of pure, untethered horsepower, the esteemed dune buggy.

Being two people of several hundred flocking towards the sandy hillsides once the clock struck 4 o’clock was both exciting as well as…reassuring? We hadn’t signed a single waiver since arriving south of the equator, but surely this type of popularity was a good sign regarding their safety record though, right? I digress. Strapped into a butchered mid-2000s Land Rover, we were soon enough off to the races in a Mad Max meets Aladdin situation traversing the grainy slopes.

Following the continuous (maybe joyful?) screeching from the small child seated behind us, our driver decided it was time for some sand boarding and a peaceful sunset. The time had come to send it down the dunes on a bellies. Each hill we tried our hand at increased in both size and speed. There’s nothing like getting to play in a massive sandbox to unlock your inner child. 

Watching the sunset amongst this unreal landscape was so striking that we couldn’t keep ourselves away the following evening. If you’re wondering if this place with just one big draw is worth the stop, the answer is simple. Yes, it so is.

Following such an expedition, our second day in Huacachina had us keen on spitting in the face of our surroundings and relaxing by, and in, the largest acceptable body of water, the nearby hostel’s pool. Sprawled out like lizards near a cool puddle, we prepared for our next destination: Arequipa.