After our extended time in Lima, we were well and truly ready to explore the rest of Peru. At 7am a shuttle bus picked us up from our hotel and took us to meet the Peru Hop bus which would complete our escape from Lima. The destination for the day was Paracas, on the coast a few hours down the highway.

Although it’s a more expensive option than just buying regular bus tickets in Peru, we chose to travel with Peru Hop as it’s a very traveller-friendly service. Helpful guides accompany travelers on each bus, and they provide pickups and drop-offs from and to accommodations at each end of each leg of your journey. They also make some interesting stops between destinations.

On the way out of Lima, we caught some glimpses of Barranco, the artsy district next to Miraflores. Even with our extended time in Lima, we didn’t manage to get to Barranco because of the time we had to spend dealing with the aftermath of our apartment break-in. In the unlikely event that we ever go back to Lima, we’ll have to get to Barranco and check out its street art and cafes.

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On the Road Out of Lima

Our first stop was for breakfast at a roadside eatery and bar that served excellent pork sandwiches. After everyone had eaten some breakfast we gathered behind the restaurant to play “drunken cuy”. This involves placing a cuy (guinea pig) in a box, spinning it around to make it dizzy, then letting it run into one of a circle of numbered boxes. Each player has a numbered ticket, and if the cuy runs into the box with your number you are a winner. The prizes were mostly pisco shots, and it was still only 9am, so we weren’t too unhappy we didn’t win anything.

The next stop on the way to Paracas was at the Hacienda San Jose in Chincha. This is a former plantation home that is now a luxury hotel. The blue sky overhead and sunshine was quite a change from Lima where we barely caught a glimpse of the sun all week. Lachlan found a hammock and enjoyed some time swinging in it.

As well as the lovely house and grounds, there is some interesting history here, including secret tunnels used to hide and smuggle slaves to avoid taxes.

At the front of the house is an ornate chapel, next to a courtyard with a lovely fountain.

The chapel features a statue of St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian saint. He is depicted with a broom because he believed all work is sacred, no matter how menial.

Arriving in Paracas

We arrived in Paracas at 2:30, and checked in to our room (small, but clean) at the Hotel Residencial Los Frayles. After dropping our bags in the room we rejoined our guide and some of the other Peru Hop passengers for a late lunch in a 4th floor restaurant overlooking the harbor. We took our time over lunch and sat for a while after eating enjoying the warm weather.

After lunch we walked around the small downtown area. Paracas is as much a fishing town as it is a beach resort. The beach isn’t that great, but the seafood is good, and there are things to see around the town in an interesting environment where the desert meets the sea.

After a quick rest at the hotel, we headed back to the beach to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine and check out the sunset.

After sunset we wandered around for a while, and found a place to buy some board shorts for Lachlan. We had discovered that his previous pair had been taken in our Lima break-in when he went to put them on for a swim in the hotel pool. We weren’t feeling very hungry after our late lunch, so we split a medium pizza in a backpacker reggae bar then went back to our room for an early night.

Ballestas Islands

One of the main things to do in Paracas is a boat ride to the Ballestas Islands. These rocky islands teem with birdlife, to the point that they have been called “the poor man’s Galapagos Islands”. Because we had just spent two weeks in the real Galapagos Islands we decided to skip it and had a sleep-in and a leisurely morning instead. If you go to Paracas and you haven’t been to the Galapagos Islands you should do the Ballestas Islands cruise. It’s a relatively inexpensive way to see some amazing wildlife.

Paracas National Reserve

At 11am, we boarded the bus for a tour of the Paracas National Reserve (included in our Peru Hop ticket). This is an other-worldly landscape, with desert and volcanic scenery meeting a spectacular coastline.

The first stop on the tour was the Cathedral. This used to be more a lot bigger, a natural arch topped with spires that inspired its name. However, it was extensively damaged by an earthquake in 2007, leaving what is still an impressive formation.

From the Cathedral Rock viewpoint there were also great views down the coastline.

Next, we stopped at a high viewpoint overlooking Playa Roja (Red Beach).

The views back across the desert looked like another planet. Looking at this picture without knowing where it was taken, you probably wouldn’t guess how close to the ocean it was.

Our final stop was a close-up look at Playa Roja.

As well as the red sand that gives this beach its name, there were some interesting rock formations (and rock piles).

We walked out onto a rock platform right at the water’s edge. Occasionally we had to retreat as a larger wave broke over the platform.

We enjoyed our short time in Paracas. It can be seen as an overnight or day trip from Lima, or as part of an overland itinerary heading south from Lima. Either way, it’s well worth a visit.