Paracas is a small port town south of Lima located in the desert in front of the Pacific Ocean. It forms a Peninsula which is part of the Paracas National Reserve and has a beautiful bay.  Paracas has a lot to offer for lovers of wild sea life, sport adventures and history. Private Lima Tours with Sara tells you here how to arrive from Lima to Paracas:

LIMA TO PARACAS  BY BUS

Buses from Lima take the South Pan-American Highway and reach Paracas in about 3 hours and a half.  Note that Lima does not have a Central Bus Station.  You have to take the bus from the terminal of each company.

The most reliable lines for your trip from Lima to Paracas, with very comfortable, modern and full-equipped double-decker buses are:

Cruz del Sur  Their buses with final destination in Ica and Nazca stop in Paracas.  They have 9 daily departures from Av. Javier Prado 1109, La Victoria. Tickets for a round trip: from US$ 36 to US$ 47.

Oltursa  Buses leave daily at 6:30 am from Av. Aramburú 1160, San Isidro.  Tickets for a round trip on a VIP Bus Bed are approx. US$  44.

Peru Hop  This is the only service which will pick you up from your hotel in Lima and drop you off in any hotel in Paracas.

Private Lima Tours with Sara points here the most outstanding spots to visit in your trip from Lima to Paracas:

BALLESTAS ISLANDS

This sea life sanctuary is 12 miles off the Peruvian coast. A speed boat takes you from Paracas in about 40 minutes. On the way you will have chance to take a picture of the Candelabro,  a giant geoglyph  (170 mts high) of unknown origin drawn on top of a sand mountain.  The boat will get very close to the Ballestas Islands for you to observe the animal population. However you will not go ashore.  You will observe sea lions, Humboldt penguins, starfishes and thousands of sea birds flying above you.  If lucky you can even spot some dolphins.

If you want to make it in just one day from Lima, it is advisable that you take the bus from Cruz del Sur leaving at 3:45 am in order to take the first boats leaving from the harbor at 8:30 am.  Then, it is preferable that you reserve your tour in advance through any tourist agency in Lima.  Otherwise, you arrive the day before and sleep in Paracas.

NATIONAL RESERVE OF PARACAS

This national park stretches over 828,000 acres, 35 % of which is land, mostly desert and islands. The rest, 65 % is sea with a extremely rich biodiversity.

What to do and see:

• The desert which millions years ago was under the sea and constitutes a Mars-like scenery.
•  The largest concentration of birds on earth which makes a great spot for bird watchers.
•  A museum displaying the remains of the ancient Paracas civilization which developed in the desert between 700 BC and 200 AD.  Among others you can appreciate 2000 years old textiles which colors defeat the passage of time as well as mummies with elongated skulls.
• A beautiful assortment of beaches along the coast which includes:  the Playa de la Mina with white sand and turquoise water and Playa Roja with red-colored sand due to its high concentration of volcanic rock. Playa Roja is considered the most beautiful beach of Peru.
• Adventure Sports such as paragliding, windsurf and kitesurf.

We recommend to explore the Reserve with a tour which will take you driving inside.  Really worth it!

Finally, for your stay in Lima don´t forget to check our Full Day Private Lima Tours.