The 15 Best Ballestas Islands Boat Tours

1.Paracas, Ballestas Islands and Huacachina Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,100 reviews · 17 hours (approx.) · from $75Our pick

Paracas wildlife on Ballestas Islands, Pisco tasting at Ica's Pisco Nietto, and Huacachina dune fun on a long 17-hour day

“With a pick-up at 5am and drop-off at 11pm, it was a very long day, but it never felt that way. Comfortable bus, well-planned itinerary, relaxed pace. Fellow travellers were all relatively younger Latin Americans, so tour was almost entirely in Spanish (one of the guides would provide summary translations). Unique sights visited, not your typical Peru adventure.”

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2.Ballestas Islands Guided Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 731 reviews · 2 hours · from $17

A 2-hour eco boat ride from Paracas to Ballestas Islands, with the Candelabro stop and up-close sea lions plus Humboldt penguins.

“Marco, our tour guide personally would sit with us to translate and accept questions. The handlers took great care of us from arrival to getting us great seats on the boat - all during a busy holiday weekend.”

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3.Paracas Reserve, Slave Tunnels & Ballestas Islands Full Day

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 659 reviews · 18 hours (approx.) · from $98

Luxury bus day trip from Lima to Ballestas Islands and Paracas Reserve, with a 2-hour wildlife boat ride and Chincha slave tunnels.

“Be ready for a very long bus ride to and from. At least the bus was very comfortable. Most people slept both ways. The three events were interesting. The hi-speed boat ride to the islands was a lot of fun and we did see a lot of wild-life. Mostly birds and sea-lions. It was great to see them in their natural habitat. The tour of the Paracas Reserve had some good scenery, but be ready to see basically nothing but desert sand. Pretty desolate. This is where the desert meets the ocean and presented some good sites. The final event….the slave tunnels, was also an unexpected experience. It’s pretty much…”

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4.2 Day Tour from Lima: Paracas, Ballestas Island and Huacachina

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 472 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $149

Two days from Lima to Paracas, Ballestas Islands, and Huacachina, with luxury buses, speedboat wildlife, desert reserve tours, and dune fun.

“Amazing trip! Very well organized and get to see a lot in short time. The guides are amazing and the activities are great.”

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5.Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 356 reviews · 5 hours · from $60

Speedboat to Ballestas Islands for sea lions and penguins, then a van tour through Paracas National Reserve’s desert cliffs and maroon beaches.

“The best part was private tour in National reserve with the guide Pablo He is amazing guide and the trip was incredible. It is a must to see while you are in Paracas”

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6.Boat Tour of the Ballestas Islands in Paracas

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 333 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $20

Boat tour from Paracas to Ballestas Islands for sea lions, penguins and birds, plus the Candelabra. About 2 hours, from $20.

“Hassle free tour experience…very responsive staff. On time start and 2 hours of fun.. incredible views. Get little windy and cold in water. Keep light jacket and sunglass with you ( May trip). Must do trip”

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7.Ballestas Islands Morning Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 301 reviews · 2 hours · from $17

Morning speedboat from Paracas to Ballestas Islands, with El Candelabro views plus sea lions, penguins, and many birds, in 2 hours.

“Well organised and a great way to sea nature in its natural surroundings. Plenty of birds and sea lions to photograph and a very informative guide.”

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8.Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve from Paracas

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 228 reviews · 7 hours · from $34

Sea lions, penguins, and the Candelabro geoglyph, plus Lagunillas Beach and red sand in Paracas National Reserve.

“El tour se divide en 2 partes: primero fuimos en speedboat a las Islas Ballestas, donde vimos pingüinos y lobos marinos y El Candelabro. Tras volver a Paracas, nos recogieron para la segunda parte a la Reserva Natural de Paracas, donde hicimos paradas en varios spots para ver el paisaje. En la penúltima parada había opción de bañarse en el mar y en la última podías comer en un restaurante frente al mar. El tiempo para la parada de la comida fue muy limitado, debería ser algo más de tiempo. Andrea, la chica de la agencia fue muy amable con nosotros en todo momento, gracias!”

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9.Ballestas Islands and Candelabro Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 175 reviews · 2 hours · from $15Best value

2-hour Paracas speedboat to Ballestas Islands and the Candelabro geoglyph, bilingual guide, marine wildlife. Entry fees extra.

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10.Ballestas Islands tour all Inclusive

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 143 reviews · 2 hours · from $17

2-hour Ballestas Islands tour from Paracas with eco-friendly speedboat, bilingual guide, and Humboldt penguin spotting plus sea lions.

“It was incredible. Everything worked perfectly well and Lucio, our guide, was amazing! He is clearly passionate about his job and loves the Island. His English is also very good!”

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11.Ballestas & Huacachina Day Trip w/ Nazca Lines Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 117 reviews · 19h 30m · from $600

One brutal-long day that strings together Ballestas wildlife, a Nazca Lines flight, and Huacachina dune fun from Lima.

“I had a most wonderful time with an extremely reliable, competent and friendly team. The trip was tailered to my individual preferences as far as possible and additionally I was given high quality insights into the geography and economy of the area. Moreover the team provided a very safe environment and really very efficiently made the most of my time! Thank you so much!!!”

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12.Paracas & Huacachina- Day to Islas Ballestas & Sandboard

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 115 reviews · 14 to 15 hours (approx.) · from $79

A long Lima day trip to Paracas and Islas Ballestas, then Huacachina for dune buggy, sandboarding, and pisco tasting. Wildlife plus adrenaline.

“Tour was as described. have in mind this is a long trip but its worth the long ride. We loved it especially the buggy ride in the sand dunes our driver was a mad man we had so much fun”

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13.Ballestas Islands and Huacachina Sunset Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 113 reviews · 17 hours · from $65

Sunrise Lima-to-Ica day trip to Ballestas Islands for sea lions and penguins, then Huacachina dune buggies, sandboarding, sunset, pisco.

“Guide was just awesome!And tour so interesting and various”

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14.2-Hour Tour to the Ballestas Islands from Puerto San Martín

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 96 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $49

A 2-hour covered speedboat tour from Paracas to the Ballestas Islands, with lifejacket included, plus a quick stop for the Candelabra.

“Besides the very confusing information about the pick up location and time, we enjoyed the trip itself very much.”

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15.Ballestas, Nazca Lines & Huacachina Oasis

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 82 reviews · 14 to 19 hours (approx.) · from $550

From Lima, see Ballestas wildlife, fly over the Nazca Lines, and end in Huacachina. One long day with real highlights and tradeoffs.

“The trip was excellent from start to finish, exceeding all expectations. Jonathon our tour guide made the trip providing helpful tour & local information throughout. It was a long day with a lot packed in but all elements of the day added to the experience. A memorable highlight of our visit to Peru.”

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