Paracas is a small bay about 250 km south of Lima with a lot packed into a few kilometres: a boat trip to islands full of sea lions, a protected desert coastline with red and turquoise beaches, a fishing village turned boardwalk, and, floating in the bay itself, the largest inflatable water park in South America. Here are ten plans with an indicative price where a source publishes one, the time each takes and a practical tip.

1. Ballestas Islands boat tour

A two-hour speedboat ride from the El Chaco pier to islands that belong to the National Reserve System of Islands, Islets and Guano Points. You see colonies of South American sea lions, Humboldt penguins, boobies, pelicans and guanay cormorants, and the boat stops at the Candelabro geoglyph on the way. Nobody lands on the islands.

Price: the standard tour costs S/40 to S/55 per person (indicative, Yakupark guide), plus a S/5 boarding tax and the S/11 SERNANP entrance fee, both paid at the pier. Time: two hours, with departures at 8:00, 10:00 and 12:00. Tip: take the 8:00 a.m. boat, which has the calmest sea. Prices, fees and what to bring are in the Ballestas Islands guide.

2. Paracas National Reserve

A protected area of 335,000 hectares, 65 percent of it sea, where the desert drops straight into the Pacific. The entrance is the Santo Domingo checkpoint, about 5 km from El Chaco or 10 to 15 minutes by car. The north circuit runs past Supay beach, the La Catedral viewpoint, Playa Roja (red sand of volcanic origin), La Mina, El Raspón and Yumaque. La Mina, with calm turquoise water sheltered by cliffs, is the beach for swimming; El Raspón next door is smaller and quieter; Yumaque is 2 km long and generally open for swimming.

Price: S/11 per adult and S/3 for minors from 5 to 16 for one day; S/17 for the promotional ticket that also covers the Ballestas Islands (SERNANP). Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Time: half a day; peru.travel puts the drive around the circuit at 90 minutes to 2 hours. Tip: SERNANP allows bicycles and ATVs on the north circuit, and the combined Ballestas plus reserve tours (S/90 to S/130, indicative) cover it in an afternoon if you have no car.

3. Yakupark Paracas: the inflatable park on the sea

A floating obstacle circuit anchored in the bay in front of El Chaco, with 34 attractions: giant slides, trampolines, catapults and climbing walls. A boat takes you from the shore to the circuit. Life jackets are included and mandatory, the staff are trained in water rescue, and you do not need to know how to swim.

Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., payment by Visa, Yape or Plin. Time: from 45 minutes to the whole day. Tip: go in the morning, because the afternoon wind can affect the park, and buy online for holidays and long weekends. Details on the Yakupark Paracas page; tickets on the ticket page. WhatsApp +51 913 764 436.

4. Parasailing over the bay with YakuFly

YakuFly is the parasailing service of Yakupark Adventure. You board a speedboat at the El Chaco pier, take off from a platform on the boat, fly over the bay with the reserve in view, and land back on the boat. Touching the water is optional. Flights run in fixed slots: 8, 9, 10 and 11 a.m. and 2, 3 and 4 p.m.

Price: S/200 for a solo flight, S/350 for two on the same parachute, S/499 for three, IGV included; the GoPro photo and video pack is S/50 per flight and a companion who rides the boat without flying pays S/35. Time: arrive 15 minutes before your slot; each departure needs a minimum of 5 passengers and takes up to 14. Tip: minimum age is 10 (with a legal guardian until 17) and weight must be between 40 and 160 kg. You can reschedule free up to 24 hours before, and if the wind is unsafe the flight is moved or refunded in full.

5. El Chaco pier and boardwalk

El Chaco is the village where almost all of Paracas tourism happens: a 1 km boardwalk between the sea and a line of restaurants, with the pier at its north end and the Yakupark entrance at the south end. You can walk it end to end in 15 minutes. Along it there is a small artisan market with textiles, shells and jewellery, tour agencies for the islands, and BCP and BBVA cash machines on the boardwalk and the main square.

Price: free. Time: one hour. Tip: local fishermen take visitors out at 6:00 a.m. for artisanal fishing, according to the El Chaco guide; ask at the pier the day before.

6. Where to eat in Paracas

The dishes are ceviche and jalea made with the day’s catch from the bay. The Yakupark restaurant guide only lists places it could verify in an independent source:

• El Ancla, on the El Chaco boardwalk: fish and seafood with the bay in front of you.
• Pukasoncco Arte y Restaurante, inside the village in the José de San Martín neighbourhood: Peruvian classics with a vegetarian section and vegan options.
• Hotel restaurants: El Coral at La Hacienda Bahía Paracas, with a view of the bay, and Brisas Nikkei and Veranda at the Aranwa Paracas Resort. Their websites do not say whether they serve non-guests, so ask before you go.

Price: menus are not published by the sources, so none is given here. Time: one to two hours. Tip: on weekends and holidays have lunch early, between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m., because the tables with a sea view fill up fast. Menus and hours change; the full list is in the Paracas restaurant guide.

7. Sunset on the bay

The pier and the boardwalk face west across the bay, and the light on the moored boats is the reason the El Chaco guide calls a ceviche on the pier at sunset the one thing not to miss. It costs nothing and takes an hour.

Tip: get to the pier 30 minutes before sunset, and bring a jacket. The Paracas wind blows hardest in the afternoons between August and November.

8. Side trip to Huacachina

Huacachina is a lagoon in the middle of the desert near the city of Ica, ringed by dunes and by shops, restaurants, bars and hotels. People go for the dune buggies and sandboarding. The Yakupark English guide puts it about an hour further south of Paracas, and the Spanish guide says the lagoon, the pisco wineries and central Ica are all under an hour and a half away.

Price: not published by the sources. Time: half a day to a full day. Tip: a rental car makes it easy to add the pisco wineries; some full-day tours from Lima include both the Ballestas Islands and Huacachina in one long day.

9. Kayaking on the bay

The water inside the bay is calm in the morning. peru.travel lists kayaking in the calm water of the Paracas National Reserve as one of the things to do, and SERNANP includes kayak among the activities allowed in the reserve. The same peru.travel page recommends windsurfing in the afternoons, when the wind is stronger, and notes that the oceanfront hotels offer kitesurfing and sailing.

Price: neither source publishes one; rentals are arranged locally. Time: one to two hours. Tip: paddle in the morning and leave the wind sports for the afternoon.

10. A family day in Paracas

Everything below is within walking distance of the El Chaco pier except the reserve.

• 8:00 a.m.: Ballestas Islands tour. Life jackets are mandatory on board; SERNANP charges S/3 for children from 5 to 16 and nothing under 5.
• Late morning: the boardwalk and the artisan market, or a taxi to La Mina beach in the reserve for calm water.
• Early afternoon: Yakupark. Kids tickets are S/35 for 45 minutes or S/60 for 90 minutes; the park has zones watched by lifeguards and no one needs to know how to swim.
• Afternoon slot: a YakuFly trio flight (S/499 for three) for children aged 10 and over with a parent.
• Sunset: ceviche on the boardwalk.

Tip: if you want a cultural stop, the Julio C. Tello site museum shows the Paracas funerary textiles; peru.travel lists the entrance at roughly S/7.50 for adults and S/1 for school students.

FAQ

How many days do you need in Paracas?

Two full days cover the essentials: the Ballestas Islands and Yakupark on one, the National Reserve and the boardwalk restaurants on the other. Add a day for Huacachina.

What is the best time of year to visit Paracas?

December to April, with 22 to 30 °C and the warmest sea, is best for Yakupark and the beaches. The rest of the year is sunny almost every day, with 14 to 22 °C in winter. The wind is strongest in the afternoons from August to November, so plan boats and the park for the morning.

How do I get to Paracas from Lima?

By bus, car or full-day tour along the Panamericana Sur: about 250 km and 3.5 to 4 hours. Direct buses from Cruz del Sur, Oltursa and Soyuz/PerúBus start at around S/35. All options are in the guide Lima to Paracas: how to get there.

Can I do all of this without a car?

Almost. The islands, Yakupark, YakuFly, the boardwalk, the restaurants and the sunset are all on foot from the El Chaco pier. The reserve needs a tour, a taxi or a bicycle, and Huacachina needs a car or a tour.