US$ 16 per person for the two-hour boat tour, including a bilingual Spanish–English guide and a life jacket. Dock fees and the marine reserve entry are charged separately at the pier. Local prices run roughly S/ 50 to S/ 80 per person, so check what a quote actually covers.

Departures are in the morning, when the sea is calmest. We meet at our Paracas office and walk over to the pier together. Confirm your exact time when you book — in high season the first departures sell out days ahead.

Two hours door to door: the run out, the loop around the islands, and the return to the pier. The boat doesn't sit still for long — it circles the rock formations so you get the wildlife from several angles.

You can go year-round. December to March brings calmer seas and warmer weather. June to September is foggier but the sea lion colonies are at their loudest. Humboldt penguins are there all year, with the strongest presence from April through November.

Yes — Humboldt penguins live on the Ballestas Islands year-round and you'll almost always spot some on the rocks. They're small and they blend into the guano, so bring a camera with decent zoom or a pair of binoculars.

Large sea lion colonies, Humboldt penguins, pelicans, cormorants, boobies and other guano birds. Dolphins turn up sometimes on the way out. Before the islands we pass the Candelabra, the 180-metre geoglyph carved into the peninsula hillside.

Not on this tour, and not in the Ballestas Islands at all — it's a protected reserve and landing or entering the water is prohibited. The whole tour is from the boat. If swimming is what you're after, La Mina Beach inside the National Reserve is where you can get in the water.

No. The Ballestas are a protected reserve and landing isn't permitted. The entire tour is done from the boat, navigating around and between the rock formations. That's why a zoom lens or binoculars makes a real difference.

The Port Authority can close the port for heavy swell or strong wind. If that happens we move you to the next available departure or refund you in full. We message you on WhatsApp as soon as the notice goes out.

Yes, though infants under 1 year aren't allowed on board. The boat is stable and everyone wears a life jacket. If you get seasick easily, take something 30 minutes beforehand and sit toward the middle of the boat.

A windbreaker — the boat is cold even in summer. Plus a hat you can secure, sunscreen, sunglasses and a camera. Leave loose hats and umbrellas behind; the wind takes them.

If you only have the morning, the two-hour tour is enough. If you have the day, the full day pairs the Ballestas in the morning with the National Reserve in the afternoon — Red Beach, La Mina, the Isthmus — for US$ 28 per person. That's twelve dollars for an extra half day.