"Dear Hot Expeditions, greetings from England and thank you very much for the days in Ica, Nazca Lines and Paracas National Reserve. James and I enjoyed the time under your guidance and keep fond memories of our visit to the central coast of Peru. Many thanks to Hot Expeditions!"
One of the most significant ecosystem on the world......
The primary focus of a visit to the reserve is a boat tour of the Ballestas Islands. Although the islands is called the "Peruvian Galápagos," after huge colonies of barking sea lions ("lobos de mar"), endangered turtles and Humboldt penguins, boobies, pelicans, turkey vultures, and red-footed cormorants.
During the summer months (Jan - Mar), baby sea lions are born, and the community becomes even more populous and noisy. The wall of the rocks like, cantilevered islands are literally covered with birds; 110 migratory and resident seabirds have been documented, and the bay is a stop over point in the Alaska-Patagonia migration route. Packs of dolphins are occasionally seen slicing through the water, and less frequently, humpbacked whales and soaring Andean condors can also be glimpsed. The islands are often referred to by locals as "las islas guaneras" because they are covered in bird droppings. (Guano is the Quechua word for excrement). The nitrogen rich guano is harvested every 10 years and made into fertilizer.
A factory can be seen on the first island.No humans other than the guano collectors are allowed on the islands, and all the species in the reserve are protected by law. It also brings plenty of sea food, which makes it one of the most abundant fishing areas in the world.
Birders flock to the reserve to see condors, pelicans and flamingos, Inca terns. Those interested in the marine life will see whales, dolphins, sea lions, called "lobos de mar'" or sea wolves, leatherneck turtles, hammerhead sharks and more.
The Ballestas Islands are smack in the middle of the Humboldt Current, which flows 3,220 km (2,000 miles) from Antarctica along the Pacific coastline. In the warm, shallow waters along the Peruvian coast, the current makes abundant growth of phytoplankton possible, which stimulates an ecological food chain that culminates in the largest concentration of birds on earth.
En route to the islands, boats pass the famous Candelabro, a giant, like drawing etched into a cliff overlooking the bay. The huge etching, 126 m long and 72 m wide (413×236 ft.), looks as though it could be a cousin to the Nasca Lines, and it is similarly shrouded in mystery. Some believe that it's a ritualistic symbol of the Paracas or Nasca cultures, while others contend that it dates only to the XVIIIth or XIXth century, when it served as a protective symbol and navigational guide for fishermen and sailors.
Most tours start early in the morning, between 7 and 8 am. Visitors are not allowed to set foot on the islands, although boats get close enough for good viewing. Windbreakers, hats, and sunscreen are essential.
