Paracas is a small and cozy fishing village on the coast of the Pacific Ocean about 3 hours from Lima. When you first arrive, it seems there is only one street with hotels and houses on both sides. But don’t be fooled: the town is not that small and contains many surprises.
Here are some of the things you can explore in Paracas and they are enough to keep you occupied for at least several days. We personally stayed in Paracas for three days and enjoyed every moment.
Secret Slave Tunnels
If you are traveling by Peru Hop, this tour is included. The bus stops at Hacienda San Jose, a beautiful ranch between Chincha and Paracas. You will not only familiarize yourself with the colonial life of the Spanish, but find out some chilling details of illegal slave trade. The tunnels, through which slaves were secretly brought from ships to the ranch, stretch all the way to the ocean. You will only explore the ones under the house, but those are still enough to make your hair move.
FUN FACT: until recently, one of the food items in Chincha was cat! Yes, they ate cats! Some say, in certain areas the tradition is still alive!
Because the slaves, who were brought here, were usually illegal and untaxed, the owners had to make sure no one ever found them. Therefore, these people often never saw the daylight. They were divided into several categories. For example, certain women were only used for breeding. Don’t like your fate? There were plenty of punishment rooms to accommodate anyone who complained. There are still bones, real bones in those rooms, scattered on the floor.
At one point the guide asked everyone to shut their flash lights and phones and there we stood, in complete blinding darkness and total silence. In about 30 seconds it became almost unbearable. You can only imagine what those poor people went through. An ugly chapter of history, it still should be told.
The Paracas Candelabra
On the way to the Ballestas Islands, almost immediately after departure, the boat slows down to view a mysterious geoglyph. It is similar to the Nazca Lines, only it is not drawn on the ground, but etched into the face of a mountain. What is depicted there is still not certain: some see a candle holder (hence “candelabra”), some see a cactus, some suggest it is a Masonic symbol, or a trident (similar to Poseidon’s) of the Inca’s creator-god Viracocha.
Whatever it may be, it is impossible not to appreciate the sheer size of the figure: 595 feet tall. One can see it as far as 12 miles away. According to some carbon-dated pottery, found nearby, it is believed to have been created around 200 BC. But of course, no one knows the exact age of the figure. It may be a lot older than the organic materials found around it.
Why was it created? One of the interesting purposes of the Candelabra is that it was a signal for the sailors, just like Nazca Lines may have been signals to someone in the sky. Was it a marker for Viracocha (whose other name is Kon Tiki), who, according to the legend, departed westward across the Pacific Ocean and promised to come back? We’ll probably never know, but the mysterious trident that can only be seen from the water will continue to thrill our minds for years to come.
Islas Ballestas
Most of the tourists come to Paracas for Islas Ballestas, or the Ballestas Islands. There is a reason they are jokingly called “Poor Man’s Galapagos”: the abundance of marine wildlife occupying this tiny archipelago is simply astounding. You can see it for as little as $15 per person.
In the morning, a speed boat comes to pick you up at the marina, filled with fishing boats of all makes and sizes.
TIP: Take something warm to wear. It’s always colder on the water, and it’s going to be very windy, too, due to the speed of the boat. These boats are fast!
In twenty minutes, you find yourself in the middle of a group of islands, bustling with life. These islands are home to numerous species of birds, including the guano bird, Peruvian pelicans, cormorants, the blue-footed booby and the tendril. Small groups of Humboldt penguins scurry around in a funny awkward way. Seals and sea lions are relaxing in the sun on craggy rocks. It’s definitely Heaven for the animals!
The boat stops multiple times so you can enjoy the closeness to these beautiful creatures and watch them in their natural habitat. It’s a truly magical experience and one of the highlights of Peru. Don’t miss it!
FUN FACT: there is a group of specially trained people who collect the bird poop and sell it as fertilizer. It’s apparently a big business, but can you imagine the job? Phew! 😉
The Paracas National Reserve
The Ballestas Islands, as well as the adjacent shore are a part of a large piece of land known as The Paracas National Reserve. Both land and sea, it is an amazing natural park, hosting at least 168 species of fish, 10 species of reptiles, 36 species of mammals and more than 200 species of birds. A 2-hour long bus ride through the land of the Reserve is yet another free tour offered by Peru Hop.
The bus takes you to several breathtaking spots and look-out points. This territory was a sea floor once, but now this desert-like landscape has three distinct colors: red, yellow and gray, according to the minerals found in those layers. Red is solidified magma, yellow is pulverized shells, which make the desert sand and gray is volcanic ash. Every now and then you see strange bright white spots shining like snow in the sun. It is salt. Sometimes you see all four colors on the same mountain. It’s mesmerizing!
One of the coolest spots at the Reserve is the Red Beach, or Playa Roja, which consists of the same solidified magma, a reminder that this area had high volcanic activity in the past.
To fully enjoy the beauty of the Paracas National Reserve, come back by yourself. Rent an ATV or a dune buggy (you can also rent a bicycle, although it is more difficult because of the large distances) and venture out by yourself! The entrance to the park is only 10 soles and you can spend all day having fun in this spectacular environment.
The Paracas Skulls
The Paracas History Museum, also called the Juan Navarro Museum after its owner and director (until his passing in 2017), is located at the very end of Malecon de Chaco, across from the Marina Turistica de Paracas. The museum consists of a big room with adjacent hallways, where you will find a collection of tools (including medical instruments to perform brain surgeries!), fabrics and various artifacts from Paracas, Nazca and other local cultures.
Behind a wall there is another fun collection: money from all over the world! But the most interesting collection is the collection of the famous elongated skulls, the Paracas skulls.
The Juan Navarro Museum has about forty skulls on display. The interesting thing about these skulls is that the elongation appears genetic, comparing to the artificial elongation of the head: a result of so-called “head binding”.
There are many distinct differences between these skulls and human skulls: the volume of the heads is a lot bigger (and you will not be able to change the volume if you change the shape of the head artificially), some of the skulls are missing the sagittal suture (a connective tissue between the two bones of the skull), and so on. DNA testing was done on several of the skulls and the results were truly incredible.
One of the Paracas skulls is especially strange, a so-called Star Child. It is a small skull of a child and its features are anything but human!
Where We Stayed in Paracas
There are plenty of money-saving opportunities and inexpensive hostels. We stayed behind the main drag, on a quiet street, in a small private hostel named “Hospedaje Mary”. It looks like it is a recent construction, because everything was brand new and sparkling clean. There are probably only about 10 rooms, including dorms and private rooms, like ours. The owner, Mary, cooked breakfast every morning. A private room with private bathroom cost us $20 a night, which was truly a bargain.
Where We Ate in Paracas
For lunch I recommend to look for “menu del dia”, a lunch menu that includes an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert (and sometimes even a free pisco sour!) There are usually two or three choices of meals. At the street along the beach, Malecon de Chaco, there are tons of restaurants, and we chose one at the end, Karamba Restobar, where we had the full lunch (and it was enough food to share!) for 25 soles.
Among the appetizers was a delicious ceviche and entrees were enormous rice meals such as Chaufa, a Chinese inspired fried rice with fish or meat.
Some Other Restaurants Include:
Misk’i – Italian
Fruzion – coffee, milkshakes and ice-cream
Restaurant Paracas – Peruvian, 2-floor seating with a gorgeous marina view
Kokopelli – great place to have some late-night fun. Happy hour cocktail discounts, games and nightly entertainment. It is also a hostel, so it parties hard!
