11 FUN things to do in Paracas, Peru

Last updated on March 8th, 2025

Discover 11 fun things to do in Paracas, Peru, from seeing wildlife, exploring colorful beaches, and more!

Paracas is known for its plethora of marine wildlife (at an affordable cost!), plus golden hills and cliffs that clash against the area’s vibrant blue sea. It’s unlike anywhere we have ever been!

And after spending over two weeks trekking in the Andes Mountains, visiting Paracas was a nice change of pace. We spent some days hanging by the pool, while others were spent zipping through the water in search of penguins or riding bikes through a desert coastal paradise. It was the perfect mix of relaxing and adventure!

Ready to experience this unique destination for yourself? We’re sharing 11 things to do in Paracas, including fun tours, the best local eats, and more!

11 FUN things to do in Paracas, Peru

1. Ballestas Islands Boat Tour

The Galapagos Islands are still one of the top places we hope to visit one day, but if you’re like us, it’s a bit out of budget. Thankfully there is another option available in South America that is much friendlier to the wallet, the Ballestas Islands.

These small islands, located off the coast of Paracas are nicknamed the “Poor Man’s Galapagos,” due to their plethora of wildlife, but at a much more affordable cost. And visiting here is easily one of the most popular things to do in Paracas!

These islands are a magnet for wildlife due to the Humboldt current. This cold current pulls up water from the ocean floor, bringing both lower temperatures and nutrients to the surface, making it an ideal feeding zone for fish, which also brings larger predators. 

Here you can find sea lions, many bird species, and our favorite, Humboldt Penguins. And if you visit at the right time of year (between August and October) you can even spot humpback whales!

The best way to experience the Ballestas Islands is on a 2 hour boat tour. You’ll hop on a super fast boat with about 30 other people and zoom out to the islands. It takes about 30 minutes to get out to the islands and once you’re there, the boat will zig zag between the small islands for 30-45 minutes. 

As you cruise around, you’ll get to admire the cool arches and rock formations, plus super bright blue water, all while a narrator provides info (in Spanish and English) about the islands and its wildlife. During our cruise we saw at least 5 sea lions, too many birds to count, giant crabs, and 2 absolutely adorable Humboldt Penguins.

2. Explore the Paracas National Reserve

Located on the peninsula west of Paracas is the Paracas National Reserve. Similar to the Ballestas Islands, Paracas National Reserve is home to lots of wildlife. But what really makes it stand out is the stark contrast of scenery. It’s where the desert meets the sea and here you have endless views of golden cliffs and hills, which contrasts beautifully against the bright blue ocean waters.

Throughout the Paracas National Reserve you can find viewpoints, beautiful beaches to admire, the small fishing village of Lagunillas, and more! Here are the major highlights we suggest checking out:

How to visit the Paracas National Reserve

The Reserve can be experienced through a guided tour, either by vehicle or in mini dune buggies, or on your own, via bike or scooter. 

We chose to explore the Paracas National Reserve on our own, so we could go at our own pace. And we chose to go by bike, mostly because we love riding bikes and our hotel offered free bike rentals. 

In hindsight, we wish we would have rented a scooter. While it was mostly enjoyable, it was much hillier than we thought, plus the road was very bumpy at times. That combined with the heat, wind, and 100% sun exposure made for some tough riding conditions. We intended to complete this route, but ended up cutting it short.

On one particularly bumpy stretch we were passed by a couple riding a scooter. We thought to ourselves, “man I wish that was us!” If that sounds more fun than struggling on a bike, you can rent scooters for the day from Playa Roja Tours in Paracas.

Important to know: There is a S/11 fee (~$3 USD) to enter the Paracas National Reserve. Also, helmets are required for bikes and we’d also make sure you get a lock, just in case.

3. Enjoy fresh seafood

Since Paracas is a fishing village you can expect to find very fresh seafood! The promenade along the beach and streets leading to it are lined with loads of seafood restaurants.

And one must-try seafood dish in Paracas is tiradito. Tiradito is a traditional Peruvian dish with raw fish, cut like sashimi, and served with a tangy aji based sauce. It’s similar to ceviche, served with sweet potato, huge corn kernels, and onions, but has a slightly different flavor. 

We originally wanted to try tiradito at Valhalla, but they were unexpectedly closed for the night, so we went to Milla Cero instead, which was a great Plan B!

4. Eat at a local cafe or restaurant

Besides seafood, Paracas has a handful of other delicious restaurants to choose from. And our absolute favorite was Triple C! They serve amazing arepas (get the pabellón), empanadas, and fruit juices. We went here multiple times because we loved it so much!

Besides Triple C, another staple spot for us in Paracas was Puerto Specialty Coffee. It’s a small coffee stand on the main street in town that serves a delicious flat white, plus great yogurt bowls and avocado toast for breakfast. It’s the perfect quick stop before a day of exploring!

A few other popular restaurants in town are Pizzeria Venezia, Waikiki Pizza Bar, Café Cola’o, and Pukasoncco. 

5. Go on the Golden Shadows Trek

One of our favorite memories from our time in Paracas was watching the amazing golden sunsets. While you could watch the sunset from anywhere in town, for an elevated sunset experience, check out the Golden Shadows Trek in the Paracas National Reserve. 

This 4 hour tour takes you through the Paracas National Reserve during the hours before sunset. Even if you have visited the reserve already, don’t skip this tour, as it will take you to a different area than before. Along the tour you’ll stroll through the reserve, before watching the golden light drench the landscape from a beautiful overlook at sunset. You may even have the chance to see a pink salt lagoon and flamingos as well!

6. Try kitesurfing or paragliding

One of the most adventurous things to do in Paracas is to try out paragliding or kite surfing. This area gets 300 windy days per year (which we can attest to!), which provide great conditions for these adventure sports.

There are several kite surfing schools and rental shops in town, like Kangaroo Kite and KiteSurfingPeru that can teach you how to kite surf or rent you the gear for a good price.

7. Stay at a nice hotel

Want to treat yourself? Stay at a nice hotel!

For being such a small coastal town, Paracas has a good handful of really nice resorts to choose from. And if you have a few days to spend, one of the best things to do in Paracas is to stay at one! We loved having a couple days to lounge out, drink fruity drinks, and swim in a pool.

During our time in Paracas we stayed at Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort. And we completely fell in love with this place! Our room was so nice and spacious, with a big comfy bed, a huge bathroom with two sinks, a shower and a bathtub, plus an amazing patio that we enjoyed reading at, working, and drinking coffee.

But besides the room, the property itself is gorgeous, with two outdoor pools, an indoor pool and a gym, a couple restaurants, an AMAZING breakfast buffet, and different activities and rentals, like bike rentals, kayaks, and stand up paddle boards.

And the best part? We stayed here 100% for FREE! When we signed up for one of our favorite travel credit cards we were able to get 5 FREE nights (50,000 points per night) at one of their properties. And with that, plus 14,000 extra points, we were able to stay here for $0 out of pocket. However, the resort isn’t all inclusive so we had to pay for all meals here, which are pricier for Peru.

This isn’t the only nice resort in town though. We’re sharing a couple more resort options, plus some affordable lodging choices below!

8. Head to Huacachina

Located just about 1.5 hours from Paracas is Huacachina, which is home to the highest sand dunes in South America, plus the only natural oasis on the continent. 

Here you’ll find a lagoon, surrounded by a small town and massive sand dunes. While it’s a very touristy place to visit, in our opinion, it’s still worth a visit. Here you can go on dune buggy tours, sandboard and sand tube, paddle boat on the lagoon, and go glamping on the dunes, which was our favorite experience of them all! 

While you could book a day trip to Huacachina from one of the many providers in Paracas, we think it’s an easy destination to visit on your own. You can hop on the Cruz Del Sur bus in Paracas and spend a day (or stay the night!) exploring the dunes and lagoon. To learn more about Huacachina, including how to get there and additional things to do, check out this guide!

9. Visit Laguna de Morón

For an alternative to Huacachina, check out Laguna de Morón! Don’t let the name dissuade you, this lagoon looks pretty spectacular. Unlike Huacachina, which is very touristy and busy, Laguna de Morón is still a hidden gem in Peru. Here you can find a lagoon tucked into sand dunes with water that is clean enough to swim in, which we can’t say the same for in Huacachina.

Since this spot is still pretty under the radar, there aren’t a ton of tour options quite yet. To get there, we would suggest hiring a taxi or talking to a local company in town and seeing if they can arrange something.

While we wouldn’t totally skip Huacachina to go here, as the dunes and activities in Huacachina are better, it would make for a great bonus stop!

10. Go on a Pisco Distillery Tour

Paracas is located 30 minutes south of Pisco, Peru. And if you’re a fan of the Peruvian national drink, the pisco sour, then one of the best things to do in Paracas is go on a pisco distillery tour!

Interestingly, the dry desert of southwest Peru has an ideal climate for growing grapes. On this tour you’ll be able to tour both a pisco distillery and winery. While the tour technically leaves from Ica or Huacachina, you could take a bus or taxi from Paracas to Pisco to start the tour.

11. See the Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines are a set of mysterious geoglyphs created in the Nazca desert, similar to the Candelabra on the Ballestas Islands tour. There are hundreds of these figures drawn in the sand spread over 190 square miles. And just like the Candelabra, no one knows what the purpose of these lines are, but they date back over 2,000 years.

The best way to see the lines is from the air. This tour is pretty pricey for how short it is, but if seeing these lines with your own eyes is on your Peru bucket list, it may be worth it!

Planning your trip to Paracas

How to get to Paracas

Paracas is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, about 4 hours south of Lima. Getting to Paracas is very easy and the most popular way is to take a bus. There are a variety of bus lines that leave about every hour from Lima, with the most common being Cruz del Sur and PeruBus. It was a very affordable ride at only $17 for the both of us (one way) in October 2024.

We chose to ride with Cruz del Sur and would recommend it! On the bus there is air conditioning, the seats are spacious and comfortable, with good cushion. There is a bathroom on board and the quick glimpse we took, it didn’t look bad. Our only complaint is that there are no outlets, so make sure to bring a charger if going for a longer ride!

When arriving in Paracas, the bus station is walking distance to town, but you may want to get a taxi to your accommodation, depending on how far of a walk it is.

You can also take a day trip from Lima, where your transportation (and tours) will be handled for you. However, this will make for a very long day of driving and you’ll only be able to visit two of the best things to do in Paracas, the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve.

Getting around Paracas

The town of Paracas is very walkable! It isn’t very big and there are sidewalks in most areas. We personally walked everywhere, minus from the bus station to our resort, but if you find yourself needing a ride, there are taxis and tuk tuk drivers. 

When is the best time to visit Paracas?

What’s great about Paracas is that it’s a great place to visit year round. It gets very little rainfall and the temperatures stay pretty consistent. The warmest months of the year are January through March and the coolest are June through September. 

Even though Paracas is a year round destination, there are some months when it gets busier, like March-May. Accommodation prices might be higher and the town will be more crowded, so make sure to book hotels and tours earlier.

We personally visited in October and it was perfect! While we could’ve had slightly hotter weather for the pool, it was mostly sunny, warm, and the crowds weren’t bad.

How much time do you need in Paracas?

While some people will just take a day trip from Lima, we personally would suggest spending more time in Paracas. It’s quite a drive to get there and you would be spending most of your day in a van or bus.

Instead, we think you should spend 2-3 days, to experience most of the best things to do in Paracas, without rushing. This gives you a day to go out to the Ballestas Islands, plus a day to experience the Paracas National Reserve, with time to relax in between. Especially if you’re at a nice resort!

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