Ballestas Islands Boat Tour: Explore Wildlife Sanctuary on Peruvian Coast

Embark on a thrilling boat tour to the Ballestas Islands, a wildlife sanctuary on the Peruvian coast. Observe sea lions, silly birds, pelicans, penguins, and other seabirds in their natural habitat.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • The Chandelier - We stop after navigating 10 minutes to be able to carefully appreciate a northern point of the Paracas peninsula. Where you can look at, photograph and film the Chandelier where the tour guide will briefly explain about the measurements, materials from the area and their possible origin.
  • Islas Ballestas - The navigation…
What's Included
  • Lifejacket
  • Official Tourism Guide
What's Not Included
  • Snacks
  • Admission fees
Additional Information

The journey to Ballestas Islands starts from El Chaco’s artisan and tourist pier. Our sea vessel carrying 02 outboard engines will shuttle us to the amazing Ballestas Islands, home to the most significant wildlife refuge on Peru’s coastline, where a variety of marine creatures such as sea lions, goofy birds, pelicans, penguins, and other oceanic birds…

Location
Travel agency Paracas Explorer
We will meet at our office 30 minutes in advance, to go to the dock to board. It is a 2-minute walk away.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(325 Ratings)
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1 star
Craigco2135ej
Oct 9, 2025
Good experience overall. - Great tour, guide was very informative and lots of animals. The tour was on time and the captain and guide were very interesting and had great attitudes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisako8534qy
Oct 6, 2025
Boat tour to the ballestas islands - We had an amazing time during the 2 hour boat tour to the ballestas islands from Paracas (with paracasexplorer). the guides knew a lot about the nature and the animals that we saw. We’ve seen penguins, sealions, red headed vultures and a lot of different types of birds. It was a great experience. Really recommend doing the tour when you are in Paracas.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
U1785owbrigittep
Oct 3, 2025
Ballestas Islands and Paracas reserve to do absolutely agency Paracas Explore at the top - Perfect agency to recommend. Welcoming, explanations, kindness, advice. Beautiful excursion, to do absolutely.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Offthemat
Oct 3, 2025
Relaxing boat trip and view nature in its brilliance - Loved this trip. Although it wasn't breeding season, many birds and pengiuns to be seen. We encountered a group of active seals on the return trip back to shore. It gets a bit chilly in open sea, so suggest to bring jackets and hats.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Taylor98w
Sep 29, 2025
Great trip. Definitely recommend - Great experience. Very knowledgeable guide and translated everything from Spanish to English. We got to see penguins and sea lions
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charles_b
Sep 22, 2025
Very cool, saw penguin,... - Very cool, saw penguin, sea lion, pelican and fantastic rock structures. Great way to spend 2 hours!
Review provided by Viator
Inspire52922486847
Sep 15, 2025
Excellent - Very nice experience in the Islands, and the best was the tour guide "Oscar" with his jokes and very good information. And I also thank Miss. Andrea who helped me book the tour, was very friendly throughout. Thank you very much paracas explores
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gabrielamn801ki
Sep 15, 2025
Super :) to dolphins we saw - Although we couldn't go to Ballestas Islands for the time, we went to Isla Blanca. Closer. But we saw everything. Sea lions, penguins, penguin babies, birds, some of them endangered, even a dolphin we saw :) and the symbol of the candlestick around. Our guide Oscar super well, explained everything in Spanish and English and gave many interesting details and thanks to Captain Roger for taking the ship
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dahooxe
Sep 13, 2025
Rough Ride but Worth It - We joined a boat tour to the Ballestas Islands, and even though the weather was cloudy, it was still an amazing experience. We saw plenty of wildlife—sea lions resting on the rocks, little penguins diving into the sea, and countless birds flying overhead. Along the way, we also passed by local fishermen at work and the famous Candelabro de Paracas geoglyph. The boat ride was a bit rough with some waves, so those prone to motion sickness should be prepared. Overall, a wonderful tour full of wildlife and scenery.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lizilangston
Sep 17, 2025
Lots of Wildlife - Good trip with a knowledgeable guide. We saw sea lions and a variety of seabirds including pelicans, cormorants, terns, boobys and penguins. However, from an environmental perspective I felt that the boats got too close to the sea lions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $20
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).