Ica, Peru

Ica to Ballestas Islands to Lima

Javier picked us up at 6:30 in the morning at our Hotel Las Flores in Ica to take us to the Ballestas Islands Boat Tour in Paracas. We headed north to Paracas about an hour away, but we only got ¾ of the way there when we ran into a roadblock and had to make a huge detour. Javier was really racing against time to get us to the boat. Edourado was already at the boat and had made all the arrangements to get us on the boat by holding it until we arrived. It was a pretty tense time but thanks to everyone we made it. We set out from the dock on a very full turbo boat, all decked out in our life jackets and headed out to sea. On the way to the islands, on the Paracas Peninsula, we saw El Candelabro, a large-scale geoglyph. Although the exact age of the Candelabra geoglyph is unknown, archaeologists have found pottery around the site dating back to around 200 BCE. This pottery likely belonged to the Paracas people, although whether they were involved in the creation of the geoglyph is not known. The reason for the Candelabra's creation is also unknown, although it is most likely a representation of the trident, a lightning rod of the god Viracocha, who was seen in mythology throughout South America. It has been suggested that the Candelabra was built as a sign to sailors, or even as a symbolic representation of a hallucinogenic plant called Jimsonweed. The Paracas Peninsula is a desert peninsula within the boundaries of the Paracas National Reserve, a marine reserve which extends south along the coast. The only marine reserve in Peru, it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We then sped further out to sea to visit the Islands. Composed largely of rock formations and covering an estimated area of 0.12 square km, these islands are an important sanctuary for marine fauna like the Guanay Guano bird, the Blue-Footed Booby, Cormorants and the Tendril. Other notable species include Humboldt Penguins and two varieties of seals (fur seals and sea lions), among other mammals.

Once we reached the islands, we saw several arches in the rocks. As we motored closer, we could see the Humboldt Penguins and then we saw lots of sea lions lying all over the rocks. We saw Cormorants with red bills and red feet which did not make them any more attractive. The Ballestas Islands are known by many as the Peruvian Galapagos. Some people say that one can see larger concentrations of birds and mammals on the Ballestas Islands than on the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador.
As in the Galapagos Islands, Paracas Peninsula also has its share of fascinating endemic and highly localized birds and mammals associated to the Humboldt Ocean Current. The birds and animals concentrate here due to the presence of the Humboldt Current, considered the most productive marine ecosystem in the world, as well as the largest upwelling system. Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water. Depending on the presence and availability of massive schools of sardines, anchovies and jack mackerel, the Humboldt’s current provides a most fascinating spectacle in watching flocks of mixed species of sea birds on a feeding frenzy. Blue-footed Boobies, Peruvian Pelicans, and Peruvian and South American Terns perform spectacular dives for fish of different sizes. Guanay Cormorants, dive-chase the fish while Inca Terns, Kelp and Band-tailed Gulls benefit from the leftovers and what can be taken from other fishing birds. Before the invention of synthetic fertilizers, guano from bird droppings was an essential agricultural fertilizer and. Peru was the biggest producer in the world, due to the large nesting bird populations of the Humboldt, Current and the arid climate´s ability to preserve the guano. A hundred years ago, the government took over management and sustainably manages the guano production, monitoring the bird populations and rotating guano extraction through the islands every few years

We returned to mainland and started our return to Lima. Javier was still our driver and we had a very enjoyable trip back to our hotel near the airport, Palmetto La Perla. We had dinner at the hotel on the top floor and repacked for our plane ride the next morning to Arequipa.Read more