Ballestas Islands Group Tour from Paracas

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Paracas, Peru

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

The Ballestas Islands in Paracas are an iconic Peruvian sight, but they can only be seen from a tour boat—unless you’re up for an 8-hour swim. Among the islands' usual inhabitants, which you may spot on this tour, are penguins, sea lions, and Peruvian boobies. Along the way, enjoy the view of the mysterious candelabra carved into the hillside, and perhaps offer your own theory as to its unknown origin. Speedboat transportation, pickup and drop-off from accommodations, and occasional bird guano included.

Paracas Peninsula and Ballestas Islands tour
Chance to spot wildlife in its natural habitat
Sail into natural caves (weather dependent)
Hats not included, but recommended to avoid bird droppings
Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off included

What's Included

All activities
Life jacket
English and Spanish-speaking guide
Speedboat trip to Ballestas Islands

Food and drinks, unless specified
Hats
All Fees and Taxes

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

JD ADVENTURE TRAVEL | Tours in Peru
lote 7B, Alberto Tataje Mz C, Paracas 11550, Peru

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Islas Ballestas (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

BRIAN_J

Smooth and straightforward experience from start to finish. Everything matched the description, and communication was clear and efficient. The staff was professional, and the overall setup felt organized and reliable. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something hassle-free.

Reviews

4.4

based on 40 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Smooth and...

BRIAN_J, Apr 2026

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you very much for your kind review! We’re really pleased to hear that you had a smooth and straightforward experience on the Ballestas Islands tour. It’s great to know that everything matched the description and that our communication and organisation helped make the trip easy and enjoyable for you. Our team always aims to provide a reliable and hassle-free experience for every traveller, so your words truly mean a lot to us. We hope to welcome you again in the future if you return to Paracas. Safe travels and thank you once again for recommending us!

Gorgeous experience, very unclear instructions

Stavros_T, Feb 2026

The experience itself was amazing! Got to see a penguin 🥹 and some beautifull sealions. The communication was quite bad tho.. I was at the pickup point all by myself at said time, 15 minutes later someone actually came to pick me up, to send me to someone else who then send me to again someone else who then to me I need to pay for a ticket to get into the harbour and tax which was just 10 soles or something, that wasn't really the problem just the lack of communication..

All options are the same experience, find the cheapest.

Mitchell_M, Jan 2026

Decent tour, their pre-trip communication was good, though your interactions with this specific company are limited. You meet at the travel agency office and they’ll escort you to the port where they’ll hand you off to a tour company which leads you to a boat of about 45 passengers. This can be a bit of a confusing process, and it feels like everyone’s trying to take their rake of the tourist’s money. This travel agency partners with a tour agency (JD Adventure travel) who facilitates the actual tour (this seems common for most companies, just find the best price or go to the port and start bartering). Additionally, you’ll pay s/11 to enter the national reserve area, s/5 as a port tax. I didn’t walk around downtown to find the best price, but this ($15/person on Viator + s/16 in admission ticket) seems good value from what I’ve heard from hotels and other travel agencies. I appreciated having Viator’s guarantee which avoids some of the sketchier vendors in downtown Paracas. The tour guide had some basic facts, but was mainly just helpful to point out animals/marine life. Journey: 10 min boat ride to a candelabra in the side of a mountain (Nazca lines-ish), 15 min more to the islands, 30 min circling around the islands, 30 min back to port.

Lots of fun!

Linda_L, May 2023

Our boat ride could not take place due to rough waters however it was replaced with sand buggy rides through the national reserve park, it turned out to be a very fun day with nice and helpful guides. Would definitely recommend!

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thank you for nice feedback!

Must do day trip, but may not need to go with tour

Xinfei_H, May 2023

If you can manage a day trip to Paracas island, this is something you must do. The island has rock formation and many bird/animals, it is a highlight of the trip to Peru. However there is a 16 Sole per person undisclosed charge at the port, you will have to pay it yourself. Actually there are many boats departure from the port, if you can manage to get the port yourself, you do not need to buy tour and your time will be more flexible.

Magical, breath taking, romantic, and expansive

Emily_B, Mar 2022

This tour was amazing! Definitely make sure to download WhatsApp if touring Peru. It makes conversing with your guides and restaurants very easy as everyone prolifically uses it here. Our guides coordinated with us through WhatsApp and made meeting at the pier easy and convenient. Additionally don’t be fooled by first impressions of Paracas, it may be a smaller less prominent town but the people truly care about their tourists. (Make sure to check out fuzion for their smoothies and sandwiches!!) This tour was hosted in both English and Spanish. The guide was a woman who was hilarious as well as informative about the history behind the area and it’s gorgeous tour locations. We truly enjoyed seeing the candelabra in person! It’s so massive!! It is only about fifteen minutes out to the candelabra, they stop for a few minutes, including turning the boat so everyone has a chance to see it clearly before moving on towards the Ballestas Islands. The islands are GORGEOUS!! Be aware, you certainly should wear sunblock and a hat with a tie to protect yourself from the sun and potential bird poops. 😂 The island was COVERED in sea lions, as we went in March during peak birthing/breeding season. We even saw penguins and sea lions swimming near our boat during our tour! There is definitely an aroma 😂 from all the bird poop, but it’s interesting to see how it’s intricately colored the islands. Additionally people live out here and scrap the poo by hand for agriculture uses in other countries. We then left the islands and jetted back to the pier. On our way back, we were even lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins! I would highly recommend this tour. The guides were great, the price even better, and the sights are life long memories of enchanting beauty. 🤗

Highly recommended

Lissy_D, Mar 2022

Our guide picked us up from the Hotel and drove us to the pier and helped us board the boat that took us to the Ballestas Island. The views are incredible and the boat lady guide was exceptional. It was a really nice experience.

This worked out well because they...

Iya_B, Apr 2018

This worked out well because they pick you up, organize your tickets and drive you back, but honestly you could just book the boat on your own. And overall, I learned that you can actually see the penguins and sea lions right off the coast of Lima and actually swim in the water and it's not as crowded - I would have preferred that to this.

No se presentaron

Juan_D, Nov 2023

La agencia no se presentó en el hotel para la recogida. Contacté por WhatsApp con ellos y no tenían la reserva. Me dijeron que no podían navegar a las Ballestas porque lo prohibía Capitanía del Puerto por el estado de la mar, que nos llevaban a la Isla Blanca; hablamos con Capitanía y nos dijo que estaban navegando con normalidad a las islas Ballestas. Intentaron justificarse con un documento de 5 días antes sobre el estado del mar que también prohibía la navegación a la isla que nos ofrecían. Cuando les expuse todos estos hechos probados documentalmente, me insistieron en su honestidad. Solicité la devolución del dinero y nos quedamos sin excursión. Ni se os ocurra.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Lamentablemente nos toca lidiar con cliente muy prepotente. Aquel día no hubo salida a las islas ballestas y le informamos y por fuerza mayor tuvimos que anular la actividad