Ballestas Islands from San Martin Port CRUISESHIP TERMINAL
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Paracas, Peru
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
If you’re landing at San Martin Port, don’t miss the chance to see the Ballestas Islands and their native wildlife. Observe penguins, sea lions, dolphins, and more during this short excursion. Take off in a speedboat and pass the famous Candelabra geoglyph that can be spotted on the hill, believed to be part of the mysterious Nazca Lines, before heading to the islands to explore the sea caves. Port pickup and drop-off is included.
- Explore the Ballestas Islands on a short excursion during your cruise dock
- Observe native wildlife such as penguins, sea lions, and dolphins
- See the giant Candelabra geoglyph carved into the nearby mountain
- Learn about the area and its history from your informative guide
What's Included
- Pickup and drop-off from San Martin Port.
- All activities and transportation in group.
- English and spanish speaking guide.
- Boat tour to Ballestas Islands.
- Personal Travel Insurance
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Entrance fee - Islas Ballestas$5.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Terminal Portuario General San MartínTerminal Portuario Gral. San Martín, Paracas, Peru
All our tours depart directly from San Martín Port—no cruise shuttle needed. We use modern, authorised transport and guarantee your timely return. Our team awaits you at the port entrance from 6:00 AM. Enjoy a safe, smooth, and worry-free experience from ship to shore.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.9:15 am
Itinerary
1
Las Islas Ballestas
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Most travelers can participate
- If your ship has a delay in arriving, we strongly suggest to notify us three to four days in advance so we can arrange a new pick up time. We also suggest you to keep checking your emails in case the pickup time changes.
- Printed travel voucher or E-travel voucher along with your passport or any ID its required before boarding (verification purpose only).
- 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
Reviews
4.7
based on 40 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Sylvie_S, Apr 2026
The boat ride was great! Fiorella and Captain Oscar are a great guides. We even saw two whales (mother and baby) on the way back. The weather was perfect. It truly was worth every penny. However, the "only land" experience was very mid. No food, no water. We were left to our own devices for about 30-45 mins, with nothing to do. Weird. That's why I'm removing one star. But the birds and sea lions are totally worth it.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you very much for your review and for sharing your experience with us. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the boat ride and that Fiorella and Captain Oscar helped make the trip special. Seeing whales, especially a mother and baby, is always a wonderful and memorable moment, and we are glad the weather was perfect for your visit.
Regarding the land portion of the tour, we would like to clarify that this tour does not include food or drinks. At the end of the Ballestas Islands excursion, our guide informed the group that there would be approximately 40 minutes of free time in Paracas. This time is provided so that visitors can walk around the town, explore a little more of the area, buy souvenirs, or choose a place to eat or drink if they wish.
In our tours we intentionally do not include meals, as this helps avoid any potential issues if a particular food does not suit someone. Instead, we prefer to give travellers the flexibility to choose where and what they would like to eat. Our guides are always happy to give suggestions, but we leave the final choice to each guest so they can enjoy something that suits their preferences. 🍽️
Thank you again for joining the tour and for your feedback. We truly appreciate it and hope to welcome you again in the future.
Michael_S, Mar 2026
Excellent boat tour of Candelabro and Ballestas Islands. Fascinating places. Unfortunately overall experience was not 5 star due to lack of organization. We met tour operator just after getting off of the ship right on the pier. Perfect. Took a while for them to figure out who was on which tour. But the big issue was when we finished the boat ride. We were supposed to be returned to the ship by the tour operator. Didn't happen. No one assisted us. Luckily we were able to figure out how to get to the shuttle bus provided by the cruise line. That issue needs to be fixed.
Jane_M, Dec 2025
An amazing tour, with a wonderful guide. Brenda is an absolute treasure. We only booked less than 24 hours ago. To have missed out on this experience would have been a travesty. We will return to Peru.
Susan_M, Dec 2025
Excellent tour with personable and competent guide. Met at the port right off the ship. Really enjoyed.
John_P, Nov 2025
An informative day with Marco, our guide, who pointed out each species of bird, several hidden marine creatures, and sea lions. The bus was waiting outside our ship and we left on time. It was a sunny, warm day but the advice to bring a jacket for the wind on the ride to the islands was good. We spent a nice long time floating around the islands to observe and photograph the animals. Seeing the Candelabra was a special treat and Marco shared several theories about its origin. At the end of the boat tour he brought a number of us to a very good restaurant for local seafood.
Dan_L, Sep 2025
Our guide was very eager to make the tour memorable to everyone, and it was. We would definitely recommend this tour.
Stephen_C, Feb 2025
We had a great tour. It took about two hours total. The boat ride to the islands was about 30 minutes each way. We saw lots of birds, including penguins and pelicans. We also saw hundreds of sea lions. The guide seemed quite knowledgeable.
Eileen_B, Dec 2024
Just a really fun tour best we had in the seventeen days we were gone. We saw Penguins, sea lions, some of the others saw whales, I missed that they were on the other side of the boat. The caves were so interesting to see what water can do to rock over the years. Great tour don’t miss this one.
Michael_M, Jul 2024
Great tour, fantastic communication and service. Boat ride was excellent, and we saw all the key things as promised.
Mary_S, Apr 2024
It was a great tour. Thoroughly enjoyed this cruise. We did get to see 3 penguins and lots of sealions.
Christin_C, Apr 2024
Had a wonderfully exciting and informative tour around the Islands to see marine life and unique rock formations. The boat was driven safely and allowed views for all passengers.
Mary_C, Mar 2024
The wildlife, scenery and candelabra were amazing. Weather was great.
The boats were clean, comfortable with life jackets on each seat.
Town had many restaurants and shopping stalls.
Arthur_M, Mar 2024
It was a great experience, however, the crowded and uncoordinated personnel at the dock was a mess. Waited over an hour to board boat. That’s not your fault though.
Lisa_R, Mar 2024
Well, we really liked this excursion. We saw lots of animals. Sea lions, penguins, crabs and multiple breeds of birds. It smells like bird poop. They actually have an industry on these islands of gathering the poop for fertilizer, which was interesting. It was HOT while we were waiting. Not a lot of shade unless you get lucky to be under the tent. A little hectic because this area is where the natives go to take water taxis too. The price was a good price although you can get for cheaper when you get there but you're not guaranteed someone who speaks English. If you speak Spanish or at least know a little it would help. I knew a little but it was too little. The boat is covered so no need for a hat. The driver was great. He knew how to maneuver around for the least amount of splash or bumpiness. He also got us into spot to see better without hitting an rocks, which gave us even better views. The driver was very accommodating by turning the boat around to give everyone an opportunity to take pictures and videos from each side. You can't go wrong with using Viator. I will say it was a little chaotic when we got to the port where the boat for this excursion took off so just have some patience and find some shade. Heat tends to get people more frustrated. I'm going to say I went in February and I've been on a lot of cruises and around part of the world and this by far was the HOTTEST trip we took. We were in Chile for 11 days then a took a cruise up to Miami for 16 days. HOT/MUGGY with no relief even in the shade. I would recommend and I feel for a stress free excursion this is a good price and way cheaper than the cruise price.
Rachel_G, Feb 2024
Had a wonderful time on this trip. The captain of our boat did a great job spotting sealions well before we got to the islands, and we even saw a couple of Humboldt Penguins.
Pick up was nice and smooth from infront of the cruise ship, and we were given the option afterwards of staying in Paracas and taking the cruise shuttle bus back, so I even got to spend a bit of time in the little town.
JudithEvelyn_A, Jan 2024
We say penguins and sea lions in the wild and many sea birds, however the organization at the dock was not good and needs to improve. We stood in the su for a long time before we got to the boat. Give out the tickets to get on the boat in the air condition bus ahead of time and then line up to get on the boat, however I would still recommend this tour.
nxwwqx2tf5, Dec 2023
What an experience got to see tons of sea lions penguins 🐧 lots of other wildlife. Carlos the tour guide was outstanding with information on the island and what the tour was all about.
Scott_S, Dec 2023
Seeing the penguins, seals, birds, crabs, and starfish was amazing. My wife and I enjoyed this tour.
VALERIE_B, Dec 2023
This tour was great, as they picked us up at cruise port and took us to boat. The two places it went were wonderful so close to see. The boat was fast.
Timothy_W, Aug 2023
Excellently taken care of. Pickup very easy and guide did a great job.
Would definitely use Viator again.
John_D, Dec 2022
This was a very great trip exploring the outer islands off of Paracus. A lot of great birds, sea lions, etc.
The crew and guide were fantastic. The town was great to wander around and have a drink or a bite to eat
DAVID_O, Jan 2020
Great tour one of the best and one of the cheapest we have ever taken. Cold and windy on the speedboat out to the island - wear a jacket and wear shoes with good traction as getting in and out of the boat is touchy. A million birds and dozens and dozens of sea lions everywhere on the 3 little, rocky islands. The islands themselves are fascinating - multiple rock arches and tunnels. Very jagged. Sea lions draped all over the rocks - how do they get up so high? We only saw about 6 Humbolt penguins but so many other birds- and some with their babies- that the few penguins did not disappoint. The guide did a good job of informing us about the different birds and the history of the islands. The place stinks from all the guano - be prepared. Cost about 1/3rd what the same tour from the cruise costs. Do not miss this one!
Travelman69Northants, Nov 2019
A well organised tour out to the islands, Comfortable boat, easy to see and photograph the birds and seals. Good commentary in English.
HENRY_Z, Mar 2019
The trip to the island was fantastic. Our guide was informative and easily understood. The only reason it was not given an excellent was because the return to the ship was disjointed. Instead of being delivered directly to the ship, we had a cab to a shuttle bus.
stephen_w, Apr 2018
Very interesting, and unusual wildlife experience well organised and less than half the price for exactly the same trip on the cruise ship.
Carol P, Mar 2018
They picked us up in a van right outside the ship and took us directly to the port where we boarded a small boat that held about 20 people. It was a smooth ride as we passed the Candelabro and then headed out to the Ballestas Island. The captain could get the boat near the islands so we could see the many sea lions, penguins and caves. We also saw flocks of thousands of cormorants as they dove for anchovies.The guide on the boat shared a lot of information about the islands. I would definitely do this boat trip again.
Sharon d, Mar 2017
We absolutely loved this tour! We had no idea that we would see so many birds and sea life. We were on a cruise and we were picked up where we disembarked from the ship. Everyone loved this excursion. It turned out that it was one of the highlights of our trip. It's definitely a "must do".
Johnny_H, Nov 2016
Great tour, seeing all the various birds, sea lions, and penguins was a great experience.
Lucie_A, Dec 2025
The duration of the excursion was more than 4 hours, because on our return to the port, the guide gave us 2 hours in the town of Paracas to walk and shop. The visit to Ballestas Island was very interesting and appreciated. Our guide Marco even stopped us in another peninsula to take pictures of the beautiful scenery before we returned to the boat.
Auto-translated
From $50.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Ballestas Islands from San Martin Port CRUISESHIP TERMINAL
40
2 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$50.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- Sporting Events
- Water Tours
- Jet Boat Rentals
- Extreme Sports
- Full-day Tours
- 4WD Tours
- Historical Tours
- Tickets & Passes
- Cruises & Sailing
- On the Water
- Day Trips
- Outdoor Activities
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Private and Luxury
- Cultural Tours
- Paracas
- Sporting Events - Ica
- Water Tours - Ica
- Extreme Sports - Ica
- Full-day Tours - Ica
- 4WD Tours - Ica
- Historical Tours - Ica
- Sporting Events - Nazca
- Extreme Sports - Nazca
- 4WD Tours - Nazca
- Historical Tours - Nazca
More attractions near Paracas, Peru