720. Peru Trip | Huacachina

During one of our days staying in Paracas, we took a day trip to Huacachina. I was really looking forward to this part of the trip because we were going on a sunset dune buggy tour. I've never seen the desert or sand dunes before and I was super excited. I loved the dune buggy ride a lot. It is such an adrenaline rush and I would do it every day if I could hahah.


Huacachina is an oasis. The town is pretty small. The main reason people come is for the dune buggy rides.






Ready for our desert adventure! So glad we got the front seats.





We stopped at a couple hills for sandboarding. I was nervous about trying it at first but then decided to go for it at the last minute. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of me sliding down.



Some drone shots!







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715. Peru Trip | Ballestas Islands + Paracas National Reserve

Paracas is a little resort area on the west coast of Peru. Here is a drone shot of the place. It was so windy when we went and we ended each day full of sand in our clothes and hair.

While planning our trip to Peru, we originally wanted to visit Huacachina to experience the sand dunes. After some research we decided to stay in Paracas as our base, since the accommodations there are a lot nicer than actually in Huacachina. They are about an hour drive away from each other.

We were here for 3 nights. One day was spent in Huacachina while the others were in Paracas. There isn't a whole lot to do there, so we were able to have a relaxing couple days. I really enjoyed everything we did. In Paracas, the main things are visiting Ballestas Islands to see wildlife in their natural habitat, and also driving around the Paracas National Reserve.



Our resort! It was the Aranwa Paracas Resort & Spa



View from our room.


Ceviche at the resort restaurant.

I wanted to try a local dish and ordered this "Mancha Pecho" which translates to something like "chest stain". I guess that means it's a messy dish. It was pretty good the first few bites but then I didn't like it so much. There were a lot of spices in it.




Nazca lines on the way to Ballestas Islands






We mostly saw a bunch of sea lions and birds there, and only one penguin (if you can find it)





If you look closely you can see the thousands (or millions) of birds standing on the mountain.



Back on land..some Xoloitzcuintli dogs

This lunch was really good but I remember it being really difficult for me to eat since it was so windy that my hair kept going all over my face..and the table was super high in proportion to the chairs so I could barely reach it lol.

On our last day we rented a mini buggy and drove around the Paracas National Reserve. I really loved this experience! The landscapes were amazing and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere at times. We also went up and down some hills. It was such an adrenaline rush.







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703. Peru Trip | Adventures in Paracas and Huacachina

We are currently in Paracas, leaving for Cusco tomorrow! We came over on a bus from Lima a couple days ago. The drive over was pretty interesting. We drove by a lot of small villages and slum-like areas. I like visiting/seeing places like these since they give a bit of a culture shock and I like seeing how different people live.

Our days here were spent doing different activities in the desert. It's my first time visiting a desert like this. I really loved it! & the activities were so much fun.


Scene from the drive over

We arrived in Paracas bus station. Our hotel/resort was just beside the station so we decided to walk over. It's in the middle of the desert though so there was a lot of sand and wind. During the few minutes we walked, my hair got all full of sand (actually it got full of sand each day we were here so far). In the photo above is a drone shot of Paracas.


A regional dish called "Mancha Pecho" which roughly translates to "chest stain". I guess that means it's a messy dish.


There were a lot of these on the road. I think most are taxis..maybe some are for personal use.

The next morning we went on our Huacachina adventure. I was really looking forward to dune buggy-ing in the desert as I've never done it before. It was sooo much fun and an adrenaline rush to ride up and down the dunes. We stopped at a few points for photos/drone-flying and sand boarding. I really loved this day overall.



This morning we had a tour around the Ballestas Islands, a series of islands full of wildlife (mostly sea birds, sea lions, and some penguins). We sailed around the area for awhile. It was interesting to see wildlife in their natural habitats. We only managed to see one penguin though.

Then we got a mini dune buggy tour around the Paracas National Reserve. I really loved this!! I enjoyed it more than the sand buggy at Huacachina since this was a more different experience and more of an adrenaline rush. We drove around the reserve, surrounded by beautiful landscapes. There were some hilly areas where we went up and down on the buggy..so much fun!! I definitely recommend this if you come to Paracas. This wasn't a tour we originally considered but I'm glad we did.

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