Ballestas Islands Excursion

From your hotel you go to the jetty to get a boat to the Ballestas Islands, a half hour or so boat trip from the mainland. These islands are inhabited by boobies, pelicans, sea lions and penguins.

The wind and the sea have eroded the rocks into many arches and intriguing caves, these give the islands their name ballesta which means bow, as in archery.

The boat trip takes you around many of the islands allowing you to see the wildlife up close and if you’re lucky dolphins frolicking in the bay. These islands were once famous for the produce of guano (bird droppings), and there is a deserted factory visible on one of the islands.

You will also see the 128 metre high Candelabra that is etched into the land close to the cliffs. No one is sure of its origins, and there are many points of view as to its purpose, ranging from a signpost to the Nazca Lines, to a signal for pirates.