Sea lions on Paracas PeninsulaWe awoke to meet our first local guide and take our mini-bus out to the port where we would board a boat bound for Islas Ballestas. The two hour ride out to the islands was a chilly, windy affair bouncing across two foot swells on our 20 passenger speed boat. We were anxious to see our first real "sights" and were not disappointed as we marveled at the huge candelabra shaped figure carved into the sand of the Paracas Peninsula. Further on, we arrived at the islands and were greeted by a couple of playful sea lions who somersaulted through the waves nearby. The majority of the sea lions seemed oblivious to our presence, basking on the sandy shores and arguing over who was king of the nearby rock outcroppings. We were fortunate to observe a couple of Humboldt penguins as well, hiding shyly in the shadows of the guano-covered rocks above. Thanks to Islas Ballestas, Peru is one of the world's largest exporters of guano, used as fertilizer. Some unfortunate individuals live in basic shacks on the desolate islands and have the job of scooping the tons of guano into containers for transport out.
After the islands, we returned to shore for a bus to the other side of Paracas Peninsula. Here, we visited the Paracas museum where we saw skulls baring evidence of one of the first cultures to perform head trepinations and deformations. The museum also has one mummy and a sample woven burial cloth. Though the Paracas people were most famous for their weavings, the conditions at the small museum are not suitable to protect these 1500 yr old cloths so most have been shipped to the Archaelogical Museum in Lima for proper care. In the evening, we took another 3 hour Royal Class bus ride to Nazca. We arrived at a secluded hacienda, Hostal de la Borda, draped with flowers, and complete with a swimming pool.
We've used Adventure Life for several trips in the past and have always been very pleased with them. The staff is personable and professional at the same time. Erin put this trip together for us in just a few days, and it has everything we were looking for! I recommend them without hesitation.
benn
1 month ago
I served as the person responsible for planning a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu for a group of 14 people. Jane with Adventure Life was very helpful throughout the process. Making suggestions, offering insight, and in the end helped me overhaul an initial plan into something even better. Also, Jane makes all the plans including the flights within and between Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to her this is going to be a stress-free adventure. After making the final decision about the trip, Jane gathered the contact information for all the travelers and sent out the details to each traveler individually with links to pay deposits, upload passport info, and personal preferences. She also ensured a group email was sent out to the entire group welcoming us to the trip preparation process. Our trip is a year from now and we are excited to make this once in a life time trek. I am happy to have organized things through Adventure Life. However, two small issues came up that were a little off putting. First, Adventure Life adds $50 per person to the cost for each traveler as a donation to a Galapagos conservation fund. I think this should he offered as something that can be added at each traveler’s discretion. Instead, it is automatically added, and each person must ask to have it removed if they do not want it included. Second, although the trip deposit may be paid with a credit card without incurring an additional fee, the balance must be paid in another way to avoid a 3% credit card fee. Maybe this is standard with all travel agencies. In the end I would definitely go through Adventure Life for the next big trip.
Brenda Nielsen
2 months ago
I think it was very helpful that Franny and I spoke on the phone. I think she had a better idea of what we were looking for, and she planned a great itinerary for us!
Elizabeth
3 months ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
3 months ago
Easy.
Great work on the follow up and details by Waru.