Finding some Sun and Penguins in Paracas

Paracas is a small town on the coast of Peru about three and a half hours south of Lima. Often, during Lima's cloudy winter (surprisingly sunny so far this year), Paracas is sunny and slightly warmer. We made the trip down for a long weekend with the primary purpose of seeing some penguins, which can be seen on the Islas Ballestas, off the coast of Paracas. Mission accomplished.

We stayed at the DoubleTree Resort in Paracas. It was a very nice hotel. The weather was a little cool, but their jacuzzi, which was really a bathwater warm still pool, was ideal. The Little Lady loved it. After she got comfortable, she even took to the air.

Staying at the resort was a nice break. We didn't need to leave the property for anything but the penguin tour. I enjoyed that since it made the planning easy for me, a rare break from the logistical pressures of living abroad.

We rode the bus from Lima to Paracas. Buses, at least those of the highest quality in Peru, are fabulously comfortable. We had seats that reclined almost to flat. Personal entertainment systems. Decent food. While the chance of dying in an accident on Peru's notoriously dangerous highways is not completely negligible, one would at least start in a very comfy seat. Fortunately, we had no mishaps and arrived safely to Paracas and back, with the trip going as scheduled both ways.

Our main reason for the trip was for the LL to see some penguins. She has a book about a family of penguins who live on the west coast of Peru. And ever since we started talking about coming to Peru, she wanted to see the penguins. I had no idea at that time whether there was a place where one could easily do that. But it turns out that the Ballestas Islands are such a place. So we took the $25 tour from Paracas to the islands. You ride out on a speedboat for about 30 minutes, spend over an hour moving from island to island to see various wildlife, and then head back. Here is some of what we saw on the tour.

We had a nice trip to Paracas. It was easy to get there. We had a very nice hotel with plenty of space and amenities. And we were able to see some penguins as planned. It was exactly what we were hoping for.