After Lima we decided to head straight south along the coast to Pisco, a small town that was obliterated by an earthquake in 2007. All we knew about Pisco was that it was within day trip distance of Paracas National Reserve, which we say on Google Maps. We did an image search and saw an interested natural arch in the ocean and decided it was a good place to head. Well, we didn’t hear or know anything about the Islas Ballestas before arriving and bought a cheap day tour package that included the islands and the Paracas Reserve, It was a pleasant surprise. We didn’t have any idea how much wildlife we’d see. It is essentially a poor mans Galapagos. Below are some of the best shots of the fauna we saw.

After the islands we hit Paracas which is just a desert reserve with some nice seaside cliffs. The photo below is actually of us at the “cathedral”, the arch we had read about and which motivated us to head to Pisco in the first place. Well, as you can see, it isn’t much of an arch anymore. Sadly, the earthquake of ’07 destroyed it…but I’d bet a new one will form in a few thousand years if conditions are just right.

Next: Las Aventuras Cusqueñas