"Paracas...Gateway to Isla Balletas" Paracas by Rickman77

Paracas National Reserve is a mostly desert landscape that lies along the Pacific Ocean.

The coast line is very rugged and drops off several hundred feet into the ocean in a pretty dramatic fashion.

Getting to cathedral rock was a little bit more exciting than actually being their though.

I took a minibus to get to Cathedral Rock. There are no roads in the desert, just sand and tracks of where other cars and buses have been. Our bus driver and another bus driver decided to race. So we are zooming through the desert, tires spinning in the sand occasionally, racing at about 45 miles an hour. Half the bus was terrified, I was thrilled though.

Old Man Playing the Guitar and Singing

Lagunanilla was one of our stops on the Paracas National Reserve tour. It was also my favorite spot.

Lagunanilla is a little fishing village (tiny) sitting on a protected bay in the desert of Paracas. The town consisted of about 5 resturaunts, a fishing dock, and about 100 little fishing boats.

We spent about 2 hours in Lagunanilla eating lunch. Fish of course was main menu option. It was nice to see them bring freshly caught fish right up from the fishing dock to the resturaunt before the cut them up and served them raw (ceviche).

Even better than the food though was the old guy who sat around and played the guitar for spare change. He played an old ragged guitar and sang sounds about Peru. He played an rugged yet talented accoustic blues. For any of those who have seen the Chappelle Show he was exactly like the guy who plays the theme song for the show.

Lagunanilla was a very nice and quaint little fishing village. A great place to relax and take in the dramatic scenery while being serenaded.

Sunning Sea Lions

Isla Balletas was another interesting tour. The islands are located a few miles off of the shore from Paracas. They are filled with birds, penguins, and sea lions. Thousands and thousands of birds. So many birds that you have to wear a hat just to keep your head clean.

• Pros:The departure point for Islas Balletas and Paracas National Reserve.
• Cons:Not much in Paracas.
• In a nutshell:Mostly just a little fishing village with resturaunts.