Venture into the Southern region and visit the most important wildlife sanctuary in the coast of Peru, the Marine Reserve of Paracas and home to condors, flamingos and the Humboldt penguin, among the 215 species of birds found in this unique desert paradise. Navigate the waters of the Pacific Ocean for a visit to Ballestas Island famous for its bird and sea lion colonies. Visit the regional museums housing mummies, world celebrated textiles and elaborate designed ceramics from the pre-Inca Paracas (1300 BC to 200 AD) and Nazca (200 AD to 700 AD) cultures. Fly over the enigmatic Nazca Lines legendary for its enormous figures and lines drawn into the desert floor.

DAY 01
Lima - Paracas
In the early morning, you will begin a four-hour drive to the Paracas National Reserve, where you will arrive for lunch. The drive on the Panamerican Highway to Paracas will be your first encounter with the Atacama-Peruvian desert, part of the world's largest coastal desert. It is extremely arid, with moderate temperatures throughout the year and a unique juxtaposition of desert and ocean. Although your first impression of the coastal ecosystem will be inhospitable and barren, the fertile valleys that periodically interrupt the desert south of Lima will prove you only partially correct. Towns such as Canete, Chincha and Pisco (the namesake of Peru's national drink), nurtured by seasonal swells in rivers, coerce the parched dry lands into producing Peru's finest cotton, wine and, of course, pisco. A few kilometers after Pisco we will arrive at the Paracas Bay, which marks the beginning of a coastal mountain range and the northern boundary of the 335,000-hectare Paracas National Reserve, Peru's only marine conservation zone. After lunch you will leave your hotel for a thorough exploration of the terrestrial portion of the Paracas Reserve. You will drive around most of the Paracas Peninsula, stopping at Punta Arquillos and the Mirador de Lobos (sea lion lookout) and the beaches of the Bay of Paracas. At the Mirador de Lobos, we will look down upon a large congregation of noisy South American sea lions and South American fur seals. Condors are also seen rather infrequently at the Mirador, soaring above the sea lions in search of carrion. You will receive the sunset walking along Paracas beaches. Overnight at hotel in Paracas. L

DAY 02
Paracas - Nazca
After an early breakfast you will drive to the Ica airport to fly south to Nazca and over the enigmatic Nazca lines just north of the city. These lines were scratched on the arid desert crust by the Pre-Columbian Nazca culture. Hundreds of these drawings representing animals and geometric figures ranging up to 300 meters in size cover the 50-kilometer belt between Nazca and Palpa. The lines have been preserved for over 2,000 years owing to a complete lack of rain and the persistence of winds that cleaned the lines. The mystery as to why a civilization would sketch drawings that it could not see has been the lifetime study of German mathematician Maria Reiche. She believes the lines were drawn as an "astronomical calendar" which the gods were to see from above and remind them to help the Nazcas with their agriculture, fishing and other activities. The lines were drawn using a basic unit of measurement formed by the distance from the elbow to the forefingers and by using ropes tied to stakes to draw symmetrical circles and arcs. You will return to Ica for lunch and a visit to the Regional Museum in Ica where mummies, textiles, ceramics and quipus from the Paracas, Nazca and Inca cultures are on display. The quipus are knotted strings used by the Incas to keep records on calculations and historical notes. We will return to hotel in Paracas at dusk. B,L

DAY 3
Paracas - Lima
After an early breakfast at the hotel we will board small boats from the Paracas Bay and navigate to the Ballestas Islands. About two-thirds of the reserve protects extremely productive and diverse ocean ecosystems, which we will experience from the boat. The Humboldt Current (which carries the plankton-rich, cold, Antarctic waters responsible for both the weather and the productivity of the Peruvian coast) deflects off the Paracas Peninsula and creates important upwellings and countercurrents, which combined with the extreme irregularities of the ocean floor and the presence of islands and the Pisco River delta create an immense variety of saltwater habitats. These very different but productive habitats harbor not only a large number of fish species but also huge quantities of most species, which feed the Reserve's noteworthy seabird and mammal communities. On the boat trip to the Ballestas Islands we will observe several of Paracas 215 species of birds, including the Guanay, Red-legged and Neotropic Cormorants, the Peruvian and Blue-footed Boobies, the Peruvian Pelican, several species of tern and gulls, including the Inca Tern, and several species of petrel. The islands themselves are breeding grounds to healthy colonies of South American fur seals and South American sea lion as well as a small colony of Humboldt penguins. Other interesting wildlife less frequently seen on trips to the Ballestas includes sea turtles and albatross. You will return to the hotel and drive back to Lima, having lunch as you leave or on the way back to Lima. Transfer to hotel or airport for International flight. B,L

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TRIP DIFFICULTY: Journey requires moderate walking at sea level in warm climate.

INCLUDES: All hotel accommodations based on double occupancy. Meals as specified in the itinerary, B=Breakfast; L= Lunch; D=Dinner. All transfers, boat tour to Ballestas islands and flight over Nazca Lines.

NOT INCLUDED: International or domestic airfares, airport departure taxes or visa fees, excess baggage charges, additional nights during the trip due to flight cancellations, alcoholic beverages or bottled water, snacks, insurance of any kind, laundry, phone calls, radio calls or messages, reconfirmation of flights and items of personal nature.