6 Best Things to do in Paracas Peru (Don't Miss These)

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links that may earn us a small commission should you decide to click through and make a valid purchase (at no extra cost to you). Thanks so much for your support!

Are you thinking of visiting Paracas in Peru and looking for things to do?

Before visiting, I expected Paracas to just be a quick little stop on the way back from Huacachina. Instead, it ended up being one of my favourite places in Peru.

After driving buggies around the Paracas National Reserve, watching Humboldt Penguins leap into the water off the rocks on the Ballestas Islands tour and eating the most delicious food, I can easily say that I’ve fallen head over heels with Paracas. It also helped that our hotel was the absolute cutest boutique hotel in the town!

In this guide, I’ll share the best things to do in Paracas, along with my personal recommendations, to help you make the most of your visit.

girl standing on a cliff overlooking the red beach in Paracas Peru

The Ultimate Paracas Bucket List

Table of Contents

My Top Pick for things to do in Paracas!

Ballestas Islands Boat Tour

Spot Humboldt penguins in their habitat
Close encounter with sea lions
View the mysterious Paracas Candelabra

Book your boat tour here!

1. Visit Paracas National Reserve

Paracas National Reserve covers over 3,000 square kilometres of protected desert and coastline with huge rugged cliffs overlooking the most insane beaches, some of which are red!

There are a few different ways to see Paracas Reserve, you can drive yourself, join a private jeep tour, join an ATV / buggy tour or rent a bike. The bike around around the reserve from town is around 30km though so be ready for that. 😅

I took a buggy tour, and was blown away by the way the landscape changed so drastically. One minute we were in the middle of the desert and the next we were looking out over epic beaches from the top of towering cliffs.

In the Reserve, you’ll see Mirador Catedral, Mirador Istmo and Playa Roja (the red beach), which was my favourite spot!

2 girls driving a buggy on Paracas National Reserve Buggy Trip

2 girls standing on a buggy on a buggy tour of the Paracas National Reserve

2. Do a Ballestas Islands Boat Tour (See the Galapagos of Peru)

This boat tour was my favourite thing that I did in Paracas! I saw Penguins literally diving off the rocks into the water, Sea Lions, Peruvian Boobies, Pelicans, Inca Terns and Guanay Cormorants! We also passed by the Candelabro de Paracas which is this crazy carving in the rock side of the National Reserve which is believed was carved as far back as 200 BCE.

The number of birds in the sky and surrounding the islands was incredible and I truly felt like I could have been in the Galapagos Islands rather than Peru. This is the boat tour that we did and I highly recommend booking in advance if you are visiting in peak season (May-September) as it is the most popular activity in Paracas.

girl taking photo on the Ballestas Islands Boat tour

Seals on a buoy on the Ballestas Islands boat tour

3. Stroll along the El Chaco Boardwalk

The boardwalk is full of shops, markets and cafes so it’s worth a walk along. You’ll also walk next to the water, where you can go onto the beach in some places. If you are looking for souvenirs from your trip, this is a great place to look.

4. Try local seafood

If you are a seafood lover (and even if you aren’t), Paracas is THE PLACE in Peru to try some seafood. Being right next to the ocean it is so so fresh! Some places in Paracas where you can find the freshest seafood are:

Restaurante Puerto Ballestas
Chalana Restaurant
Restaurante El Che (Lagunillas) (located inside Paracas Reserve)

5. Go paragliding

If paragliding is on your bucket list, then Paracas National Reserve is a pretty epic place to do it! This is a tandem paraglide with an instructor, so you don’t need to do anything. You’ll just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Just imagine seeing the red beach and the incredible desert landscape and jaw dropping cliffs from a birds eye view!

6. Watch the sunset over Paracas Bay

You can do a short walk along Paracas Bay which is essentially along the water. The perfect time to do this is at sunset when the sun turns the water orange and the sky is filled with colours!

On certain parts of the trail you will talk over sand but you might see pelicans and other types of birds and maybe even Sea Lions in the water. The entire walk is 7.2km and will take around 2 hours, but you can also just go as far as you like before returning the way you came.

7. Wine & Pisco Tasting followed by Huacachina Dunes

If you’ve done everything you want to do in Paracas, you could take a day trip to Ica and Huacachina where you will visit a winery and learn about how Pisco is made, before heading up to the sand dunes in Huacachina where you will go sandboarding and watch the sunset.

I spent a couple of days in Huacachina and I can confirm that it is worth a visit!

If you would like to join the wine and pisco tasting / Huacachina Dunes tour, you can check availability and book here!

girl sitting on the top of the sand dunes at Huacachina wearing beachy clothing with the oasis in the background at sunset.

feet hanging over sand dunes in Huacachina

My thoughts

In my opinion, Paracas is a bit of a hidden gem and I absolutely loved spending time there. My favourite activity was definitely the boat tour to the Ballestas Islands. I wasn’t expecting to see that much wildlife in one place!

I’m also really glad that you chose to do the buggy tour of Paracas Reserve rather than renting bikes or doing a bus or jeep tour because it still gave us that sense of adventure without the effort of riding a bike in the intense heat or another boring bus tour.

If you have the chance to visit Paracas, it is definitely worth it!