Lima to Paracas by bus

Tuesday 26 April
Paracas - also known as El Chaco - is a small beach resort on the coast, 145 miles (235km) south of Lima. Paracas means 'raining sand' in Quechua.

We are up at 5 a.m. and away by 6 - Kattie takes us to the bus station and helps with the check-in. The bus leaves on time at 7 a.m. and staggers out of town along congested roads varying between 5 to 24 km/hr. The sun squeezes thinly through the light mist - or is it smog?

Eventually the bus speed increases to 90 km/hr where it mostly remains for our journey. I doze on and off watching out the window as desert hills and isolated communities of simple dwellings flash by - so dry, so desolate. Many buildings are built using the local construction method of bamboo frame with adobe or mud brick often laid vertically - all strategies designed to absorb shock and intended to minimise damage in the event of an earthquake.

About 9 a.m. we cross a river estuary and for a short time the landscape is green and filled with palms but it doesn't take long before the desert resumes, stretching endlessly towards the mountains dimly seen through the haze to the left; and the Pacific Ocean lapping the edge of the continent to the right.

Dry all the way. As we come into Paracas, even the palm trees are dead.

We are picked up at the bus station and arrive at our very nice beach hotel about 11 a.m. There are views out to the bay and we are just a few steps away from an enormous pool with deck chairs lined up along one side.

It is VERY tempting to spend the day here relaxing and I am somewhat ambivalent about the tours we have been offered (and their prices). 

We decide to walk into town along the beachside promenade. It is hot but it is very attractive and the small town centre is cute in a folksy, gringo sort of way - and cafe staff wander out with menus trying to encourage us to eat in their establishment.

We had been considering the option of visiting the Paracas Natural Reserve and decide to go into a local agency where we negotiate a tour for just the two of us in a 4-wheel drive with a guide. We had some qualms about what we might be in for, especially as the price was so much less than what was being offered by our tour company. However, we had nothing to worry about and had an excellent tour.

The national park is a protected and bio-diverse coastal desert influenced by the effects of the Humboldt Current's cold water that flows from the south; there are 36 species of land and marine mammals and the waters are very nutrient-rich. There are also more than 215 species of migratory birds of which several have been declared endangered.

The park has a number of guano islands which are a breeding refuge for anchovies; once upon a time, Peru exported guano but no longer - this activity was mismanaged and now they do not have enough even for local use. [continued below]

There are nearly 100 archaeological sites from the Paracas Indigenous people. [continued below]

We spent a most interesting afternoon here, visiting the information centre, driving through the sandy landscape and being shown wonderful views and pretty beaches. Juan was an amiable guide, a careful driver and a considerate conversationalist. And it was a cheap tour at half the price of what we had been offered on our arrival.

It was a good time to get back - late afternoon; we had a mojito each down by the waterfront in the town at Happy Hour. Then wobbled our way back to the hotel where I had a (very brief) swim in the pool (we have been warned that the sea here has jellyfish and is dirty).

Another lovely sunset.


Early dinner - and early to bed!