Nestled on a bay behind a peninsula, the humble and sleepy resort town of Paracas is surrounded by brown sugar-colored cliffs and lovely beaches. Known to most as 'El Chaco', the town's main shorefront and boulevard features a wide array of restaurants where you can taste jalea, a mix of fried seafood with salsa criolla (Creole) and yuca root. Another specialty is Peruvian silverside fish, known as pejerrey, best washed down with a glass of pisco, a grape brandy produced at several of the region's tourable distilleries. Be careful though, pisco can pack a punch! Opposite Paracas harbor is the mysterious local geoglyph of a candelabra, which possibly dates back to 200 BC. It could be related to the famous Nazca Lines, which you may have an opportunity to visit in the Pisco Valley on an optional excursion. The Nazca Lines could be older than the candelabra, but new carvings are still being discovered. Could they be of extra-terrestrial origin? You decide. You may also have an opportunity to take a boat tour to the nearby Ballestas Islands, considered somewhat of a mini-Galapagos of Peru. The Ballestas support a wide range of wildlife, including Humboldt penguins, turtles, Peruvian boobies, cormorants, pelicans, sea lions, dolphins, Inca terns, and humpback whales. Nearby, you can also find Paracas National Reserve, whose territory includes a rare combination of desert and marine ecosystems. The Martian-like yellow dunes and red-sand beaches hide more than 100 archaeological sites of the Paracas culture. Also, keep your eyes on the sky for the Andean condor and Chilean flamingo. ...
Read More