Our First Week in Peru: From Lima to Paracas & Huacachina

It’s taken me a long time to get around to writing up my 10-week South America trip through Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. All I can say is time really does fly and I’m super glad that I kept a notebook on my travels to jog my memory when the time finally came to start writing. Why has it taken so long to get writing? Well I guess that it is a prime example of always saying I’ll start tomorrow. Given the lack of progress, I decided to change my tactics; I’m starting today…

When mapping out a rough route, we decided to spend around 3 weeks in each country and Peru was first up. Starting in Lima, we’d head south to: Paracas and the Islas Ballestas, dunebuggying and sandboarding in Huacachina and fly over the Nazca Lines. From Nazca, we’d go to Arequipa and hike the Colca Canyon, then Cusco and trek the Salkantay trail to Machu Picchu and finally cruise on Lake Titicaca. Read on to see how our first week in Lima, Paracas and Huacachina shaped up…

Flying into Lima, Peru’s capital

Our adventure began on 13^th September when we caught an afternoon flight from Gatwick to Lima. On take-off, it really hit home that we were going backpacking for 10 weeks. Some 12.5hrs later (thank goodness it was a direct flight) we were on another continent, first heading through passport control, then driving through Lima to find our hostel and beds for the night.

Looking back, I was a blend of tiredness, excitement and nerves. I couldn’t help but wonder how we were going to fare on our 10-week trip. There was the small niggling worry of whether my friend and I would get along for that amount of time?! Would we end the trip still friends? I can now say that we did, and I’d love to go travelling with her again; but it is a legitimate concern to have, especially when you haven’t travelled together before.

For those going to South America, you will probably find yourselves in Lima at some point, whether you’re simply passing through or stopping off, due to its status as one of South America’s well-connected transport hubs. Personally, Lima didn’t do much for me. The constant gloomy, grey sky and cloudy weather didn’t exactly help its cause. That said, Lima was a good place to get over jet lag, start speaking my rusty Spanish (it was a confidence booster for the rest of the trip) and to take things slowly.

When in Lima

The free city centre walking tour was interesting, informative and gave an insight into life in Lima during Spanish colonial times. It also gave a good introduction to Lima’s main places. If the opportunity presents itself, I’d always recommend doing a walking tour – they offer a great introduction to a place as well as help with getting your bearings.

Wander the streets of Lima’s artsy Barranco neighbourhood discovering the colourful street art.

Lima ranks highly as one of the world’s top gastronomic capitals. Start tasting classic Peruvian dishes and maybe take a cooking class. We tried: Pisco Sour, Peruvian lemonade (a lot greener than our UK equivalent), Papas a la Huancaina (boiled sliced potatoes covered in a creamy Huancaina sauce), Causa (cold layered potato dish) and Ceviche – although I’m not a fan of its texture! Eating out frequently adds up quickly. Travelling on a budget meant we often cooked in our hostels and we always looked out for restaurants’ Menu del Dia which were tasty, great value for money and a fantastic way to eat and try Peruvian dishes.

Visiting the Islas Ballestas and the National Reserve in Paracas

After a few days in Lima, it was time to head 152 miles south to Paracas, a small charming fishing coastal town in the Ica region known for the Islas Ballestas (aka the poor man’s Galapagos) and the Paracas National Reserve.

Buses are a popular way of getting from A to B in Peru for both locals and travellers alike and there are a variety of companies. Cruz del Sur very quickly became our go-to bus company with comfortable reclining seats, entertainment, a meal/snack, blanket and headphones. We caught an early morning bus from Lima and arrived to Paracas mid-morning.

Boat tours to the Islas Ballestas leave at 8am and 10am every day. If you’d like to do the tour on arriving to Paracas, you’ll have to get a really early bus. By the time we arrived tours had already left for the islands. We booked an islands and national reserve tour for the next day and spent the rest of the day relaxing by the sea and in our hostel’s lovely courtyard.

The tour

On the horizon, the outline of the Islas Ballestas emerges. A pungent smell really hits you on arrival, which our guide laughingly tells us is how you know you’ve arrived. Throughout the excursion, we stayed on the boat navigating the arches and craggy rock formations which heaved with bird life.

It turns out access to the islands is very restricted; permits are needed for researchers and that combined with the smell and sheer quantity of bird poo meant disembarking wasn’t high on my priorities! We spotted cute little penguins waddling around, sea lions chilling on their chosen rocks and a pod of dolphins said hello. I can definitely say my wildlife quota was fulfilled!

Back on the mainland, we had time for a quick breakfast before the next part of the tour to the Paracas National Reserve started. If yummy pancakes and delicious massive smoothies are up your street, then go to Fruzion cafe – it’s amazing!

The Paracas National Reserve is best described as where the desert meets the sea. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous! Red beach and the cathedral rock formation were my highlights.

Our tour stopped for lunch at a local restaurant in the reserve. Being the only place to eat in the vicinity meant prices were high and personally not worth it. I’d recommend taking your own lunch with you.

Dune buggying & sandboarding in Huacachina’s desert at sunset

We arrived at Huacachina, an oasis town in the desert, late afternoon. Like pretty much every tourist and backpacker, we’d come to do dune buggying and sandboarding. And what can I say apart from it was such an exhilarating and adrenaline rushing experience. Completely worth doing, even if you are determined to avoid the super touristy activities!

For some reason, I thought the dune buggy was just the mode of transport, so I wasn’t expecting the drive to turn into a swerving and tilting rollercoaster ride racing up and down the sand dunes. I absolutely loved it and the general consensus seemed to be scream if you wanna go faster!

Once we’d found a dune, it was time to have a go at sandboarding. Now, the word daredevil and I rarely, or never, appear in the same sentence. Whilst I wouldn’t describe sandboarding as a daredevil activity, it does qualify as a ‘need to talk myself into it’ activity which I did. It was great fun minus the tiny mishap on my final go – shooting off the end of the board, ripping a hole in my pants and trousers thanks to a very inconveniently placed nail!

After watching a gorgeous sunset, we headed back into town covered in sand and seriously craving a shower. After multiple attempts failed to get more than several scalding dribbles from the shower, we soon admitted that a shower was sadly not on the cards. I like to think that my skin benefitted from some natural sand exfoliation that night. Although that said, maybe pick a hostel with good shower reviews!

Have you been to Peru? How did you spend your first week? Are Lima, Paracas & Huacachina on your list to visit?