The shoreline around Paracas in Southern Peru is some of the most interesting and untouched of the whole South American Pacific coast. The Paracas National Reserve has over 300,000 hectares of protected coastline, dedicated to conserving the rich marine ecosystem as well as the historical patrimony of the pre-incan Paracas civilization.

One of the highlights of the area is the Ballestas islands, sometimes referred to as the ‘Galapagos of Peru’, home to over 150 species of marine birds, including Humboldt Penguins as well as sea lions and dolphins.