Paracas
Paracas is well-known as the birthpalce of the liberator of Peru, Chile, and Argentina: José de San Martín. Legend has it that he fell asleep under a palm tree and that's when he dreamed about liberating the country. He woke up and saw a flamingo flying overhead, which is where the Peruvian flag originated. Red on each side to represent the flamingo's wings with white in the middle for the body.
Reserva Nacional de Paracas (Paracas National Reserve)
Protected coastline known for cliffs and wildlife. It serves as an interesting ecosystem where the desert meets the sea. The landscape almost looks like one is standing on Mars. There are a few notable spots, mainly the La Cátedral (The Cathedral), which is a rock island formation in the Pacific Island, and La Playa Roja (Red Beach), a red beach due tothe pink granodiorite igneous rock dragged by the waves from the Santa Maria Headland. There is also a Candelabra geoglyph, a large candlestick-like figure etched into the dsert cliffs that many people believe sailors used as a coastal reference. It can unfortunately on be seen from the water.
Ballestas Islands
Within the oceans of the reserve, there are these islands nicknamed “Peru’s Galapagos” or the “Poor Man’s Galapagos”. The islands are protected and cannot be walked on by visitors. One can see Humboldt penguins, Inca terns, pelicans, dolphins, and sea lions.
Huacachina
The only desert oasis in South America, the small time offers a quaint escape from the rest of Peru. The oasis was formed due to an underground aquifer and is composed of palm trees, eucalyptus, and carob trees. Since it is located in the Pacific Desert, the climate remains sunny and arid all year round. With less than 150 full-time residents, it once served as a vacation destination for the elites, until it gained more popularity in the 1960s.
There are some of the biggest sand dunes in South America. Around sunrise or sunset, one can climb up to the top of the dunes to view the beautiful setting.
Activities to do:
There are some of the biggest sand dunes in South America. Around sunrise or sunset, one can climb up to the top of the dunes to view the beautiful setting.
Activities to do:
- Row a boat on the oasis
- Dune buggy rides over the dunes in a four-wheel drive that bring one to the nice hills for sandboarding
- Sandboarding, like snowboarding, but on sand. One can slide on their bellies or rent a board in town to stand and board.
Huacachina remains a party town, so if one wants to stay up, one can visit the Wild Rover for late night parties or head to Carola Lodge for a bar inside of a pool. As such a small town, one can wander around town safely! For a quieter scene, try staying at Banana's.
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Legend of Huacachina
The oasis was formed from the tears of a Tacaran maiden, Huacachina, who mourned the death of her beloved Incan warrior. She cried for several days, creating the pond, until a warrior passed by and saw the girl. Out of fear, the maiden dove into the lake of her tears to hide for hours until the warrior left. When she tried to leave the water, she realized she had turned into a mermaid. Every night on the full moon, the young woman leaves the oasis water to continue crying for her beloved.
Other stories state that Huacachina saw a hunter while looking in a mirror. She took off running from him and her dress created the sand dune. She dropped the mirror which cracked and the pieces formed the oasis. To hide from the man, she decided to jump into the lagoon and she stayed in there for so long that when she surfaced, she turned into a mermaid. On full moon nights, she helps singles fall in love by her water. A statue of a mermaid and a wishing well at the entrance remember this legend. |
Huacachina Statue
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Ica (Pisco Tastings)
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Peru’s first vineyards were planted in the 1550s which were brought over by the Spanish conquistadores. The exportation of Peruvian wine started to damage Spain’s economy, so it was banned in the 1600s. Peruvian wine-makers then decided to make pisco, which is a clear grape brandy.
Ica has plenty of these vineyards and bodegas for wine tastings, but the one offered was at Nietto Pisco, where after a tour of explaining how wine is made, there is a generous tasting. NOTE: Making Pisco is an intensive process, requiring grapes to be pressed then fermented for 2 weeks to become Mosto. The Mosto is then distilled--cooked for 18 hours, where it is boiled to steam and enters another chamber where it’s condensed into a clear liquid. The resulting condensed liquid is separated into the "head", the "body", and the "tail" and separate based on density.
Variety of wines and liquors
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Where the grapes are pressed
Method of distilling the Mosto
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Types of Drinks:
- Mistela Liquor (16 ABV): Drink on a night of a full moon to receive twins and helps with conception.
- 70% grape juice + 30% pisco
- Higo Mistela Liquor (16 ABV): Helps men to be effective in bed. Half a bottle enables someone to act like a sewing machine.
- 70% fig juice + 30% pisco
- Bologna Wine (14 ABV): Semi-dry wine that has a sweet starting taste and ends bitter.
- Pisco (42 ABV): Uses three types of grape for strong liquor.
- Flavored Creams (18 ABV): Pisco mixed with cream. It's like Baiely's except using pisco instead of whiskey.
Trick to Drinking Pisco:
- Breathe in.
- Hold breath and take shot of Pisco.
- Swig Pisco in mouth for 3 seconds (the longer the better)
- Swallow and breathe out.
Nazca Lines
- Due to the fact that it never rains on the Peruvian coast, the Nazca Lines have survived for centuries. These are a collection of over 70 geoglyphs which represent animals and humans. They were etched into the plains between 500 BC and 500 AD by removing the top layer of the desert revealing the light color beneath. Most of these lines are rather shallow.
- Their original purpose is still unknown, whether it was a giant astronomical calendar or a ceremonial center. However, many believe these were symbols were used as places of worship to commune with the gods to secure blessings for water and crop harvests.
- There is a free viewing platform that rises up 43 feet (13 m).
- One can also book a flight over them through the Nazca airport.
- TIP: Don't look through your phone the entire time on the plane to avoid motion sickness and nausea
