Ballestas Islands

The Ballestas Islands are sometimes described as Peru's answer to the Galapagos Islands and although, according to the guide books, they don't match the splendour or variety of their northern cousins, they are quite spectacular in their own right.

We visited the islands on a tour and I was so impressed that I promptly booked myself on another tour for the following day. If the Galapagos is even better, then I cannot wait!

The islands have been eroded to form countless natural caves and arches and we were able to go under several impressive arches in the boat. On the 2nd tour, the waters were heaving and the pilot had to do some impressive navigation. Our boat was full of Japanese tourists trying to balance and snap hundred of pictures at the same time. One person on our boat even lost his breakfast.

Here is the Guanay black cormorant - a close up of the bird that you see in so many thousands in the pictures above.

Needless to say, all these cormorants produce an awful lot of poop between them. This used to be a highly priced commodity back when fertiliser was not produced synthetically. The old guano factory still stands on the island in a testament to those times.

Turnstones at rest and in flight

 I loved the colourful Incan Terns.

And here are Peruvian Boobies. Like gannets, they dive into the water like missiles.

The Pelicans were beautiful and I was able to get very close.

Humboldt Penguins, a new penguin species for me

And a banded gull, yet another new species for me.

More gulls in flight

In addition to birds, there were hundreds of sea lions. There young were inquisitive and cute. The males become brutish as they get older, spending all there time bellowing and fighting with each other.

 

On the boat trip, we also got a view of the 'Candelabra', which is either a Paracas culture geoglyph similar to the Nazca Lines or, perhaps more excitingly, a marker to lost treasure left by pirates during the 17th century. In any case, we did not stop for long enough to dig for treasure, and I must admit, digging in hot sand is not really my thing anyway...

And then just before we got back to port, we lucked out and saw dolphin. One of them even did an airial manouvre for us but my photo finger was not quick enough.

After the islands, we spent some time in The Paracas National Park. More beautiful cliffs and rock formations and some nice beaches.

We have met several bikers on our travels around South America, including two British ladies over 60 on enormous hondas. Saw this bike in the Paracas Park. Talk about freedom.

New birds seen

• Inca tern
• guanay cormorant
• banded gull
• Humboldt penguin
• Andean gull
• Peruvian pelican
• Neotropical cormorant
• Red legged cormorant
• Peruvian booby

Huacachina

The ideal place to recuperate from our tough hikes, Hunacachina is a tiny oasis in the middle of the desert, surrounded by miles of beautiful dunes. In the middle of the oasis is a lagoon, with healing mineral water. Not that we swam in it. Our hostel had an amazing pool that was even more inviting.

The healing lagoon...

We also had the most amazing fun hurtling around the dunes in a sandbuggy. Our crazy driver, spurred on by our screams, ramped over dunes at breakneck speed. We would fly off the lip and then speed down the other side - some very steep inclines. What an adrenaline rush. Unfortunately there was too much sand flying around to take action pictures.

We then had a go at sand boarding though, never having even snow boarded before, it was something of a challenge. Ally excelled herself though - a total natural - and she gracefully sped down dunes where most of us were doing unintentional somesaults. My neck and back still hurt today!

We did stage some photos of me to make me look better than I was. Amazing how photos can deceive!

Climbing the dune. More tiring than the Inca Trail!

Ah, but the sunset was worth the effort...

You know you are in Peru when...

...the local ladies wear high hats and the lady llamas wear pink tassles

Sand boarding in Peru

Pretending to look good on a sand board. All taken seconds before spectacular wipe outs...

Hiking into the deepest canyon in the world

The Colca Canyon is the deepest in the world (over 1500 metres deep in places) and is thought to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the USA.

Unlike most of the Grand Canyon, portions of the Colca canyon are habitable, with pre-Colombian terraced fields still supporting agriculture and human life.

We did a three day hike into the canyon. We stayed overnight with local families farming in the canyon (always special to have close contact with real locals) and we visited a beautiful oasis in the canyon at the end of the second day.

A perfect way to refresh and recharge before the exhausting hike back out of the canyon!

Here are some views of the canyon as we walked down, down, down...

We arrived at the bottom at twighlight (with aching knees) and were welcomed by the last rays of the sun glittering off the river.

The rock formations were really beautiful.

One of the highlights of the hike for me were the cacti. They are awfully photogenic. Who would have thought it.

Love can be prickly...

The canyon is home to a couple of little villages and there is even a prep school. Here are some little kids running to class.

We hiked along the canyon for a day and ended up at this beautiful little oasis with refreshing pools to swim in. Bliss. Here we are lazing and having fun with our great hiking group - Glen from the UK, Mariann and Jesman from Portugal and Spain and Jan and Niels from Holland.

I couldn't resist doing my customary bomb drop.

Our cool guide

Amazing how the locals put every bit of land to use through terraces.

The locals in the region are an extraordinarily healthy bunch, most living to well over 100 years, some as much as 115. Apparently it is due to the local diet - almost entirely organic vegetables and fruits. No ice cream or chocolate! The walks up and down the canyon probably also help.

The hike back up the canyon was pretty brutal but Ally and I powered up with gusto and applauded ourselves for being the fittest and healthiest we have been in our lives. That night on the bus, Ally got horribly sick (tummy bug we think) and I came down with a horrible throat infection. Funny how pride comes before a fall...

Some of the birds I got to see




We met this cute little Peruvian child on the bus back from the canyon. Made my heart melt and I felt the stirring of paternal instincts. That night on the bus up North, we had a sick baby directly behind us who threw up and screamed hysterically for 7 hours non stop. All broodiness vanished immediately!

And finally, a signature farewell leap. What a great experience. No wonder the canyon is known as the "canyon of wonders".