Paracas & Huacachina Day Trip: Islands, Wine & Desert Tour

Sea lions and penguins at dawn, pisco at noon, sand dunes at sunset.

A full-day tour from Lima combines a 90-minute boat trip to the Ballestas Islands to watch sea lions and Humboldt penguins in their habitat, a pisco and wine tasting at Bodega Huarango in the Ica region, and desert adventure sports at the Huacachina Oasis. The guide speaks English or Spanish, pickup is included from your Lima hotel at 4am, and the group stays under 20 people per bus. Breakfast and lunch are included. Lunch at the winery is your choice and paid on-site.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Marcahuasi4h
2. Ballestas Islands2h · entry included
3. Canyon of the Lost2h · entry included
4. Miraflores5h

Paracas and Huacachina Day Trip

• Pickup from hotel early morning
• Travel south to Paracas
• Boat tour to Ballestas Islands
• Tasting of local sweets
• Lunch at winery in Ica
• Visit Bodega Huarango winery and pisco tasting
• Free time at Huacachina Oasis
• Buggies ride and sandboarding in Huacachina
• Return travel from Ica to Lima

The experience

The day starts before sunrise. Your guide and driver arrive at your hotel at 4am for the drive south to Paracas. By 9:30am you're boarding a boat to the Ballestas Islands, a set of rocky outcrops off the Peruvian coast where sea lions haul out on the rocks and Humboldt penguins nest in the crevices. The boat ride lasts roughly 90 minutes: long enough to see the animals move and hear them, short enough that the swell doesn't wear on you. On the way back to shore you pass the Canyon of the Lost, a narrow gorge carved into the cliffs.

By late morning you're in Ica, the region known for pisco production. First comes a free tasting of chocotejas and local sweets, then at 1:30pm you arrive at Bodega Huarango, an artisan winery where you taste pisco and learn how it moves from grape harvest to distillation. Lunch at the winery restaurant is optional and paid directly: the tour covers breakfast earlier in the day, but the midday meal is on you. The winery visit gives you time to understand what makes Peruvian pisco distinct from other grape spirits.

At 2:30pm you reach the Huacachina Oasis, a lagoon surrounded by towering sand dunes in the middle of the desert. You get about 30 minutes to walk around and take photos, then from 3pm onward you're in the action: a buggy ride across the dunes and sandboarding down them, both activities lasting roughly an hour combined. The return drive to Lima takes the evening, with arrival between 9:30pm and 10pm. Only a small backpack or suitcase up to 10kg per person fits on the bus, so pack light for the day.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup in Lima at 4am.
• breakfast and the boat tour of the Ballestas Islands.
• free tasting of local sweets and pisco at Bodega Huarango winery.
• entry to the Huacachina Oasis.
• buggy ride and sandboarding in the desert.
• return transport to Lima.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 04:00

Book up to8h before

AgesUp to age 90

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by TraveleaPeru

Is this one for you?Book this if you're connecting Paracas, Ica, and Huacachina in one day and need a set itinerary that coordinates boat times, winery hours, and activity slots: the schedule locks everything together so you move between regions without gaps or overlap.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

3 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What exactly do I see on the Ballestas Islands boat tour?

The Ballestas Islands boat tour lasts about 90 minutes and takes you close to rocky outcrops where sea lions rest on the rocks, Humboldt penguins nest in crevices, and seabirds circle overhead. You observe them in their natural habitat from the water. The boat does not land on the islands themselves.

Is lunch included in this day trip?

Breakfast is included, but lunch at the winery restaurant in Ica is optional and paid directly to the restaurant on-site. The free pisco tasting at Bodega Huarango happens after lunch, so you can choose whether to eat there or bring your own food.

What time does the tour pick me up and when do I get back to Lima?

Pickup is at 4am from your Lima hotel, and the driver arrives 5 minutes early. The tour returns to Lima between 9:30pm and 10pm, making it a 15-plus-hour day from start to finish.

Can I do the buggy ride and sandboarding myself, or is it a guided activity?

Both the buggy ride and sandboarding at Huacachina are activities you do yourself, not watched demonstrations. Together they take about an hour, and you have roughly 30 minutes of free time at the oasis before the adventure sports begin.

How many people travel on this tour?

Tours run in small groups with a maximum of 20 people per bus, so you're not on a large coach with dozens of strangers.