3-Day Tour from Lima: Paracas, Huacachina & Pisco Vineyard

Sea lions, penguins and golden dunes in one seamless run down Peru's coast.

A 3-day guided tour from Lima through Paracas, the Ballestas Islands, Huacachina oasis and a working pisco vineyard, with boat tours, dune buggy rides, sandboarding and wine tasting all included. The tour departs from your Lima hotel with door-to-door pickup and returns the same way; a bilingual guide leads each stop; skip-the-line entry to all attractions is built in. You'll stay two nights in Huacachina and travel in an air-conditioned coach with onboard Wi-Fi and a restroom, so the long drives between destinations don't eat into the experience.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Travel from Lima to Paracas

• Pickup from Lima hotel
• Bus ride along Pacific coast
• Breakfast stop at Mirasur restaurant
• Visit Hacienda San José tunnels
• Arrive in Paracas and free time

Day 2: Explore Paracas and Huacachina

• Speedboat to Ballestas Islands
• Tour Paracas National Reserve
• Bus to Huacachina oasis
• Dune buggy and sandboarding
• Evening free time in Huacachina

Day 3: Huacachina to Lima return

• Visit Pisco Nietto vineyard and tasting
• Afternoon free time in Huacachina
• Evening bus back to Lima

The experience

The tour starts with a morning pickup from your Lima hotel in Miraflores, Barranco or San Isidro, then heads south along the Pacific coast on a Peru Hop coach. A breakfast stop at Mirasur, a countryside restaurant with a traditional clay oven, breaks up the drive with warm bread baked on-site. Before reaching Paracas, you'll walk through the underground tunnels beneath Hacienda San José: 17 kilometers of corridors once used to smuggle enslaved people from the coast, now part of a 5-star hotel. The tunnels are dark and narrow, and the guide explains the colonial history that shaped Afro-Peruvian identity. You arrive in Paracas around 1:30 PM with the afternoon free to walk the Malecón, eat lunch by the water, or rest before the next day's early start.

Day two begins at 8:00 AM with a fast, open-air speedboat to the Ballestas Islands. The boat passes the Candelabra geoglyph (a massive figure etched into the desert hillside) before circling the islands themselves, where sea lions, Humboldt penguins, pelicans and sometimes dolphins move through the water in their natural habitat. From 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, you explore the Paracas National Reserve on foot with your guide, walking past towering cliffs and colorful beaches where desert meets the ocean. An optional upgrade to a guided quad bike ride across the dunes is available on the spot. The coach then takes you inland to Huacachina, the only natural desert oasis in South America, arriving by 2:00 PM. At 4:30 PM, you strap into a dune buggy and speed across the sand dunes, then grab a sandboard and learn to ride down the slopes (standing, sitting or belly-down) as the sun sets in golds and pinks. The evening is yours to explore the village, sip pisco cocktails at a rooftop bar or eat dinner overlooking the lagoon.

Your final morning at Pisco Nietto vineyard includes a guided walkthrough of the entire pisco-making process, from the grape harvest through fermentation in clay jars to the bodega where the spirit ages. You taste multiple varieties (dry and citrusy to smooth and aged), and can buy bottles to take home. From 1:30 PM to 7:00 PM, Huacachina is yours: swim under the desert sun, climb the dunes for a panoramic view of the oasis, browse artisan markets, or paddle on the lagoon. The coach departs around 7:00 PM for the return to Lima, arriving at your hotel around 11:30 PM to midnight (later for downtown Lima). The bus has reclining seats, an onboard restroom and Wi-Fi for the journey back.

What’s included

• Round-trip hotel pickup and drop-off in Lima.
• air-conditioned coach with reclining seats, onboard restroom and high-speed Wi-Fi.
• bilingual local guide.
• skip-the-line entry to all attractions.
• 2-hour boat tour to the Ballestas Islands.
• 2-hour guided tour of Paracas National Reserve.
• 2-hour dune buggy and sandboarding tour with sunset toast in Huacachina.
• guided tour of Pisco Nietto vineyard with pisco tasting.
• visit to the underground tunnels at Hacienda San José.
• two nights of accommodation in Huacachina.

Before you book

Lasts 3d, runs every day at 06:30, from US$ 143.10 per person, with a live guide in English and Spanish and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 06:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (7 and older) · Under 7: can't be booked

GroupUp to 40

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

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

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Peru Hop

Is this one for you?The 3-day timeline means you see the coast, the oasis and the vineyard without spending a week on the road, and the free afternoons in Paracas and Huacachina let you rest between the active moments (boat rides, dune buggies, sandboarding) instead of stacking them back-to-back. If you want to move at a steady pace and still have downtime to absorb each place, this itinerary holds both.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What exactly happens on the Ballestas Islands boat tour?

The Ballestas Islands boat tour is a 2-hour open-air speedboat cruise where you circle the islands and watch sea lions, Humboldt penguins, pelicans and occasionally dolphins in their natural habitat. The boat also passes the Candelabra geoglyph, a massive figure carved into the desert hillside, on the way out.

Can I do the dune buggy and sandboarding if I'm traveling with children?

Children must be at least 7 years old to participate in the dune buggy and sandboarding tour. Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller during other parts of the tour, and infants must sit on an adult's lap during bus travel.

Is food included in the 3-day tour price?

Food is not included in the tour price, though the itinerary includes a breakfast stop at Mirasur and free time at each destination to eat at local restaurants. The pisco tasting at the vineyard is included, but meals themselves are on your own.

What time does the tour pick me up and drop me off?

Hotel pickup happens in the morning on day one from your hotel in Miraflores, Barranco or San Isidro. Your exact pickup time will be confirmed via booking-platform chat before departure. The return drop-off is around 11:30 PM to midnight at your Lima hotel (later if you're in downtown Lima). Pickup and detailed information are shared through WhatsApp.

What's included in the coach for the long drives between destinations?

The Peru Hop coach is air-conditioned with reclining seats, an onboard restroom and high-speed Wi-Fi. These amenities are standard on all journeys between Lima, Paracas and Huacachina, so you can work, message or rest during the drives.

Can I upgrade to the quad bike ride through Paracas National Reserve?

Yes, the guided quad bike (ATV) adventure across the dunes in Paracas National Reserve is optional and can be booked on the spot with your guide during the 2-hour reserve tour on day two. It's not included in the base tour price.