Paracas – La Hacienda Bahia Paracas
From Lima, the route headed south to Paracas, which boasts stunning beaches and striking coastal cliffs as well as the Paracas, one of Peru’s most diverse natural areas. Centuries ago, long before the Paracas became a sanctuary for sea lions and flamingos, it was the domain of the Paracas — lords of textile art and ritual medicine. Their woven mantles, left with the dead, are among the most beautiful ever discovered in the Americas.
In the distance, on a far cliff, the great Candelabro de Paracas still scorches a patch of sand with its mystic lines and lost purpose — maybe a navigational guide to sailors or an appeal to the gods of wind and tide. The Paracas nature reserve covers more than 335,000 hectares and includes desert areas, marine habitats and wetlands. It’s a natural sanctuary for sea life- seals, sea lions and countless species of birds. It is also home to the Ballestas Islands where you can see massive colonies of seabirds. In an unexpected encounter, we saw something remarkable: two vultures attacking a Diving Petrel, a seabird found on the Pacific coast. We managed to save the Petrel and handed it over to a warden.
