Ballestas islands the poor man’s Galapagos

So you can’t afford the Galapagos islands in Ecuador, what can you do?

If you are in Peru and Galapagos in Ecuador is not in your budget, then I highly recommend, the Ballestas Islands in Paracas.  This is one of the most spectacular sights of marine birds that you will ever see in your whole life. It even beats Galapagos for the sure concentration of bird life, this is real life nature show at its god smacking best.

Ballestas islands has penguins, boobies, pelicans, comorants, sea lions, almost the same bird life as in the Galapagos but with birds covering the islands completely, my jaw dropped repeatedly. This is the reason why I was disappointed with the Galapagos.

The only way to get here is by taking one of the speed boat ride from Paracas, it cost around us$25 for a 2 hour tour.  It is only a few hours away from Nazca so if you are visiting the Nazca lines, go visit Paracas.

The downside is you can only view the birds from the boat along with a crowded bunch of tourists screaming repeatedly

“the skies covered with birds!”