Adventure between desert, coast and pisco

Days of travel : 2 o 3 days

We offer you a complete trip to the three most spectacular Inca places in Ica, where you can only arrive by land: One is the Huacachina Oasis, known as the Oasis of America, referring to the Huacachina lagoon with its green waters and calms that is cradled between huge sand dunes. Then the Paracas National Reserve with its spectacular geological formations along the coast and the Ballestas Islands, habitat of the famous Humboldt Penguins, sea lions and a large number of birds such as the Pelican or guano birds. The Islands are part of the National Reserve of 335,000 hectares protected since 1975, one of the most important ecosystems of our planet thanks to the Humboldt current, which passes through the coast of Paracas, Quechua word that means “sand rain”.

Basic Information:

Place: Ica – Huacachina – Paracas, Department of Ica – Perú
Duration: 2 days / 1 night or 3 days / 2 nights (VA8)
Shared service (pool), also available in private service (additional charge)
Altitude : de 2 (Paracas) a 406 (Ica) m above sea level
Difficulty: intermediate
Daily service with professional guides
Available in Spanish and English

It inclues:

All transportation during the trip
Tickets tours
Private accommodation (double / triple) in hotel with swimming pool
Bilingual professional guide
Food according to tour description

Does not include:

Ground transportation by bus to and from Ica
Personal expenses (souvenirs, snacks and drinks, etc.)

Day 1

07:00 – 08:00

Pick up from the Ica land terminal according to the arrival of your bus by our local operator and escort to the hotel “Hacienda El Carmelo”, one of the most beautiful haciendas in the region, which exists more than 35 years ago with its own distillery and winery of Pisco and that is part of the Ruta del Pisco. Check-in at the hotel, time to be accommodated and to have breakfast, which we include in this travel package.

10:00

Our guide picks you up for the City Tour Ica, in which we visit the city with its Plaza de Armas,an Artisan Winery of Pisco and the Regional Museum of Ica, where you can see archaeological pieces from five developed cultures in the region.

13:00

Lunch menu at your hotel “Hacienda el Carmelo” (entrance / second / dessert / drink of the day) and time to rest in your room, enjoy the wonderful green areas of the hotel or cool off in the pool.

16:00

Departure from the hotel to the Oasis Huacachina located at approx. 7 km southwest of downtown Ica. The oasis is the pride of the city of Ica with the high dunes around the lagoon with a vertical height up to 250 meters. We recommend taking this tour to the Huacachina for 1 hour in the afternoon, since it is less hot. There are departures throughout the day, the last shift that leaves at 4:00 pm lasts longer (2 hours approx.). In “dune buggies” you go through the desert dunes and offered practice sandboarding with the technical assistance of professional guide.

18:00

Return to your hotel, free diner (not included) to discover more of the city of Ica, capital of the same department, and spend the night in your hotel. OPCIONAL: Stay at the Oasis of Huacachina and enjoy free time in the dunes or on the shore of the lagoon (there are some restaurants). Free dinner and return to the hotel in Ica at your own expense.

Day 2

06:30

Pick up from your hotel to move toParacas. The breakfast at the hotel is served from 07:00 in the morning. They will be offered a “breakfast snack box” , on your way to Paracas, a small fishing village that became famous for its National Reserve and spectacular marine fauna.

08:00

We board a comfortable boat in the Paracas dock to go to the 2-hour group tour to the Ballestas Islands. All tours to the Islands leave in the morning due to strong winds and a sea moved in the afternoon.

10:00

Back to the Paracas dock, the guide will give you some recommendations to visit the “Chaco” (seafront promenade facing the sea of Paracas) and will agree with you on a meeting point for the evening. After free lunch (not included).

13:00

Departure to the Paracas National Reserve. We will visit the “fallen Cathedral”, rock formation eroded by the sea, which collapsed because of an earthquake. We will visit the Red and Yumaque Beaches and walk to the small Flamencos Viewpoint, where you can see large groups of flamingos feeding on the shores of the sea. We will conclude our visit to the reserve at the Interpretation Center of Paracas.

16:00

Return to Ica where we will be arriving at approximately 17:00, to take your bus back or take your dinner (entrance / second / dessert / drink of the day) at the hotel.

Day 3

08:30

Breakfast at your hotel and Check-Out. They can leave their luggage at the hotel during the tour.

10:00

Excursion to the “Pisco Road” to learn more about the distillate of grapes that makes Ica and Peru famous. It includes the visit to the wineries “El Catador” and “Lovera”, which are artisanal wineries and the winery “Vista Alegre” or “Tacama”, which are industrial wineries. The different varieties of Pisco will be tasted and we will end the tour at the Helena Chocolatería, famous for its chocolates.

12:30

Return to the hotel and end of service (VA8).