Departure times
- Pickup: 5:00 AM
- Back at your hotel: around 9:00 PM
- Times are approximate and may vary with traffic and the conditions of the day.
Essentials at a glance
- Duration
- 16 h
- Type
- Private
- Departures
- 05:00
- Pickup
- Hotels in Miraflores, San Isidro & Barranco
- Languages
- English & Spanish
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 hours before
The experience
Why you’ll love this
A long, unforgettable day on Peru’s southern coast. Cruise to the Ballestas Islands to see sea lions, Humboldt penguins and the Candelabra geoglyph, then ride a private dune buggy over the dunes around the Huacachina oasis and try sandboarding. End at Tacama, one of South America’s oldest wineries, with a wine and pisco tasting and a late lunch.
Tip: bring a light jacket for the morning boat ride and closed-toe shoes for the sand.
- See sea lions and penguins at Ballestas
- Private dune buggy ride and sandboarding
- Wine and pisco tasting at Tacama
- Breakfast, lunch and all fees included
Step by step
Your route
Hotel pickup
Your driver collects you and heads south on the Panamericana, desert on one side and the Pacific on the other. You travel with your own group.
Light breakfast
A stop on the road to eat and stretch your legs before reaching the port of Paracas.
Ballestas Islands
A shared speedboat ride around the islands: sea lions, Humboldt penguins and thousands of birds. On the way you pass the Candelabro, the geoglyph carved into the bay’s hillside.
Huacachina Oasis
A lagoon ringed by palm trees in the middle of towering dunes. Time to walk, take photos and see why they call it an oasis.
Dune buggy and sandboarding
A private buggy just for your group, up and over the dunes, with stops to ride a board down the sand.
Tacama Vineyard
We arrive at one of the oldest wineries in South America, surrounded by vines in the middle of the Ica desert.
Wine and pisco tasting
A winery tour and guided tasting, shared with other visitors: how pisco is made, how it differs from other spirits and what to look for as you taste.
Late lunch at Tacama
An unhurried lunch surrounded by vineyards — the best moment to sit down after a long day.
Return to Lima
Back up the Panamericana. Four hours to sleep, watch the desert go by or go through the day’s photos.
Hotel arrival
We drop you at your hotel door in Lima, at the end of a day that began before sunrise.
Everything taken care of
What’s included
- Private transport from Lima
- Official bilingual guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Light breakfast
- Ballestas boat trip and entrance fees
- Tacama tour with wine and pisco tasting
- Late lunch at Tacama
- Private dune buggy and sandboarding
- Taxes included
Not included
- Additional meals and drinks
- Tips
- Personal expenses
Good to know before you go
Plan your day with confidence
Pickup and return
- Hotels in Miraflores, San Isidro and Barranco
- Elsewhere in Lima? Ask us for a quote.
- We’ll confirm your exact pickup time.
What to bring
- Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- A light jacket for the boat
- Closed shoes for the sand
- Water
- A charged phone or camera
Important information
- What’s private and what’s shared: the transport, your guide and the dune buggy are just for your group. The speedboat to the Ballestas Islands and the winery tour at Tacama are shared with other visitors, because that is how those services run. Your vehicle and your guide are at your disposal all day.
- Minimum 2 travelers.
- 50% surcharge on Peruvian national holidays.
- Dietary or mobility needs? Tell us in advance.
- Itinerary times are approximate. They may run earlier or later depending on traffic, weather and the pace of each group.
- Card declined? Ask your bank to enable international online purchases. If it still fails, write to us and we will give you another payment method.
Clear before you confirm
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour, with a 95% refund (the remaining 5% is kept by your bank or the payment gateway when the charge is reversed). It is a private experience, for your group. If the Port Authority tells us in advance that the sea is closed, we reschedule your date at no cost. You will get your confirmation by email within 15 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
What does the day look like? It starts very early
It is a long day: about 16 hours. Pickup at your hotel is at 5:00 a.m. and you are back in Lima around 9:00 p.m. That is roughly four hours on the road each way, in a private vehicle where you can sleep on the way down and rest on the way back.
Which meals are included?
A light breakfast on the road, before we reach the port of Paracas, and a late lunch at the Tacama winery, surrounded by vineyards. The wine and pisco tasting is included too.
Is the dune buggy just for our group?
Yes. The Huacachina dune buggy is private and runs with your group only, like your vehicle and your guide. The speedboat to the Ballestas Islands and the winery tour are shared with other visitors, because that is how those two services operate.
What if the port is closed and the Ballestas boat cannot sail?
The Port Authority can close the port when the sea is rough, and the call is theirs, always for safety. If we are told in advance, we write to you and reschedule your date at no cost; if you prefer not to reschedule, we refund what you paid minus the share your bank keeps when the charge is reversed, around 5%. When the closure happens on the day itself, once you are already in Paracas, we sail to Isla Blanca instead: it is smaller than the Ballestas, it has the same wildlife of the bay, and the ride is about 30 minutes shorter; if that is not possible either, we swap that part for the Paracas Reserve, with its beaches and the Julio C. Tello museum. In that case the service counts as delivered and there is no refund. The rest of the day (Huacachina, the dune buggy and Tacama) is unchanged.
Can I cancel or change my booking?
Yes. Cancel more than 24 hours before the tour and we refund 95% of what you paid; the remaining 5% is kept by your bank or the payment gateway when the charge is reversed. With less than 24 hours, or if you do not show up, there is no refund. Changing the date is free more than 24 hours ahead and subject to availability.
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Book your date online, or message our local team on WhatsApp for help planning your day in Lima.
Photography credits
- Huacachina oasis and dunes · Pitxiquin · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; visual crop may vary by viewport.