Peru's desert coast surprises us: Paracas and Islas Ballestas

A make-shift home on Peru's Pacific coast (click on any pic to enlarge it)

I was leery of the "desert coast" south of Lima. What kind of place to live could that be, with no plants of any kind? What kind of wildlife could we see? It sounded like a moonscape! Bleak!

I live close to the Carolina coast with its maritime forests, or what's left of them - Palmetto trees, gnarly oaks draped with Spanish moss, Southern bayberries sheered by ocean winds. I love the stalky "sea oats" that anchor our white dunes.

What would a barren seashore look like? I imagined a dull and empty gray beach stretching on and on....

As it turns out, I was all wrong. Parts of Peru's southern coast are devoid of plants, but the lack of rainfall doesn't affect life in the ocean. In fact, the marine life offshore is unusually rich and diverse. That's because of Humboldt currents in the area that bring nutrients up from the ocean floor. Plankton feed on the nutrients, fish eat the plankton, and hundreds of oceanic and coastal birds and marine mammals feed on the fish. We knew there would be coastal birds, but were pleasantly surprised by the diversity of birds and mammals. Even Andean Condors venture to this coast during the sea-lion birthing season. As scavengers, the condors feed on the afterbirth left on the beaches.

Below: a Peruvian Pelican,
flourishing on the abundant fish offshore

Once we'd decided to check it out, our first challenge was how to get there safely?? We'd planned to take a bus south along the PanAmerican highway from Lima to Paracas, but then heard that these buses are often stopped by bandits, and that the Paracas bus stations are hot-spots for baggage theft. We were advised to hire a driver instead.

On the recommendation of Dr. Devon Graham, director of Project Amazonas, we hired Miguel Quevedo of Lima to drive us. Miguel proved to be a great choice. He drove at a reasonable speed, he was careful, he couldn't have been more attentive to our needs. When we made pit stops, he found out where the bathroom hole was, if any, and whether there were any snacks or drinks to be had. He stopped when we saw birds to identify, or Tyson-style chicken "farms" to gape at, or photos to shoot. When we left the car to track down a bird, he stayed with the car to guard our stuff. He drove us down muffler-scraping rural tracks without complaint, and prevented many potential problems by thinking ahead. To call him from the U.S.: 011.511.9664.1254. Or email our travel agent in Peru, Rosa Vasquez, at reservas@pascana.com; she can call him from Peru for you.

Above: a clean bathroom along the way

The 5 hour drive from Lima to Paracas turned out to be illuminating. About half of Peru's population live in poverty, many in extreme poverty. Political and economic chaos and guerilla activity of the 1980s, during the presidency of Alan Garcia, fueled an exodus from the Andes into the cities, especially Lima. A lack of adequate space and services has created outlying informal settlements known as pueblos jovenes (young towns). We passed dozens of such settlements on the road to Paracas, many of which lack sanitation and electricity. Some are more solidly constructed than others.

Below: informal settlements along the road to Paracas (click on photos to enlarge)

As we drew close to Paracas, we passed through small towns that had been devastated by a major earthquake in 2007. We saw collapsed walls and lingering piles of rubble alongside rebuilt structures. Reconstruction is progressing, but slowly. The earthquake spawned a tidal surge that flooded buildings close to shore, and those left standing bore the evidence - paint was peeling up to 3 or 4 feet on most older buildings.

Our primary destination was Reserva Nacional de Paracas, and the offshore islands Islas Ballestas, which support thousands of breeding oceanic birds. Our friend and travel agent Rosa Vasquez in Iquitos booked 2 rooms for us in the town of Paracas. The rooms were perfect. The little inn is quiet, small, simple, and inexpensive - we were the only guests of proprietor Isabel Coello, who was extremely helpful. The inn (called Paracas Bay) is also her family's home. It is located on Paracas Bay and right around the corner from the wharf where tour boats take off for Islas Ballestas. It's also across the street from a grocery store, and a 5 minute walk from several affordable and good restaurants. For rates and reservations, contact Isabel at bird002@hotmail.com or call 011.56.545082 from the U.S. Our rooms worked out to about $9.25 per person per night. While staying with Isabel, we met her friend Jorge Ibanez Vignolo, an energetic Peruvian birder who lived in California for 10 years, and now runs a kiteboarding business in Paracas Bay. His website is www.kiteboardingparacas.com; his e-mail is jorgeibanezbsc@yahoo.com; phone 011.511.440-2265 from the U.S.

Isabel Coello and her lovely inn, Paracas Bay. Behind the broom you can see the high-water marks from the flooding following the recent earthquake.

Isabel booked our boat tour for us (roughly $10 per person) and the next morning Ken, Alan, and I took off for Islas Ballestas. The tour took about 2.5 or 3 hours, most of which was spent on the boat journey outward and back. Sadie had traveler's digestive distress and stayed behind at the inn with Miguel and Isabel.

Below are shots taken from the boat. We spent an hour cruising around the rocky islands' arches and caves, watching sea lions sprawled on the rocks and thousands of birds: Humboldt Penguins, Neotropical Cormorants, Inca Terns, Peruvian Pelicans, Peruvian Boobies, Oystercatchers, Red-legged and Guanay Cormorants, Surf Cynclodes, and more.

Alan Kneidel searches for rare birds like the Surf Cynclodes from the tour boat.

Pic below: Peruvian Pelicans and Peruvian Boobies perched on ledges.


Above, Peruvian Pelicans.

Below, Humboldt Penguins on Islas Ballestas.

Below, sea lions lounging and socializing on the rocks.

Below: our tour boat approaching a cave on Islas Ballestas

Below: An Inca Tern in one of the caves Photo below: After we returned from the boat tour, Isabel hooked us up with a professional bird guide, Edgardo Aguilar. He normally charges $80 for a full day of birding, but gave us a reduced rate since we used him for only about 3 hours. His email address is edgardoaguilarh@yahoo.com.

Edgardo (left) showing Alan and Ken the Slender-billed Finch,
in farmland a mile or so back from the water's edge

Edgardo speaks excellent English, is very friendly, and knows his birds. Even better, he's very good at describing exactly where a tiny bird is hidden in the foliage. (Yes, there were plants after we drove a mile or so inland.) I highly recommend Edgardo if you're birding in the Paracas area. He lives in one of the nearby towns - Ica or Pisco - and knows the area intimately. He took us through an offroad agricultural area where we saw Vermillion Flycatchers (my first), Slender-billed Finch, Coastal Miner, Common Nighthawk, Peruvian Meadowlark, etc. and best of all - a colony of Burrowing Owls!


Left,
the
owls'
burrows



























Above: a burrowing owl near Paracas


Below: A child saw us looking at the owls and ran out from her home to see if she could help. She pointed out another couple of burrows to Sadie.

Below, the owls and a lot of the other birds
Edgardo showed us were near irrigated plots
of paprika peppers

After an early afternoon with Edgardo, we dropped him off at home and tooled away in Miguel's car toward Reserva Nacional de Paracas, just a few miles down the road from the town of Paracas.

The reserve is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen - with absolutely no plants in sight.

Pics below: Reserva Nacional de Paracas, on Peru's southern coast

Above: a turkey vulture dines on a seal carcass washed ashore
Below: more shots of the Paracas reserve

Below: Miguel, Miguel's car, and Sadie at the Paracas reserve

Below, Alan peers over Ken's shoulder at pelagic birds offshore

What do you think, beautiful or bleak? I loved the Humboldt penguins on Islas Ballestas - my first penguins. I loved Isabel and Edgardo, I loved the burrowing owls and the little girl who showed us more. I loved Miguel, I loved the stark and haunting coast - the colorful cliffs and hungry birds.

I understand that the area is experiencing a boom in tourism. I'm glad the reserve does actually seem to be protected, and hope the coming development of the adjacent areas can proceed mindfully. The residents could really benefit from more tourist dollars from industrialized nations - mainly, the U.S.

Sadie, Alan, Ken and Sally Kneidel at Reservas Nacional de Paracas

All photos and text by Sally Kneidel

Keywords: Paracas Humboldt penguin Islas Ballestas birding Peru Rosa Vasquez Los Zarcillos birding South America Reserva Nacional de Paracas

Other recent posts about our travels in Peru:

Deep in the Amazon: the wildlife delivery crew

Careening through the Andes

Roasted guinea pig: trekking at 12,000 ft

Rainforest in need: here's how to help

From the Amazon to the Andes, Peru knocked me silly

Be sure to ride the moto-taxis in Iquitos, and hold on tight

If you're interested in adventure travel, as in someplace really different from home and not too expensive, consider Peru. If you want a ground-level view of what's really going down in the tropical world, Peru will show you that.

We're just back from 24 days in Peru, a trip that included the Amazon, the Andes, and the desert along the Pacific Coast. Peru is one of the most varied and stunning countries I've seen. It has the highest biodiversity of any country on the planet - a big bonus for us. We also found opportunities to interact with indigenous people in villages along the Amazon and in the Andes. One of our goals was to spend as much time as possible in places where other Americans don't go - remote villages and nature reserves. We accomplished that, partly by avoiding Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley.

My trip included husband Ken, son Alan, and daughter Sadie. Sadie and Alan are both in their twenties.

A whole lotta birds
We saw 301 species of birds in Peru - not bad. Compared to 314 species in Costa Rica (over a period of 12 weeks), 220 in Kenya, and 141 in South Africa. [The Kenya trip was only Alan.] Birds we saw in Peru included the Humboldt penguin, Inca tern, Peruvian booby, Peruvian pelican, blue and yellow macaw, vermillion flycatcher, white-throated toucan, wattled jacana, Andean flicker, white-winged parakeet, burrowing owl, etc. I can post a list if anyone is interested. Leave a comment on the blog and tell me.

A street vendor in Iquitos

Wild and woolly Iquitos
We spent 4 or 5 days in Iquitos, the world's largest city that's not accessible by road but only by river or air. It's a friendly, hyper, and funky little town on the Amazon River. And cheap. Our lodging cost us $9 per person per day, on a quiet dead-end street that ends at the river. The roads of Iquitos are traversed by "moto-taxis" instead of cars, like 3-wheeled motorcycles with go-cart engines (see picture at top of post). For half a dollar, a mototaxi will take you anywhere, darting through town at break-neck speed. A first-class thrill, better than any carnival ride. I love Iquitos. I would move there next week if I had a job there and I'm not kidding.

Biological station on stilts
After a few days in charming Iquitos, we took a boat to a very remote biological station about 90 river-miles from Iquitos. We went east on the Amazon and south on its tributary, the Orosa River. The biological station, Madre Selva, is operated by Project Amazonas, a conservation and humanitarian non-profit. The station provides "rustic" lodging for biologists studying Amazonian plants and animals. Project Amazonas also offers some medical aid to remote families and under-served villages on the rivers. At the biological station, we slept in tents on raised wooden platforms under a thatched roof. Thatched homes with open sides are traditional in Amazonia. Every single house you pass on the river is built that way, and on stilts, which protect against flooding - because Peru has a rainy season and a dry season and water levels fluctuate dramatically. Summer in the U.S. is Peru's dry season, good for travel. Especially July and August.













Photos: Our housing at Madre Selva, outside and inside. Our house had screen walls, but most homes don't.




We had the station to ourselves, with our Peruvian helpers

The biological station is open to anyone who wants to go. The director of Project Amazonas, Dr. Devon Graham, is affiliated with Florida International University (in Miami) and frequently takes student groups to the station to study the use of forest resources by local people, all of whom are indigenous. He also takes groups of tourists, but none were there when we were. We had the station all to ourselves, along with our cook, boatman, and our naturalist guide - all native Peruvians whom Devon engaged for us.Photo: Our boat is visible behind Raul Viena our cook, Edwin Ruiz our boatman, and Cesar Peña our naturalist guide

The wildlife delivery crew
We loved the local indigenous children who paddled over to the station every day in their dugout canoes. When their mothers came too, they brought stuff to trade: woven baskets, bags, fans, carved jewelry. The moms welcomed what we offered: lotion, mosquito netting, toothpaste, socks, shirts, anything. Sometimes the children brought their "pets" to show us: lizards, turtles, and even monkeys! This was not at our request, and we were uncomfortable seeing wildlife as pets, especially the primates. But as we learned, people living in remote places along the Amazon do keep wildlife as pets. We saw plenty of wildlife for sale as meat too, back in Iquitos, which made us equally uncomfortable.

But we were grateful to have the chance to talk with the families around the biological station.















Above photo: A group of sisters brought us a little frog in a baggie (which Sadie released into the forest). Right: Another family brought their two pet monkeys to visit with us, just to be neighborly. The monkey pictured is a monk saki monkey.

Belen market: teeming with life and death
Captive wildlife often winds up in Iquitos. Part of Iquitos is a floating shantytown of huts built on rafts that rise and fall with the river. The floating area of the city, called Belen, has an extensive and colorful open-air market on the shore, which offers every imaginable jungle resource. It's an exotic sensory deluge, crammed with foods and spices and jungle products I've never seen before. It reminded me of Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books for some reason, maybe because of all the traditional medicines for sale, made of plant and animal parts. (The use of animal parts to treat ailments and impotence worldwide is based almost entirely on superstition, folklore and tradition. I don't know of any animal parts that have been demonstrated to be effective medicine.) The part of the Belen market that offered traditional medicines was troubling, and fascinating. As I've written elsewhere, the trade in wildlife and wildlife parts worldwide is the third most lucrative blackmarket commodity in the world, after drugs and arms (according to Interpol).

Photo above: In the Belen market, plant and animal parts were sold as medicine (see "Medicina Natural" sign above. "La Selvita" means "The Little Jungle.")

I saw traditional medicines made of animal parts while visiting a medicine man in a remote village in South Africa last year. He had a few animal tails and skulls, and some unidentified animal parts in jars, but his collection of animal parts was meager compared to the array on display in the Belen market.

We also saw baby monkeys for sale in the Belen market, for 5 soles, about $2 each. I was stunned at that. These were saddle-backed tamarins, spider monkeys, pygmy marmosets, animals whose habitats and population numbers are declining, and who should be protected. There were more than monkeys for sale....living anteaters, parrots, and sloths, too. It was distressing, yes, but if it's happening, I want to know about it. I was grateful for the opportunity to see it for myself, and grateful to our guide Cesar Pena for taking me there. Cesar has been a nature guide on the Amazon for Project Amazonas for 12 years. He works independently too. If you're interested in hiring him as a guide on the Peruvian Amazon, contact him directly at cesars99@hotmail.com. His phone number in Iquitos is 965-658361. To call him from the U.S., dial 011.51.65.965658361.

Rosa was a life-saver in planning our trip. Maybe literally.
Before this post gets too long, I want to recommend an excellent resource for anyone considering a trip to Peru. Rosa Vasquez Zanetti. Her family owns and operates the modest little inn where we stayed in Iquitos, the Hospedaje La Pascana. Rosa is also an excellent travel agent, through her own Pascana Amazon Services. Not only did she make a number of our bookings before we arrived in Peru, she also helped me change some of our Andes plans at the last minute while we were in Iquitos. She recommended some safer means of bus travel into the mountains for us, and booked the tickets. She also recommended safer and more interesting mountain towns and Andean peaks for our hiking plans, and she booked those too, while we were in Iquitos. She was a fantastic resource and speaks very good English. You can contact Rosa directly at reservas@pascana.com or call her in Iquitos. From the U.S., her number is 011.51.65.233466. I'll write another post about what we did in the Andes.

I recommend Miguel Quevedo
I want to recommend too a Peruvian driver that we hired to drive us from Lima to the Reservas de Paracas, a mind-blowing desert nature reserve 4 hours south of Lima. Devon Graham of Project Amazonas recommended both Miguel and Rosa to us. Miguel stayed with us the entire 56 hours or so (two nights) that we spent in the area of Paracas. When we left the car to go birding, he stayed with the car to guard our things. His name is Miguel Quevedo. He's smart, responsible, trustworthy, fun. On many occasions, he acted as our advocate - straightening out misunderstandings with vendors, etc. Miguel can be reached through Rosa Vasquez Zanetti (she will call him for you if you email her at reservas@pascana.com.) Or you can call him directly, but he speaks little English. His phone number in Lima is (511) 99664-1254. If calling from the U.S., it's 011 511 996641254.

Miguel and Sadie at supper, at Paracas on the Pacific coast

More later on Peru, and why I long to get back there.
Photos and text by Sally Kneidel

Keywords::Peru travel, adventure travel, Amazon, Andes, Paracas, Iquitos, South America, tropics