This extension can be added to any of the itineraries featured in this website. It can be added before (preferably) or after the chosen itinerary. It can also be booked exactly as it is or can be tailored to suit your requirements by adding special visits, or extending it for another day or two.
Good time to travel: Year round.

Day 1 | 2

You will be collected by your guide at approximately 8:00am to be transferred by private car from Lima to Ica (about 3 to 4 hours and 400 km). En route you may visit a local wine and pisco producer. You will travel for approximately four hours due south on the Panamerican Highway along the coastal desert. Upon arrival to Ica airport at approximately midday, you will board your Cessna Caravan plane to obtain an aerial view of the Nazca and Palpa Lines, giant drawings of animals, geometric figures and birds ranging up to 300 meters in size, scratched on 220Km² of desert plains. Lunch at a local restaurant and afternoon visit of the Museo Regional to view a collection of mummies, ceramics, textiles and trepanned skulls from Paracas, Nazca and Inca cultures; a good, well-displayed collection of Inca counting strings (quipus) and clothes made of feathers. Drive northwards for 40 minutes to the lovely seaside resort of Paracas, within Paracas National Reserve, Peru's only marine protected area. Overnight Las Dunas.

In the morning you’ll board a boat to visit the Ballestas Islands (at about 8am), an archipelago of islands rich in wildlife. It will take approximately an hour to reach the islands. The islands themselves are riddled with arches, tunnels and other wind and sea sculptures where you will appreciate different kinds of sea birds and sea lions. You will also visit Punta Pejerrey, nearly the northern most point of the isthmus and the best spot for seeing the Candelabro, a candelabra-shaped drawing scratched on to the highest point of a cliffside overlooking the bay.
From here you may be able to opt between going by road inland to visit the Inca site of Tambo Colorado (48Km from Pisco). It is one of the best preserved Inca ruins in coastal Peru. The other option is to visit the land portion of the Paracas National Reserve where you can see impressive rock formations by the ocean and a site museum where archaeological remains of the Pre Inca Paracas culture are on exhibit.
Lunch at a local restaurant and drive back to Lima. Transfer to your hotel.