Peru Guide
The south coast
The Ballestas Islands
The stunning Ballestas Islands (often called the Guano Islands, as every centimetre is covered in bird droppings) are home to more wildlife than almost anywhere in South America, except for the Galapagos. They lie off the coast due west from Pisco and seem to be alive and moving with a mass of flapping, noisy pelicans, penguins, terns, boobies and Guanay cormorants. The name Ballesta is Spanish for crossbow, and may derive from times when marine mammals and larger fish were hunted with mechanical crossbow-style harpoons. There are scores of islands, many of them relatively small and none larger than a couple of football pitches together. The waters are generally rough but modern boats can get close to the rocks and beaches where abundant wildlife sleep, feed and mate. The waters around the islands are equally full of life, sometimes sparkling black with the shiny dark bodies of sea lions and the occasional killer whale. Guides on the boats vary in ability, but most are knowledgeable and informative about marine and bird life.
The cheapest way to reach the islands is to catch a bus from Pisco market, on the corner of calles Beatita de Humay and Fermin Tanguis. Particularly in the mornings, most of the buses from here only go as far as the waterfront at San Andres, which can also be reached for $2–3 in a taxi from town. From San Andres, there are usually at least two buses an hour on to the playa El Chaco wharf in El Balneario, where boats leave for the Ballestas Islands. Local tour operators in Pisco also run combined bus and boat tours to the islands, leaving early in the morning and returning towards midday. Tickets start at $12; it's best to buy them the day before.