TRAVEL TO PARACAS
Paracas, the resort (also known as El Baneario or El Chaco) was once a spot for wealthy Limeños, whose expensive resort hotels and large bungalows line the beach close to the entrance to the reserve, but now reasonably prices hotels and restaurants dominate the scene. The wharf here, surrounded by pelicans, is the place to board speedboats, for a quick zip across the sea, circling one or two of the islands and passing close to the famous Paracas Trident.
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HISTORY
This pre-lnca culture developed from 1000 BC in the coastal valleys of the present-day provinces of Chincha and Pisco, on both sides of the Ica River. It can be divided into two stages: Paracas Caverns and Paracas Necropolis. This classification is based on the ways in which this culture buried its dead. The first and oldest stage is closely associated with the Chavín culture, which existed almost in parallel with it in Huari, near present-day Huaraz. The second stage, which produced the beautiful Paracas textiles, is related to the Nasca culture, which succeeded the Paracas culture.
Skull trepanation
Skull trepanation was very common in this culture. It was performed to treat wounds produced by blows to the head probably inflicted in warfare. A plate made from gold or pumpkin shell was used to replace the damaged section of the skull.
Skull deformation
Evidence found in their cemeteries indicates that the people of Paracas practiced the custom of deforming their skulls from birth by bandaging them with boards in order to create the desired shape. The deformation of skulls probably had some kind of religious significance or lent prestige to certain members of the culture.
Whatever the reason for this custom, the people of Paracas managed to master the technique of altering the axis of the brain to make it develop in an elongated form.
GEOGRAPHY
Around 200km to the south of Lima you will find the coast of Peru where the hammerhead Paracas peninsula overhangs the pacific sea. The north side of the peninsula with its curvature forms the Paracas bay. The land along the coast consists mostly of deserts and little plant life.
However, the Peruvian oceans holds a huge diversity of marine wildlife, including; sea lions and guano birds from the Ballestas islands, the abundance in marine wildlife is due to the nutrient-rich and cold water that flow up from Antarctica.
El Chaco is Paracas main town, the town is in the middle of dry hills and the Ica desert. These deserts however have an abundance of sand dunes, an appealing attraction for thrill seeking travelers.
attractions
Ballestas Islands
The Ballestas Islands are similar to the Galápagos but on a smaller scale and lie off the coast due west from Pisco. They seem to be alive and moving with a mass of flapping, noisy pelicans, penguins, tenis, 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.
Paracas National Reserve
Of greater wildlife interest than the Ballestas Islands, the Paracas National Reserve, a few kilometres south of Paracas, was established in 1975, mainly to protect the marine wildlife. Its bleak 117,000 hectares of pampa are frequently lashed by strong winds and sandstorms. Home to some of the world’s richest seas, an abundance of marine plankton gives nourishment to a vast array of fish and various marine species including octopus, squid, whale, shark, dolphin, bass, plaice and marlin. This unique desert is also a staging point for a host of migratory birds and acts as a sanctuary for many endangered species. Schools of dolphin play in the waves offshore; condors scour the peninsula for food; small desert foxes come down to the beaches looking for birds and dead sea lions; and lizards scrabble across the hot sands. People have also been active here – predecessors of the pre-Inca Paracas culture arrived here some 9000 years ago, reaching their peak between 2000 and 500 BC. On the way from Pisco to the reserve, the road passes some unpleasant-smelling fish-meal-processing factories, which are causing environmental concern due to spillages of fish oil that pollute the bay, endangering bird and sea-mammal life.
The Paracas Trident (el Candelabro)
The Paracas Trident, a massive 128-metre-high by 74-metre-wide candelabra carved into the tall sea cliffs and facing out towards the Pacific Ocean, is one of Paracas main features. No one knows its function or its creator, though Erich von Dániken, author of Chariots of the Gods, speculated that it was a sign for extraterrestrial spacecraft, pointing the way (inaccurately as happens) towards the mysterious Nasca Lines that are inland to the southeast; others suggest it was constructed as a navigational aid for eighteenth-century pirates. It seems more likely, however, that it was a kind of pre-Inca ritual object, representing a cactus or tree of life, and those high priests during the Paracas or Nasca eras worshipped the setting sun from this spot.
Huacachina
According to myth, the lagoon at HUACACHINA, about 5kms southwest of Ica, was created when a princess stripped off her clothes to bathe. When she looked into a mirror and saw that a male hunter was watching her, she dropped the mirror, which then became the lagoon. More prosaically, during the late 1940s, the lagoon became one of Peru’s most elegant and exclusive resorts, surrounded by palm trees, sand dunes and waters famed for their curative powers, and with a delightfully old-world atmosphere. Since then the lagoons subterranean source has grown erratic and it is supplemented by water pumped up from artesian wells, making it less of a red-colored, viscous syrup and more like a green, salty swimmable lagoon; it retains considerable mystique, making it a quiet, secluded spot to relax, The curative powers of the lagoon attract people from all over, the mud from the lake is reputed to cure arthritis and rheumatism if you plaster yourself all over with it; and the sand around the lagoon is also supposed to benefit people with respiratory problems, so it’s not uncommon to see locals buried up to the neck in the dunes.
ACTIVITIES
Sand-dune Surfing
sand-dune surfing is all the rage and you can rent wooden boards from the cafés and hotel along the shoreline.
Take a boat tour to the Ballestas Islands
Large flocks of birds and huge sea lion colonies offer you a unique boat tour surrounded by rare marine wildlife. The area is reserved for genuine ecotourism and research and wildlife lovers will love navigating right up to the islands’ banks for closer wildlife observation.
Adventure tourism
If you are an adrenaline-seeker, book a dune buggy and sand board tour of the sand dunes around Huacachina. An expert driver will drive you over the massive dunes at breakneck speeds. You can then practice your sand boarding skills on both big and small dunes.
Splurge and chill out poolside
A Paracas hotel is the ideal place to relax and recuperate from those busy days with packed itineraries. Stay at one of Paracas’ well-priced beach resorts, most include fabulous pools that will overlook the bay. Take the time to enjoy the breath-taking landscapes, views, whilst sipping on a delicious cocktail.
CLIMATE
Paracas will on average have a temperature of 24*C, with a dry climate and limited rainfall. Paracas translated from Quechua is “rain of sand”, which is in reference to the very strong wind that will pass through the coastlines and peninsula picking up sand to make a sort of “rain”.
