The Ballestas Islands from Lima take a full day
Visiting the Ballestas Islands from Lima is a whole-day undertaking, with return road transport as well as time on the water. The outings compared here last 18 hours, 16 hours or one day, depending on the itinerary. A two-hour boat segment describes only part of that day, not the journey from your Lima departure to your return.
The choice is between different mainland additions to the islands: Huacachina with optional dunes activities, the historic tunnels in Chincha, or a Nazca flight with an oasis visit. Travellers wanting dunes activities can choose the 18-hour Premium option; travellers interested in Chincha can choose the 16-hour boat-and-tunnels outing; travellers prioritising a flight can choose the one-day Nazca combination.
Our picks: trips from Lima
Choose the Chincha combination for a boat trip and tunnel visit. The other day trips add a vineyard or a Nazca flight and Huacachina.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of November 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Ballestas, Nazca flight and Huacachina
- Boat tour to the Ballestas Islands
- 35-minute flight over Nazca Lines
- Lunch
This full-day trip also visits Huacachina. The precise Lima meeting point is not specified.
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Ballestas and Chincha day trip
- 2-hour speedboat tour
- Chincha tunnels tour
- All taxes and entrance fees
Allow 16 hours for this organised day trip. Pickup covers specified Lima hotel zones, with a meeting-point option otherwise.
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Ballestas and vineyard day trip from Lima
- Roundtrip bus transportation
- 2-hour boat tour
- Bilingual guide
Allow 18 hours. Hotel pickup requires Pickup or Premium; buggy, sandboarding and local taxes are included only with Premium.
Check availability →Lima day trips with a Ballestas boat visit
Compare return journeys from Lima with different land programmes: Huacachina options, Chincha tunnels or a Nazca flight. Match the selected fare to the pickup, activities and fees you want included.
Three Ballestas day formats starting in Lima
The 18-hour Paracas and Huacachina outing includes return bus transport, a bilingual guide, a vineyard visit and a two-hour boat trip in Paracas. The bus has reclining seats, onboard toilets and USB charging ports. Hotel pickup and drop-off belong to the Pickup and Premium options. Dune buggy, sandboarding, a sunset toast and local taxes belong only to Premium. Meals and beverages are extra.
The 16-hour Ballestas and Chincha outing includes hotel pickup and drop-off within its listed Lima areas or a meeting-point alternative, an air-conditioned coach, a bilingual guide and a two-hour speedboat trip. A guided visit to the historic tunnels in Chincha forms the mainland addition. Taxes and entrance fees for the included programme are covered; food and drinks are extra. Choose it for the boat and tunnels rather than planning a separate mainland reserve circuit around the product's title.
The one-day Nazca combination includes return transport, a Ballestas boat trip, a 35-minute flight over the Nazca Lines, a visit to Huacachina Oasis and lunch. Sandboarding and drinks cost extra. The flight is one component of the day, so its 35 minutes should not be read as the total excursion duration. The dunes and flight comparison explains the different combination formats.
Lima pickup and return
Lima pickup depends on the selected package and fare, with hotel collection on the 18-hour outing restricted to Pickup and Premium. Without collection, that outing uses an information kiosk opposite the hotel landmark specified in the Miraflores booking instructions. Use the actual meeting address rather than arriving at an arbitrary coastal stop.
The 16-hour outing serves the listed hotel and hostel areas in Lima, with a meeting-point alternative elsewhere. For the Nazca day package, obtain the Lima meeting instructions as part of your booking arrangements. These are organised return excursions, not airport transfers. Plan your accommodation and onward commitments around the full outing, including the return road journey.
Ballestas package inclusions and extra charges
The 18-hour Ballestas and Huacachina package has option-dependent costs: Premium includes the local taxes as well as buggy, sandboarding and the sunset toast. Selecting Pickup adds hotel collection and return, but the dunes activities and local taxes still belong to Premium. Read the selected fare as a complete set of inclusions rather than borrowing features from another option.
The 16-hour boat-and-tunnels package includes its programme's taxes and entrance fees. The one-day flight package includes lunch, while sandboarding and drinks remain extra. Keep these distinctions when comparing headline prices. A package's shared road journey, boat visit and mainland activities form one itinerary; assembling separate tickets yourself calls for separate connection planning.
Independent travel to Ballestas or an organised outing
Independent travel to Ballestas separates the journey to Paracas from the boat booking, while a Lima excursion brings return transport and the included visits into one package. Choose independent travel if you want a mainland overnight stay and a local sailing; use an organised day outing when you want the capital as your start and return point. The getting-there guide covers mainland arrival and the final connection to the pier.
Local Ballestas options have their own meeting points and inclusions, compared on the boat-tours page. An overnight base is also a separate choice, covered in where to stay. Keep travel to the check-in point distinct from the sailing itself, and avoid a tight onward commitment built solely around the advertised boat duration.
Ballestas boat operation remains subject to weather and navigation safety even within a Lima package. Follow the contract for itinerary changes, rescheduling or cancellation rather than expecting a universal refund rule. Bring sun protection, a hat, sunglasses and a wind jacket, and follow the crew's instructions while seated on board.
Questions about Ballestas day trips from Lima
How much time should I allow for the day?
18 hours is the listed duration of the Huacachina outing, while the Chincha package lasts 16 hours and the Nazca combination is a day product. All include return transport from Lima. Keep the whole itinerary free rather than using the boat segment's duration to plan a separate evening commitment.
Does every fare include hotel pickup?
No, the 18-hour Lima outing includes hotel pickup and drop-off with Pickup and Premium options. Its meeting-point version starts in Miraflores. The 16-hour package has listed collection areas and a meeting-point alternative. Read your chosen option's departure instructions so your hotel address and the actual meeting point line up.
Are buggy and sandboarding included in the 18-hour outing?
Yes, buggy and sandboarding are included in the 18-hour outing's Premium option, together with a sunset toast and local taxes. Other fares have a different scope. Hotel pickup belongs to Pickup and Premium, so selecting collection alone should not be treated as selecting the full dunes activity package.
What is included in the Nazca day combination?
The Nazca day combination includes return transport, the Ballestas boat visit, a 35-minute flight over the Nazca Lines, Huacachina Oasis and lunch. Sandboarding and drinks are extra. Use the package's Lima meeting instructions for the start, and keep the flight duration separate from the length of the full outing.