パラカスとワカチナを訪れ、オールインクルーシブで素晴らしい一日を

I’m not sure how this tour has such high ratings because our experience was really disappointing. This was the worst tour that we had in Peru, and possibly the worst tour we’ve ever been on. As a travel advisor with clients heading to Peru, I had high hopes for this tour to be an exciting part of their itinerary, but I cannot, in good conscience, recommend it to anyone. We booked this expecting a private experience, so imagine our surprise when we were picked up in a bus that went on to pick up ten other passengers. This set the tone for a day that didn’t live up to our expectations. Our tour guide primarily spoke in Spanish, to the point where we thought that we accidentally booked the wrong tour. Another American couple pointed out the language barrier to our guide, so she started to provide a short sentence or two in English. It seemed to be an inconvenience for her, and we felt like there was little effort made to make us feel comfortable and included. We're not the type of travelers who expect everyone to speak our language, but we do expect it when that’s what the tour advertises. It would’ve been more accurate if the listing stated that the tour is primarily in Spanish, but the guide might speak a little English for you. Then, every single stop on the tour fell short of our expectations. Paracas was a decrepit, run-down coastal town, and the Ballestas Islands boat tour was underwhelming. The guide on the boat did at least attempt to provide some translations, but it was entirely unintelligible, so don’t expect the "bilingual" support that is promised here either. On a positive note, we did spot some penguins, birds, and sea lions, and the islands themselves were picturesque. After the tour, our guide took us to a merchant where we attempted to buy a container of plantain chips. Instead, the vendor shoved multiple containers of chips, cookies, and sweets into a bag and demanded payment from us. Sure, we could have refused, but we didn’t want to cause a scene over $25 that we didn’t want to spend, but it definitely felt like a scam. Next, we visited a pisco vineyard for lunch and tastings. At lunch, we received a limited menu and were confused when we looked up and saw that all the other guests had a full menu with more options. We wondered if maybe we had booked a different option that included lunch and could choose from a smaller menu? No one explained it to us, but it was another example of how we felt like we were receiving a lesser experience. The vineyard tour guide was the only one to provide information in both Spanish and English, so this was one of the better parts of the day since we at least felt acknowledged. Finally, we arrived at Huacachina. We did enjoy the beautiful oasis and dune buggy ride in the desert, however, the sandboarding was another major disappointment. We were hoping that we could stand while boarding, but we could only lie on the boards and slide down on our stomachs. This activity was supposed to be the highlight of our day because it was the main reason we booked the tour, so we ended the day feeling let down by the tour overall. Lastly, the day was supposed to conclude by watching the sunset at the lagoon, but we left in the afternoon and missed that experience entirely. So overall, our experience with this tour was deeply disappointing. It did not live up to the promises of a private and bilingual experience, and every stop left much to be desired. The tour guide's poor attitude and lack of engagement was frustrating. While we really wanted to support a small business, we probably would’ve enjoyed a better experience with a larger group and more reputable tour operator. This was a really long day that felt like a waste of valuable time during our vacation.

Excellent guide, his energy is contagious, always willing to clarify all doubts. He has a lot of knowledge of the history of Peru, so the experience is much more enriching. 100% recommended.

Collectively my friends and I spent $520 USD on this tour. The guide removes a large chunk of the itenary We were supposed to have 2 hours on a boat on ballestas islands to see the animals. The Harbour had been closed since the day prior. The company and the guide knew this and intentionally did not tell us until we arrived in Paracas. Did not give us an opportunity to change the date. Instead we were taken to a tiny beach for 30 minutes but no one had swimwear because it was never advised to us to pack it, even though they knew we would not get to the islands and may go here instead. The viator booking advertises that we will finish in huacacina with sand buggy & sunset. This did not happen. Instead we went to huacacina for 1 hour at lunch time. 1 hour of san buddy & boarding. Then we went to lunch at 3pm because the tour guide wanted to get food and alcohol tasting and go home quickly. When I asked him about sunset and the itenary on viator, he said they never do the sunset and it was better to spend time eating and drinking amd get home fast The guide Tony had no interest in following the promised itinerary or providing value, he wanted to rush home and quickly get through everything. In paracas I asked him to stop at some flamingos that we saw and he did not. We paid to see animals on the islands and the 1 animal we do see he would not stop at. When I asked him why we were not sticking to the itenary he was rude and passive aggressive about it and told me it was better to spend longer eating and drinking, saying they did not promise sunset and never do it. They itenary that was promised was not delivered. Book with a reliable company Like Peru Hop. This was the most expensive way to see huacacina and the ballestas and all we got was 1 hour in Huacacaina.

You truly will spend 16+ hours on this tour but the experiences are worth it. The boat tour part is very crowded. Tony our tour guide was very patient and entertaining. As a solo traveler I never felt left out and there were a few of us in the big group. He did an outstanding job. Hatchachiena(?) was the best part with off roading.

Honestly this has been one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life! Apart from the amazing views that this tour offered it was the amazing people I met. Made friends from Colombia, Costa Rica, Canadá and even from my own country, Mexico! Jesús Gabriel was such a cool guy, friendly and very outgoing, his professionalism and his knowledge made this trip interesting! I could say that I also made really good friends with him. If you have the chance to book this trip do it!!!!

+4

Jesus is the best and the places we went are speechless. Worth every minute! This tour is a must!!!!

+2

We left early (5 am) to get to Paracas first, with a pit stop to get a delicious breakfast (pan con chicharrones highly recommended). After a few hours, we got to Paracas, where a boat tour took us to visit el Candelabro de Paracas as well the local fauna on the nearby islands. We were lucky enough to see plenty of pelicans, cormorants and see lions, as well and some penguins. Really gorgeous. We then moved to Ica, where we had lunch in a restaurant and had a Pisco tasting, that does cheer you up. We lastly got to Huacachina, where some dune buggies drove us up and down the sand dunes and dropped us to do some sand boarding. We then got back to huacachina, where we rested a few minutes for pictures of the oasis as the sun was setting, fantastic view. Highly recommended day, also thanks to Jesus, who was able to entertain us during the day as well as guide us and inform us about everything surrounding us.

Jesus was an excellent guide! It was super neat, fun and professional. He was always attentive to everyone/everything and was an excellent photographer too. Excellent guide, recommended. He showed a lot of knowledge during the tour and we learned a lot.

+3

Lots of fun from start to finish! Jesus and his team were very knowledgeable and helpful! Highly recommended

This tour with Miguel was SO FUN and was truly my most fun day in Peru (and I did a lot in a week!) The day continues to get better with increasing pleasant surprises. It's really cool to continue to learn more about the culture of different areas in Peru. Miguel made sure everyone had a fun time and that we were able to capture special pictures and videos. Out of all the tour options for Paracas and Huacachina Oasis, pick this tour!