Our ship docked at General San Martin port on Thursday March 26 -our first stop since departing Chile. Peru is a wonderful country that is much more than Machu Picchu – as we have now discovered! Shortly after our arrival at the port we left on an excursion to Paracas National Reserve. This protected area of Peru was established in the 1970’s to conserve natural animal habitats. Though it is known for its wildlife, what amazed us the most was the place itself – which is amazingly unique and beautiful! I have never been anywhere like it. Let me briefly describe it.
The reserve is basically a desert – an astonishing desert in fact. Yep, it was sandy as deserts are; but has dunes and imposing sand and rock cliffs that are both staggering and absolutely dazzling. This desert is located right at the edge of the Pacific Ocean and the dunes and cliffs loom over the water. The water was a bright blue, quite stunning against the tan and brown cliffs whose color seemed to vary from minute to minute. It was beautiful in a distinct way and rather reminded me of the moon’s surface. Otherworldly and a bit spooky, I have never seen anything quite like it.
We expected the weather to be hot but in fact it was quite pleasant making exploring much easier! We took numerous pictures and quite enjoyed ourselves. If you get an opportunity to visit, do so!
That evening our ship sailed on to our next stop and we spent a bit of time in, and around Lima – stay tuned for that post!
Thanks a lot!