The Peruvian capital is usually the first place travelers visit when arriving into the country, and its central location means we can find many awesome day tours from Lima Peru.
Whether you’re looking for an all-out high octane adventure or a relaxed beach town day, it’s easy to do it all from Lima. What’s great is that we can also explore ancient ruins and see incredible wildlife from the capital too – meaning our only problem will be finding the time to fit all of these trips in!
In this guide we’ll take a look at the very best day tours from Lima Peru, and which ones are absolute must-do’s when in the city. As well as covering how much time you’ll need in Lima, we’ll also explore any other burning questions you may have in our FAQ section.
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This desert oasis has recently become one of the hottest Peru destinations that you can visit, and is also a very simple day trip to head on from Lima. Here we can climb the towering dunes for breathtaking views, go on a sandboarding and dune buggy ride tour as well as visiting a unique Pisco winery.
Whilst many don’t usually visit the mysterious Nazca Lines and hieroglyphs in just one day from Lima, it’s certainly possible if you plan it all out in advance. Here at TravelBuddiesPeru we operate a Nazca Lines overflight day tour from Lima, where you’ll see the hieroglyphs as well as spending time in Paracas and Huacachina.
Once a quiet and peaceful fishing town, the secret got out about Paracas and it’s now turned into a must-visit trip from Lima. Here we can find the Ballestas Islands which are rich in biodiversity, and are home to Sea Lions, Cormorants, Penguins and even Whales at certain times of the year. We can also find the ancient Candelabro hieroglyph too here.
The oldest-known ruins of any ancient civilization in the entire Americas, Caral is a very unique place to visit and lies just a few hours north of Lima. Not only can we explore temples and learn how the culture used astrology in their day-to-day lives, we can also enjoy some surreal desert landscapes in the Supe region.
Photo by George Alvarez
This really depends on you and what your travel plans are when here. For example if you have already traveled all around Peru and seen it all, then you may only need between 3-5 days in Lima.
If instead you are strapped for time and not able to see much of the country, we’d recommend planning at least 4 days here. This way you can explore ancient ruins, see the desert, spot incredible wildlife and more with ease.
Overall we would say that 4-7 days is an ideal amount of time to spend in Lima. Whilst there are many awesome day trips to do, don’t forget you can do many incredible experiences within the capital too.
In this section we’ll now explore the most frequent questions we get about the best day tours from Lima Peru.
Yes it’s very easy to do a day trip here from Lima, and is actually the most ideal option in many cases. Here at TravelBuddiesPeru we operate a day tour to Huacachina from Lima, where we’ll go sandboarding, visit a local pisco winery and also explore the Ballestas Islands. We’ll also have private, air-conditioned transport too as we travel throughout the desert.
There are many beach towns that are perfect for a trip from Lima. Paracas is one of the most famous, which is 3 hours away and is a great place to spot Sea Lions and Humboldt Penguins. There are also the towns of San Bartolo and Punta Hermosa, which are slightly closer and are great for catching the rays on the sand.
Once you’ve experienced all of the incredible cuisine and activities on offer in Lima, you may be wondering where to head next. Usually the Andean city of Cusco is a popular next-stop for visiting Machu Picchu, whilst you can also head to the white city of Arequipa which is famous for its multiple volcanoes and for seeing soaring Condors in the Colca Canyon.
And that’s all for this guide on the best day tours you can do from Lima Peru.
The starting point for most trips around Peru, Lima is a diverse city full of historical sites and tasty local dishes. There’s also many worthwhile day tours to do from the capital too, whether that’s going sandboarding in Huacachina or flying over the epic Nazca Lines hieroglyphs.
Are you looking for the most epic day tour from Lima? Here at TravelBuddiesPeru we explore Huacachina, Paracas and Nazca on our one-of-a-kind day tour from Lima, where you can combine thrills, ancient sites as well as comfortable transport and personalized service.
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