Are you wondering what the best Lima Peru excursions are that you can easily head on from the capital?
Located right along the heart of the Pacific Coast, Lima is close to both unique desert regions as well as various archaeological ruins. This means that it’s very easy to organise a day trip to visit these wonders once you arrive into the Peruvian capital.
In this guide we’ll explore the very best excursions in Lima Peru that you must head on, which include those to Huacachina and the Nazca Lines.
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Once you’ve arrived into the Peruvian capital, you’ll first find there to be many incredible sights and unique experiences to be had within the city. This includes heading on a locally guided food tour as well as visiting the highlights of Miraflores and the Historic Centre.
However they’re also many worthwhile day trips to head on as well. The great thing about a Lima Peru excursion is that they are all located just a few hours from the capital, meaning you can easily see them in just a day when heading with an organised tour.
So whilst you may have thought that a trip to Lima was just about colonial architecture, tasty foods and the Costa Verde – we can also enjoy ancient sites, incredible beaches and even go Sandboarding with ease too!
Let’s now take a look at the very best excursions and day trips you can head on from Lima.
This desert oasis town is quickly becoming one of the major highlights of a trip to Peru, where towering sand dunes rise above the town from all sides. Here we can go Sandboarding as well as head on a high-octane dune buggy ride around the Ica desert (please remember to wear long clothing when heading on this trip). Huacachina itself is a very relaxed town, where we can also find many novel Pisco wineries to try the national drink of Peru, and also chill out next to the lakeside. The arid climate here means that Huacachina has great weather year-round.
Located just off the shores of Paracas, the Ballestas Islands are one of the most ecologically biodiverse areas in all of Peru. From the fishing village we can head on a boat tour out to the islands, where we can spot many exotic marine species such as Seals, Humpback Whales, Cormorants as well as the infamous Humboldt Penguin colony that live on the islands. The winds can be quite strong when out on the open sea, so be sure to wear an extra layer and also use sunscreen to avoid getting sunburns.
Although there are awesome ruins to see inside of Lima such as those of Huaca Pucllana and Pachacamac Ruins, the ancient site of Caral is by far the most impressive of them all. It was the main site of the Norte Chico civilization who once thrived here over 5000 years ago, and is the oldest known human settlement in the entirety of the Americas. We suggest heading on a tour to get here, since it’s located within a remote desert north of Lima (which can be quite hard to get to by yourself in just a day).
The incredible Nazca Lines are one of the most mysterious and jaw-dropping sites that can be found in Peru, and still remain unsolved to this day. On an overhead flight we can get perfect views of over 300 ancient geoglyphs, many of which depict different animals and deities like the Monkey, the Condor as well as the Spider. Usually flights leave from Nazca airport, however on our Nazca Lines day tour from Lima you will fly from nearby Pisco airport – meaning you can see these memorable ancient ruins in just one day from Lima.
As we have seen, all of the above destinations are amazing in their own right and deserve a place along your Peru itinerary. However they’re not always the easiest to get to, and especially since the public transportation to and from Lima is not always the most reliable.
Here at TravelBuddiesPeru we operate our very own custom Lima excursion tour, where you will explore many of these sites in just a day. It’s also possible to create a custom itinerary too, meaning you can chop-and-choose as you like whilst having personalised service, a local knowledgeable guide as well as private transport all included.
And that’s all for this guide on the very best Lima Peru excursions that you can head on from the capital.
As we have seen, in just an easy day trip we can explore ancient ruins, visit beautiful desert towns and see rare marine wildlife. This means that it’s worth planning more time in Lima when travelling to Peru, as you enjoy these trips as well as the highlights inside of the city.
Here at TravelBuddiesPeru you can actually tick-off THREE of these incredible sites in just one day trip! Check out our Huacachina, Nazca Lines and Ballestas Islands tour now and have the most memorable day trip possible from Lima.
Wednesday December 4, 2024
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