Marcona: San Fernando Reserve

One of the other great things about Marcona is its proximity to the San Fernando Reserve.  Anny's uncle arranged a tour for us there and it was one of the best experiences of the trip!  Although it was a long trip through the sand, it was worth every minute.  We saw many different animals and birds and saw some beautiful scenery.

The catedral de San Fernando - a similar rock formation in Paracas was destroyed in the 2007 earthquake, but this one has stood firm. 

This reserve was preserved as a habitat for the sea lions.  We saw many colonies [or pods - I had to look up the name for a group of sea lions!] throughout the day.

I was really excited to finally see penguins...even though it was from quite a height!

As we were watching this colony of sea lions, a large majority of them decided to head out to the sea in a group.  I´m not sure of the actual word for it, but I would describe it as a stampede.  It was amazing to watch.

The water was so clear, it was as if they were swimming in a pool.

The white rock on the right is home to another waddle [colony/rookery - more research] of penguins.

We met a diver who returned with his fresh catch of octopus.

Birds are not really my thing, so I don´t have a clue about these.

I kept trying to catch a picture of the crabs, but they were too fast for me!

Luckily, this pod of sea lions decided to relax quite close to the shore.

It seems some of them were as curious about us as we were of them!

Marcona: The Beaches

When prepping for the trip to Marcona, I found it difficult to find much information about the place, which is surprising when you realize that it is full of beautiful beaches and coastlines.

Playa hermosa (Beautiful beach) - a more sheltered beach, beautiful setting, but colder than some of the others

Playa Yanyarinas

 But my favorite was the playa de los leones. The rocks created several tidal pools where we could observe all kinds of sea creatures!

Starfish

Fish, crabs, shrimp

Sea suns

Sea urchins

This beach also has these two famous rock structures-the elephant on the left and the turtle on the right

Nazca

One of the top things on my Peru bucket list was to see the Nazca lines, so when Anny and I were deciding where to go for New Years, we compromised on a visit to see her family in Marcona with a stop in Nazca to see the lines.

The best way to see the lines is from the air.  You have a choice of two routes-one over Nazca and one over Pulpa on a variety of carriers.  We chose to do the normal Nazca route, with AeroParacas.

I'm smiling here because we haven't left the ground yet.

Our tour included a circuit of 13 figures in a 30 minute flight.

The whale

The astronaut

Not looking so happy here.  I wanted to take a motion sickness pill before the flight, but when we arrived at the airport they were rushing us onto the plane and we didn't have time to look for any.  Almost from the moment we took off, I knew it was a mistake not taking one.  The plane banks and turn frequently (so all passengers can get a good look at each figure) resulting in a very uncomfortable flight.

The hummingbird

The spider (in the upper right hand corner)

The condor

On the left is the tree and the right is the hands.

Even on the ground it took some time to feel stable again!

Anny told me that I should really see the aqueducts in Nazca as well, so we added it to our itinerary.   Because this area of the country is very dry, the Nazcas had to dig very deep underground to find enough water to sustain themselves.

The curves of the aqueduct and the small fish living within help purify the water

These walls have held up through many strong earthquakes through the years

They used this spiral shape in order to make it easier to carry water from the aqueducts

And before heading home, I had a chance to try a new exotic fruit-pacae!

Looks like a vegetable but tastes a bit like watermelon when you pull back the husks to expose the white flesh inside.