Paracas National Park in Peru

Paracas National Park is located on the coast of Peru just three hours from the capital Lima. It is a beautiful desert, notable for its light, almost white sand, which turns orange at sunset. In Paracas you can sail under rocky arches, see the world-famous Andean candelabra from the water, walk along the red beach, and watch large colonies of birds and seals on the Balestas Islands.
Paracas National Park and Culture
Paracas National Park was created in 1975 to preserve the region's unique ecosystem. It includes coastal deserts and an adjacent portion of the ocean. In this seemingly uninhabitable area for permanent life, archaeological finds have been discovered related to the ancient Paracas culture that existed in the area from about 500 to 200 BC. This people lived by agriculture. The people grew corn, pumpkins, beans, and also fished. They developed clay production, as indicated by the parts of pottery that have been found. The Parax lived in small houses made of clay. The culture was discovered in 1925 thanks to the burial grounds they built on the peninsula. In the burials, the remains of skulls show artificial deformities, which may indicate the development of medicine. An Andean candelabra can be seen from the water on the desert slope. It is not known whether it is the work of the Paracas culture, but this geoglyph is undoubtedly a trademark of the national park.
Paracas. The land before the beginning of time
Paracas is the place to learn about the history of our planet. The small uninhabited islands of Isla de Las Ormigas de Afuera are 65 kilometers off the west coast of South America. While exploring them, scientists discovered rocks of the age of the Grenville Formation. The North American Appalachian Mountains, for example, are of the same age.
Industrial drilling in South America has revealed similar rocks off the west coast in Peru. They are closer to the surface because the South American continental plate was uplifted when it slid over the Pacific oceanic plate of Nazca. This geologic area can be seen in the reserve on and north of the Paracas Peninsula. From the same plate movement, it is clear that the lands of Paracas are older than the Andes Mountains.
Ballestas Islands
The Ballestas are uninhabited rocky islands, a haven for many birds and harbor seals. Sailing between the rocky arches, penguins, cormorants, auks, and pelicans can be found here. Harbor seals breed on the islands, and dolphins swim in the coastal waters. The animals feed on fish, which are attracted by the surrounding waters due to the plankton-rich Humboldt Current.
Desert
The Paracas Peninsula and Reserve area is a dry and sandy desert where overhanging orange cliffs touch the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. The sandy beaches are not suitable for swimming due to the cold waters, and winds often carry sand at speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour. There is almost no vegetation here, but the fossil flora of Paracas is of interest to scientists as it is unique to the region. To the south, the Paracas continues into Chile's Atacama Desert. It rains in the winter, and then rarely. It is one of the driest areas of South America. Travelers compare the landscape of the Paracas Desert to the Martian landscape