Paracas National Reserve
🇵🇪 Peru
🦭 Sea Lion and Booby CoastParacas is desert meeting the Humboldt current, so almost everything alive is on the shoreline. South American sea lions hold the rocks on nearly every visit and Peruvian boobies work the water offshore, with bottlenose dolphins on six trips in ten.
-14.206° S 76.260° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Southern Sea Lion
Otaria byronia
★ 
Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
★ 
Peruvian Booby
Sula variegata
★ 
Peru Pacific Iguana
Microlophus peruvianus
📊 Most Spotted
Belcher's Gull
Larus belcheri
Bigua cormorant
Phalacrocorax brasilianus
American Oystercatcher
Haematopus palliatus
Peruvian Pelican
Pelecanus thagus
Hudsonian Whimbrel
Numenius hudsonicus
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Grey Gull
Leucophaeus modestus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Belcher's Gull
Larus belcheri
Bigua cormorant
Phalacrocorax brasilianus
American Oystercatcher
Haematopus palliatus
Peruvian Pelican
Pelecanus thagus
Hudsonian Whimbrel
Numenius hudsonicus
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Grey Gull
Leucophaeus modestus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Theresia's Pacific Iguana
Microlophus theresiae
Narrow Leaf-toed Gecko
Phyllodactylus angustidigitus
📊 Most Spotted
Recent sightings in Paracas National Reserve
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Sea Lions and Boobies on the Islands
South American sea lions crowd the rocky islands while Peruvian boobies feed in the channels between them.
2Bottlenose Dolphins Offshore
Bottlenose dolphins work the bay and Belcher’s gulls follow the boats, both at their highest of the year.
3Migrant Shorebirds on the Bay
Whimbrels arrive on the mudflats and Pacific lizards are active across the open sand.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Sea Lions and Boobies on the Islands
- 2Bottlenose Dolphins Offshore
- 3Migrant Shorebirds on the Bay
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
We circled the buoys a couple of times so that everybody on the boat could see the sea lions relaxing on the buoys and swimming in the sea.
We were then fortunate enough to spot penguins and a seals throughout the morning sailing.
At the islands themselves, we spotted about 10 Humboldt penguins, our third wild penguin sighting of the trip.
The kelp, under water fauna and sea life feels much more alike to the wildlife found in my home waters of Guernsey, with one major exception, Humboldt penguins!
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Paracas National Reserve?
The most likely sightings are Belcher's Gull (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Bigua cormorant (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), American Oystercatcher (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Southern Sea Lion (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Peruvian Booby (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers) — among 417 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Paracas National Reserve for wildlife?
October has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Southern Sea Lion in Paracas National Reserve?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Sea Lion sighting in Paracas National Reserve, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Bottlenose Dolphin in Paracas National Reserve?
Yes — about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bottlenose Dolphin sighting in Paracas National Reserve, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Peruvian Booby in Paracas National Reserve?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Peruvian Booby sighting in Paracas National Reserve, based on 702 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Peru Pacific Iguana in Paracas National Reserve?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Peru Pacific Iguana sighting in Paracas National Reserve, based on 75 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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