Paracas National Reserve

🇵🇪 Peru

🦭 Sea Lion and Booby Coast

⏱ 1–2 days 🥾 Easy trails

🌍 #214 Global · 3.4 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ #34 in South America #18 in Desert & Scrub

Ica, Peru 417 spp. recorded

Paracas 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

70–80% · Very likely

Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

30–40% · Possible

Peruvian Booby

Sula variegata

70–80% · Very likely

Peru Pacific Iguana

Microlophus peruvianus

60–70% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Belcher's Gull

Larus belcheri

80–90% · Very likely

Neotropic Cormorant

Phalacrocorax brasilianus

70–80% · Very likely

American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliatus

70–80% · Very likely

Peruvian Pelican

Pelecanus thagus

70–80% · Very likely

Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

70–80% · Very likely

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

70–80% · Very likely

Snowy Egret

Egretta thula

60–70% · Likely

Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura

60–70% · Likely

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

60–70% · Likely

Dominican Gull

Larus dominicanus

60–70% · Likely

Grey-hooded Gull

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

60–70% · Likely

Grey Gull

Leucophaeus modestus

60–70% · Likely

⭐ Iconic Species

Southern Sea Lion

Otaria byronia

70–80% · Very likely

Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

30–40% · Possible

📊 Most Spotted

Montane Guinea Pig

Cavia tschudii

Insufficient data

Culpeo

Lycalopex culpaeus

Insufficient data

⭐ Iconic Species

Peruvian Booby

Sula variegata

70–80% · Very likely

📊 Most Spotted

Belcher's Gull

Larus belcheri

80–90% · Very likely

Neotropic Cormorant

Phalacrocorax brasilianus

70–80% · Very likely

American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliatus

70–80% · Very likely

Peruvian Pelican

Pelecanus thagus

70–80% · Very likely

Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

70–80% · Very likely

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

70–80% · Very likely

Snowy Egret

Egretta thula

60–70% · Likely

Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura

60–70% · Likely

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

60–70% · Likely

Dominican Gull

Larus dominicanus

60–70% · Likely

Grey-hooded Gull

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

60–70% · Likely

Grey Gull

Leucophaeus modestus

60–70% · Likely

⭐ Iconic Species

Peru Pacific Iguana

Microlophus peruvianus

60–70% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Theresia's Pacific Iguana

Microlophus theresiae

Insufficient data

Narrow Leaf-toed Gecko

Phyllodactylus angustidigitus

Insufficient data

📊 Most Spotted

Animal Events

🦭

Sea Lions and Boobies on the Islands

MarAprMay

South American sea lions crowd the rocky islands while Peruvian boobies feed in the channels between them.

Peruvian Booby

Sula variegata

70–80% · Very likely

Southern Sea Lion

Otaria byronia

70–80% · Very likely

🐬

Bottlenose Dolphins Offshore

JulAugSep

Bottlenose dolphins work the bay and Belcher’s gulls follow the boats, both at their highest of the year.

Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

30–40% · Possible

Belcher's Gull

Larus belcheri

80–90% · Very likely

🐦

Migrant Shorebirds on the Bay

OctNov

Whimbrels arrive on the mudflats and Pacific lizards are active across the open sand.

Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

70–80% · Very likely

Peru Pacific Iguana

Microlophus peruvianus

60–70% · Likely

Sighting Calendar

Chance of spotting each species, month by month

Species Total

60–70

60–70

60–70

60–70

60–70

60–70

60–70

70–80

60–70

70–80

60–70

60–70

Southern Sea Lion

50–60

60–70

70–80

60–70

80–90

80–90

70–80

60–70

50–60

60–70

70–80

70–80

Bottlenose Dolphin

0–10

20–30

40–50

20–30

20–30

20–30

40–50

40–50

40–50

30–40

20–30

30–40

60–70

70–80

60–70

70–80

70–80

80–90

80–90

70–80

60–70

80–90

60–70

60–70

Peru Pacific Iguana

60–70

70–80

50–60

50–60

70–80

30–40

40–50

60–70

80–90

70–80

40–50

70–80

80–90

70–80

90–100

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

70–80

80–90

80–90

70–80

Neotropic Cormorant

50–60

70–80

70–80

80–90

70–80

80–90

70–80

90–100

70–80

80–90

80–90

80–90

American Oystercatcher

70–80

60–70

70–80

60–70

60–70

80–90

70–80

70–80

80–90

70–80

70–80

80–90

Peruvian Pelican

60–70

60–70

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

70–80

60–70

40–50

60–70

60–70

50–60

70–80

70–80

50–60

50–60

20–30

40–50

70–80

70–80

80–90

60–70

80–90

80–90

80–90

70–80

60–70

40–50

70–80

40–50

60–70

60–70

80–90

80–90

70–80

60–70

70–80

60–70

50–60

70–80

70–80

80–90

70–80

50–60

60–70

60–70

70–80

50–60

70–80

50–60

60–70

70–80

80–90

70–80

70–80

60–70

70–80

80–90

50–60

Ruddy Turnstone

70–80

50–60

80–90

70–80

50–60

60–70

30–40

60–70

70–80

80–90

80–90

60–70

60–70

50–60

60–70

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

60–70

60–70

60–70

60–70

Grey-hooded Gull

80–90

50–60

50–60

70–80

50–60

60–70

50–60

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

60–70

60–70

40–50

60–70

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

60–70

40–50

40–50

40–50

Animal Events

🦭 Sea Lions and Boobies on the Islands

🐬 Bottlenose Dolphins Offshore

🐦 Migrant Shorebirds on the Bay

Sighting Zones

Warm areas are where all species together are recorded most, so they track where people go as much as where animals are. For one species, see the map on its own page.

0.0 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ Good

🦭 Sea Lion and Booby Coast

🦜

Biodiversity

Good

How rich is the wildlife?

4.3 Global avg

3.6 ★★★★★ ★★★★★

Species by taxon

🦅 Birds

303

🐒 Mammals

88

🦎 Reptiles

26

🐸 Amphibians

0

417 Total Species

841 Global average across 280 parks

36 Threatened 29 Endemic

🔭

Sighting

Good

How likely to see animals?

3.6 Global avg

3.1 ★★★★★ ★★★★★

🎯

Top-12 Avg Probability

62% Global avg

73%

📊

Coverage (76 species at ≥5% of 417 in the inventory)

24% Global avg

18%

🔀

Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 mammal)

47% Global avg

20%

🔭

Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)

132 Global avg

65

🌟

Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)

14 Global avg

4

⭐

High-prob species (>40%)

26 Global avg

27

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