Where the Desert Meets the Sea

It is every student’s favorite time of the year, Spring Break! I had the privilege of visiting Peru again since my boyfriend Tato is working here. The ability to visit a country you have already been to is a great opportunity. You can do things that you didn’t have time for on your previous trip and just like a great book you reread; you discover things you hadn’t noticed before. After some research, I found the Paracas National Park, which helps protect the coastal marine ecosystems in the area. There is a variety of activities going on inside the park from dune buggy rides, hiking, fishing, bird watching, sand-boarding, and laying on the beach (which is what we did). We were able to take a taxi from our hotel, The Hacienda Bahia, which was located just outside of the Park. To enter you pay 10 soles (around 3 USD). Since it is a National Park, there are no defined roads, so the trip is a little bumpy and part of the time you are dangerously close to the edge of a cliff! 

The first beach we stopped at was La Playa Raspon. To get to the beach, you have to walk down a steep set of stairs. The beach is a beautiful cove surrounded by clear water and sandy cliffs. 

On the left side of the picture above, you can see stones lining the "road". You are only a couple feet away from the edge. 

There are a series of beaches in the National Park. The next one we stop at was La Playa Roja, famous for its red sand. The red color of the sand is due to a massif called the Punta Santa Maria. The cliff is formed by a rock known as pink granodiorite, which contains solidified magma. As the waves crash against it, they carry the rock fragments to the shore. You can see where the desert (the yellow area) ends and the red shore begins below it. 

I can't wait to show you more of my travels in Peru! Have a lovely week!