Biking through the Paracas Natural Reserve is the most unique way to explore this coastal desert for independent travelers who love combining travel with multi-sports and are environmental conscious. It is also the most budget friendly way of exploring the reserve without going with a tour agency. Depending on your pace and preferred stops, it can take 5~8 hours to complete the full-day adventure. You can take stops to walk on the red sand desert, spot ancient fossils, walk down the cliffs to get closer to various sea birds and watch undisturbed waves. You can bike across the fishing port and get lunch from the local restaurants with fresh caught fish, or grab your own picnic to enjoy at La Mina beach after an ocean dip. The route involves unpaved gravel road, and the last stretch uphill in and out La Mina simply adds more fun to the entire trip.
Here is a complete guide to help you plan this adventure.
Route
- 28mi/45km distance, 2200ft elevation gain (based on my own Garmin recording)
- Kep points:
- Supay: cliff path to walk down the beach and wave watching
- La Catedral
- Itsmo
- Playa Roja: red sand, no walking on the beach or swimming allowed. Most tourists groups appear here.
- Lagunillas: fishing port, restaurants for lunch
- La Mina: beach afternoon, crystal water
- Direction: going towards the left dirt road once you pass the entry/ Puerto de control to bike clockwise (Supay direction), so you will have the beach time at La Mina in the last part of the trip.
- Follow the route on Alltrails and you won’t get lost.
Reserva ticket and opening time
Pay onsite at the entry/Puerto de control for $11 sole. It opens at 9am but you can get there as early as you want. Note that they do have the check for the ticket at La Mita beach if you wish to go to the beach.
Bike Rental
Here are a few rental shops on the main street of the town. It costs $30-$35 to rent for the full day, and it should cover the costs of the bike, helmet, lock and a map of the route. You can pick up the bike in the morning around 8am and return around 5pm. I rented the bike at this shop (Paracas Travel Express) for your reference. The lady was really nice and they made sure to let me test the bike the day before.
Outfits and packing
I opted for leggings and sun hoodie vs. shorts and t shirts because the bike could get hot in the desert and I just wanted to protect my skin more the sun and the winds. I forgot to take a bandana but didn’t need it either. It’s your choice of what you want to wear in the end! Pack hat, sunglasses, water 1-2.5L, snacks, fruits, lunch if you are going to picnic, camera.
Crowds
There were a few groups doing bike or scooter on their own using the same route. The route was quiet mostly. You might encounter some tour groups with bus or minivan at Playa Roja.
Wildlife
I spotted a lot of condors, various sea birds, and cute Lazards.
Fun facts- in case if you are interested like I was:)
Why this desert is next to the ocean?
This type of the desert is called coastal desert. Similar examples include Namib in Namibia, Atacama in Chile and (I think) the desert weather in Los Angeles. It is formed when the cold ocean currents go parallel with the coast. The air becomes cold and cannot hold the moisture. The rain usually happens above the ocean before it travels to the coast. This results the dry land and forming of the desert. It’s common in the west coast of the continents.
Why the sand at Paracas desert is red?
This area was once impacted by volcano eruption, leaving the volcano rocks with pink grantdiorite. The rocks contain iron oxide, which resulted the red color. With the ocean and wind erosion, you can find the red sand here in Paracas.
Final thoughts
This was definitely one of my favorite parts of bussing up from Lima to Cusco. You are away from the tourist groups and can find some solitude and connection with the nature. La Mina beach in the end was such a bless after a few hours of biking and the water was crystal clear. I visited Paracas in April, but during December to March, you can also do camping in the Reserva, which I think it will be another fun way to explore this remote desert!
