Pisco: 10 Apr 2009 to 11 Apr 2009

Capital of the province of the same name, Pisco may be familiar to some as the name of Peru’s national beverage, the Pisco Sour. But this active fishing and commercial port is also the gateway to the natural wonderland found in the nearby Ballestas Islands. Peru’s less-known version of the Galápagos Islands, the Ballestas are part of the vast Paracas National Reserve. Encompassing 335,000 hectares (827,450 acres) along Peru’s southern Pacific coast, the reserve is home to 36 species of marine and land mammals, including sea lions, orcas, whales and sea otters. Leatherback and hawksbill turtles share the protected waters with more than 160 fish species, as well as octopus, crab, scallops and abalone.

Bird watchers should have no problem adding to their Life Lists—at least 215 species of migratory birds stop by on their way north and south, including 60 species known to migrate between the U.S. and Peru. Humboldt penguins, American flamingos, Peruvian diving petrels and three types of boobies are among the endangered species found here.