Paracas, Peru

People who visit the Paracas National Reserve in Peru's southern coastal desert, often refer to the prolific wildlife and the great scenery as the "Galapagos of Peru." Located on the Paracas Peninsula, the huge reserve includes more than 700,000 acres (280,000 hectares) of rugged shoreline, mountains and desert. Birders flock to the reserve to see condors, pelicans and flamingos, Inca terns, and more as detailed in Coast of Paracas and Lima, a birding report by John van der Woude. Those interested in the marine life will see whales, dolphins, sea lions, called lobos del mar or sea wolves, Magellanic penguins, leatherneck turtles, hammerhead sharks and more.