Overview
Pisco is a port city on Peru's southern coast, known for the grape brandy of the same name. It's a gateway to the uninhabited Ballestas Islands, home to scores of sea lions, pelicans, Peruvian boobies and Humboldt penguins.
Description
Nearby is the Paracas National Reserve, which encompasses desert, ocean and the Paracas Peninsula. Also here is the Paracas Candelabra geoglyph, a huge hillside etching of mysterious origins. The traditional gateway to the wild, windswept Paracas region, Pisco was crushed by the devastating 2007 earthquake that destroyed its infrastructure and some of its most attractive buildings – but not its spirit. Gritty resolve has seen the city rebound, but it's not a particularly traveler-friendly place and for visits to the Islas Ballestas and Reserva Nacional de Paracas, it has been surpassed by nearby El Chaco, which has a better location and choice of facilities.