The capital city, known for its good food. Prominent places to visit around Lima include historic centre, Miraflores area for parks, beaches and ancient ruins; longer trips to Paracas, Ballestas islands for wildlife and Huacachina oasis for desert landscapes
Huaca Pucllana for getting a guided tour of ancient Wari ruins of 5th century, right in the middle of Miraflores. Entry fee was 15 soles per person and included the guide fee. In addition to the stepped pyramids, you can spot how farming of plants and animals was done
Kennedy Park for spotting cute cats who are well taken of here, with small houses and community feeding
Amor park for mosaic walls, views of the sea
Historic city centre with cathedral and government buildings, giving a feeling of European city. The square was car free, a relief from traffic just on the outside. Budget an hour of travel between Miraflores and historic city center during rush hours
Magic Water Circuit fountains for night show at 7:15 PM, 8:15 PM and 9:30 PM for 15 minutes. The LED show on water was novel, but overall seemed like a show for kids which could be skipped
Isla Ballestas and Huacachina
We took a day tour from Indiana Peru. There are many options on Viator and Tripadvisor, but expensive. The price structure with the split for different activities offered by Indiana Peru was helpful. We paid 154 soles per person including all entry fee, sand buggy. Peru Hop also covers this route, but needs an additional day and costs more
Ballestas islands are called poor man’s Galapagos. You can see sea lions, penguins and hundreds of other sea birds like boobies resting on rocks. The boat tour lasts for 2 hours from the port
Huacachina is a nice oasis in a desert. The oasis is also home to many waterbirds whom you can watch peacefully from the shores. People do sand buggy rides and sand boarding here. The buggy rides give you a good bird’s eye view of the town from the top, so take it even if you are not into adventure. The ride is not too bumpy or scary
Ica and Chincha– There are additional wine tasting spots at Ica during lunch and Chincha, but they seemed more like shops trying to market to tourists