Experience the best of Pisco

Pisco is a port town on the dry coast of the Ica region, on a bay with a wide Plaza de Armas and a small harbour. The grape brandy called pisco is said to take its name from the port that once shipped it, and the vineyards of the Ica valleys lie inland. In 2007 an earthquake badly damaged the town, and much of the centre has since been rebuilt.

Paracas, just south of town, is the departure point for boat trips to the Ballestas Islands, rocky outcrops crowded with sea lions, Humboldt penguins and seabirds. The Paracas National Reserve protects a stretch of desert coast with red cliffs and beaches. Inland, the sand dunes and oasis at Huacachina near the city of Ica are about an hour away.

Ceviche of fresh fish, lime and chilli is the local lunch, and a pisco sour made with the local spirit is the usual drink. In the Ica valleys inland, old bodegas still show clay fermenting jars and presses. The coast is warm and sunny from December to April, and a grey sea mist hangs over it in the cooler months.