Palomino Island is an incredible wonder of nature that lies just off the coast of Peru’s sprawling capital city. Not far offshore from Lima, it’s possible to frolic with playful sea lions and spot cute little penguins during this oceanic adventure. Palomino Island feels world’s away from Lima’s busy streets.
After several visits to the capital of Peru, an excursion to Palomino Island remains our favorite thing to do from Lima. So we wrote this article in an effort to share this special place with other travelers.
Many travelers pop into Lima for a short stay on their way to Machu Picchu and other natural attractions. So with limited time in the city, it can be difficult to choose what to do. Yet for those who enjoy nature, swimming with wild sea lions at Palomino Island is arguably the best activity to pursue!
There’s a reason the Palomino Islands are even sometimes referred to as the “little Galapagos of Lima.” It’s full of wildlife! And to actually get into the water to swim with sea lions at Palomino Island is an incredible experience.
Yet logistical information online on how to book a Palomino Island boat tour to go snorkeling with sea lions in Lima was lacking.
We also wondered if it was safe (sharks?) Would our presence in the water be harmful to the sea lions? Are the operators ethical or do they feed the sea lions to attract them?
So we set off from Lima to the port town of Callao to investigate these Palomino Island tours that bring passengers swimming with sea lions. This article first shares our experience; then goes on to provide all the info & details to book this excursion and prepare for this awesome oceanic adventure!
What It’s Like to Take a Palomino Island Tour To Swim with Sea Lions
In this post, we now share our incredible encounter with these friendly marine mammals. We spill all the info you need to know to book a boat tour to Palomino Islands to swim with the sea lions near Lima, Peru.
First, here’s our account of what it’s like to go swimming with the sea lions at Palomino Islands, starting from the beginning.
Setting Sail from Callao to Palomino Island
It took a bit of trial and error, asking around in the port town of Callao to determine how to reach Palomino Island on a boat tour and how to book it. But we were finally were able to locate a boat operator (details provided at end of this post) and they were preparing their boat to head off for a trip to Palomino Island. We didn’t hesitate to join and soon motored out from Lima’s port of Callao on a half-day excursion to swim with sea lions at Palomino Island!
A small boat transferred us to the larger “yacht.” The boat was not quite what we consider to be a yacht, but close enough. It was a pleasant slow-going ride from Callao to Palomino Island that lasted about 90 minutes.
The waters in the port were relatively calm, but our guide advised that the seas would become aggressively stronger as we ventured out towards the islands. As such, they supplied seasickness medication to whoever desired.
Nearly an hour into the voyage, we rounded the island of El Frontón. This island is notable for formerly holding a prison, similar to Alcatraz, that had an infamous uprising in 1986.
It was while learning about the lore of this island that a lone sea lion reared his head out of the water. He let off a loud roar to greet our approaching boat. It was our first sea lion sighting! We were all in awe and quickly pulled out our cameras to try and snap a picture of him.
But this sea lion who quickly greeted us, just as swiftly ducked back down into the waters below. We were all anxious to see Palomino Island’s sea lions, and this felt like we missed our chance.
Little did we know, there would be plenty more sea lion photo opportunities to come.
Arriving at Palomino Island to Swim with Sea Lions
As we made our approach to Palomino Island you could begin to hear the faint barking of the sea lions grow increasingly louder.
As the island came into focus, we began to notice parts of the rocky islands were moving.
But the isn’t moving, of course. Those aren’t rocks.
This island was completely covered with sea lions!
Palomino Island is literally covered with thousands of sea lions! In fact, our guide said that one estimate approximated that there are eight thousand sea lions in total living in this isolated area, just off the coast of Lima, Peru.
When seeing all these sea lions in person, that stat is easy to believe it.
The boat drifted back and forth in front of Palomino Island for a few minutes to admire this sea lion utopia. The guide then asked if anyone wanted to swim with Palomino Island’s famed marine mammals.
Surprisingly there was only a handful of passengers who decided to partake in the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The waters here are quite cold due to the Pacific’s Humboldt Current flowing from Antarctica and right past Lima. Thankfully full body wetsuits are provided on all tours that swim with the sea lions at Palomino Island.
Rules to Follow if Swimming with Sea Lions Lima Peru
Our guide explained three simple rules to follow while in the water. The rules were vaguely reminiscent of a visit to a gentleman’s club, lol. Here are the rules you need to follow when swimming with sea lions at Palomino Island:
- If the sea lions approach, they may touch you. But you can never touch them.
- Do not scream or make loud noises.
- Do not go onto their island.
This really helps to make a non-invasive, eco-friendly experience in which visitors are not bothering these wonderful aquatic mammals. So with those simple rules in place, we put on a mask and snorkel and jumped right into the frigid waters and slowly swam in the direction of the sea lions hoping to have a nice encounter with them.
What Attracts the Sea Lions to Visitors?
We wondered what would attract the animals to us. Perhaps the operators use buckets of fish to chum the waters? In an eco-adventure we pursued swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines, we were disappointed to discover they were sprinkling the waters with krill to attract them.
Thankfully, that is is not the case here.
While Lima’s Palomino Island tours are not regulated by any agencies, our entire encounter with the sea lions was thankfully very responsible with respect to their local habitat.
So then what makes the sea lions want to play with visitors?
Apparently, some of the younger sea lion pups are simply naturally curious. And there are no predators in this specific area for them to fear. This gives Palomino Island’s sea lions no reason to fear humans, as other wild marine life naturally would.
Is Swimming with the Sea Lions Dangerous? What about Sharks?
We couldn’t get a good answer as to why no predators exist here. It seems that no one really knows.
We were firmly told that sharks don’t come near the island. Nor do orcas. They never have, according to local knowledge.
So hopefully Shamu and her pals don’t ever learn how to use the Internet and find this post. If so, they’d have an all-you-can-eat buffet of sea lions if they ever discovered abundance of them found at Palomino Island.
I wouldn’t want to run into this big guy (center)
Rather than orcas or sharks, the biggest safety concern can actually be the sea lions themselves. While many of the pups are curious and playful, some of the bigger sea lions can become aggressive if aggravated.
Our guide explained the larger sea lions can be protective of their island, which could pose a problem if anyone were to go on it. The big sea lions are about 600 pounds, so it would be downright terrifying to come into close contact with one of them.
But not to worry, as Palomino Island’s sea lion residents do tend to keep their distance and stay on the island. While in the water, all the sea lions around us were very friendly and playful. There is always some element of risk in just about any activity, but this experience didn’t feel dangerous to us.
A safety concern for some may simply be treading water and swimming in the cold Pacific. There were some swift currents moving around Palomino Island and some waves too. If you are not a good swimmer, that could pose problems. Weaker swimmers can still get by in this experience, but should stay closer to the boat.
Sea lions will still come by the boat too. You just won’t encounter them in the same abundance.
Snorkeling with the Sea Lions at Palomino Island Peru
We had been told that the sea lions would potentially come as close as about 10-15 feet from us. And for the first minute or so in the water, that was exactly our experience. It was pretty awesome.
Eventually, some of the more curious sea lions started coming even closer. Many were just a few feet away from us. Ducking our heads down into the water only exposed dozens more of these playful creatures who have apparently been zooming around beneath our dangling legs this entire time!
Then some of the more inquisitive sea lions swam right up to us.
A few were really curious about my GoPro and attempted to play with it, which made for great up-close footage.
Towards the end of our swim with the sea lions, some smaller pups individually would just float right up against us, almost begging for a gentle belly rub
But we resisted the overwhelming urge to cuddle with them and followed the no-touching rule.
We were in the water for about fifteen minutes in total swimming with these sea lions at Palomino Island. Our guide finally called us back towards the boat but we didn’t want to leave.
As one last sea lion pup nuzzled us farewell, I thought we could have easily enjoyed another hour or so interacting with these guys.
It was a truly magical experience.
Sea lion selfie!
Cruising Past the Penguin Colony at Isla San Lorenzo
Once back aboard the boat, we dried off, changed into warm clothes, and headed out for Isla San Lorenzo. This is Peru’s largest island, where you can view some penguin colonies.
Normally this would be an awesome sight. But after having such an intimate encounter with our sea lion friends, seeing a handful of penguins on a not-so-close island was perhaps a little underwhelming.
Photography Tip: if you want some good shots of the tuxedo-clad birds, be sure to bring your zoom lens with you. We did not.
Do you see the penguins? Look closely!
We then made our way around the western side of San Lorenzo Island, completing a circle around the entire island on our way back into the port of Callao.
Local fishermen likewise headed back into port after their day’s catch. We snacked a bit and already began recounting some of the spectacular moments of this fantastic experience.
Swimming with the sea lions in Lima was truly one of the most fun and memorable adventures we’ve had yet.
If ever in Lima, we highly recommend taking a Palomino Island tour to snorkel with the sea lions. What a truly awesome excursion!
If You Go: Swimming with Sea Lions Palomino Island, Lima, Peru
Want to swim with the sea lions while in Lima?
Below is all the info you’ll need to book a tour and prepare for the adventure ahead!
Companies Offering the Palomino Island Tour and How to Book
There are two main companies offering regularly departing boat tours to Palomino Islands from the port town of Callao:
- Mar Adentro Excursiones
- EcoCruceros
EcoCruceros Palomino Island Swimming with Sea Lions Tour
- Cost: $59 USD
- Departure time: Daily. Time: Monday-Fridays 11:30 am, Weekends & Holidays: 10 am
- To Book: You can easily book this tour through GetYourGuide. Confirm availability for your travel dates and check the latest reviews.
- Notes: This is the exact tour we took, detailed in this post. As you can tell by our gushing, we really enjoyed our experience. We would absolutely recommend them and personally give EcoCruceros an excellent review.
Mar Adentro Excursiones Swimming with Sea Lions Palomino Island Tour
- Cost: $60 USD is the price listed on their website, but sometimes discounts to $50.
- Departure time: 10:30 am (Meeting time is 10:00)
- To Book: Mar Adentro now offers online booking directly on their website.
- Notes: We went to Mar Adentro Excursiones and met the owner/guide, Eduardo, who was very helpful. We did not go on this tour because it was booked up for a private cruise ship excursion tour that day. But I personally spoke with other travelers who took this tour and likewise gave great reviews. Important note: When cruise ships are in port, this operation is sometimes booked up for a private tour in which case they cannot take other passengers.
Mar Adentro Excuriones vs EcoCruceros Comparison
Both companies provide a nice experiencing of a boat tour of Palomino Island and the chance to swim with sea lions. Yet there are a few differences to be aware of:
🕙 Departure Time: The Mar Adentro Excursiones meets in the morning (10:00 am), while EcoCruceros departs slightly later (11:30 am) on weekdays.
🛥️ Type of Boat: EcoCrucero’s boat is a “yacht” (it’s nothing fancy) that includes both exterior space and an enclosed cabin. Mar Adentro uses an open-air speedboat.
⌛ Length of Tour: Mar Adentro’s tour is 3 hours, while EcoCrucero’s tour is about 4 hours, due to boat speed and route.
💸 Price: Both tours were about the same price (only a $1 difference) and seem to offer the same amenities: English-speaking guide, wetsuit, life vest, insurance, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages.
Yet they are two completely different companies offering two slightly different experiences. So which to choose?
We chose EcoCrucero, simply due to timing and availability. We had a great experience and would personally recommend them. Yet Mar Adentro Excursiones seems to have a good reputation too. Ultimately we suggest booking a Palomino Island tour to swim with the sea lions based on availability and whichever time better fits your schedule.
How to Get from Lima to Callao for a Palomino Island Tour?
You’ll need to arrange transportation there if you take either of the two regular Palomino Island tours. They can include transportation for an added cost. That’s the easiest thing to do if you have the budget and just want the most convenient option.
Yet, you’ll be able to save your travel funds for other awesome things to do in Lima, by navigating to Callao on your own. It’s fairly simple to get from Lima to Callao by taxi or Uber, to then embark on a boat to Palomino Island.
Here’s how do get to the port:
Miraflores to Callao (Source: Google Maps)
From downtown Lima or Miraflores to Callao: If you’re coming from Central Lima or Miraflores, just take a taxi or Uber to the port of Callao. The trip should take about 45 minutes, depending on traffic, or course. Plan extra time, just in case. Have the taxi/Uber go to the meeting point for the tour, which is dependent on the tour operator. A taxi from downtown Lima to Callao may cost around 50 soles, while an Uber should cost around 25 soles. Check Uber fare estimate from your location for the exact price.
From the Cruise Terminal to Callao: If you’re coming from the cruise port, it would be only a 15-minute walk to Callao. But that walk is through a pretty rough area. So even though it’s close, a taxi or Uber is definitely recommended instead. A taxi from the cruise terminal to the area where the tours leave should only take about 5 minutes and shouldn’t cost more than 10 sols.
What to Bring on a Palomino Island Boat Tour, Lima Peru
Towel – Towels are not provided and your hotel/hostel likely doesn’t allow you to bring their towels off the property. So bring your own. We love these lightweight microfiber travel towels.
- Bathing suit – Note: Wetsuits are provided on all tours. Just bring your own bathing suit.
- Dry clothes to change back into after getting out of the water.
- Sunscreen – It gets very sunny. We recommend at least SPF 30+. Sunscreen is actually pretty expensive in Peru (much higher than in US), so it can be a good idea to pack some for your trip. Amazon has great prices on Banana Boat sunscreen.
- Hat and Sunglasses – also to help protect you from the sun. Just be careful with your hat that it doesn’t blow off during the boat ride.
Mask and Snorkel: To get a glimpse at the sea lions swimming underwater be sure to bring your own mask and snorkel. Mask and snorkels are NOT provided on either of the two regular daily Palomino Island boat tours. If you don’t own a mask and snorkel, we recommend this US Divers mask & snorkel on Amazon, which is an excellent mask for the price. (Being able to see underwater really enhanced our experience.)
Mask and Snorkel: To get a glimpse at the sea lions swimming underwater be sure to bring your own mask and snorkel. Mask and snorkels are NOT provided on either of the two regular daily Palomino Island boat tours. If you don’t own a mask and snorkel, we recommend this - Underwater Camera: This is a magical once-in-a-lifetime experience. Bring an underwater camera to capture the special moment. All of our in-water shots and video were taken with our GoPro camera. Although our $400 GoPro has since died and we’ve replaced it with a $50 knock-off on Amazon that works just a good (maybe better). Check out this CamPark 4K Action Cam.
Underwater Camera: This is a magical once-in-a-lifetime experience. Bring an underwater camera to capture the special moment. All of our in-water shots and video were taken with our - Waterproof Case for Your Phone: If you’re taking pictures using your phone, be sure to keep it in a simple waterproof phone case like this, to ensure a wave splash doesn’t kill your device. You can also use it in the water! We do, it works great, receives 25,000+ great reviews on Amazon, and is usually under $10. Check prices now.
Waterproof Case for Your Phone: If you’re taking pictures using your phone, be sure to keep it in a - Dry Bag: The boats do have internal compartments to keep belongings from getting wet, but we always use a dry bag whenever we get on any boats. Bring a dry bag like this with you to ensure your belongings stay dry.
- Be Sure to Have Travel Insurance: We strongly recommend securing travel insurance not only for this excursion but any Peru trip. We use World Nomads during all our Peru travels and found it to have the best coverage and price combination. Let them cover your Peruvian hospital bill if anything bad happens. More importantly, their coverage includes emergency evac, should something really awful occur. It’ll cover you not only while swimming with the sea lions, but also from theft in Lima, lost luggage, flight issues, earthquakes (they happen in Peru), flooding, injuries, car accidents, and so much more. We never travel to Peru without it. We like World Nomads because, unlike most other travel insurances, you can actually start a policy even if you’re in the middle of your trip. So even if you’re reading this from South America, get a quick quote here (takes 1 minute), and you can have a policy starting tomorrow.
Swimming with Sea Lions in Lima: Palomino Island
We hope this article and video has helped to give a glimpse of what it’s like to swim with sea lions in Lima, Peru. The Palomino Island tour is a must-do for any nature lovers who find themselves in Lima.
If you have any questions, let us know in the comments. And if you’ve been swimming with the sea lions in Lima, give us a shout below to tell us about your experience. Happy travels!
Publishing note: This article was initially published in January 2015 and was last updated in January 2019 to reflect the most current Palomino Island information.
Hi this sounds like such a great adventure! I can’t wait to swim with the sea dogs and see them up close!!!
Thanks for all this info!!
One question was it cheaper to just show up vs book online?
Thanks!!
Booking online, including the hotel pick-up, will be more expensive. But if you book directly with either of the two tour operators by email, phone, online form, or in person, it should be the same price. Have a great trip! 🙂
Hi. In the middle of planning August 2019, early 50th for me. Your site has been AMAZING! My almost 15 year old twins are thrilled we are now doing the jungle trek to MP vs. the full Inca hike 🙂 do you think the sea lions tour from Lima will run in their winter?? I might ping you for more advice 🙂 thanks!! Jen
So glad you’ve found these posts to be helpful! Sounds like you’ll have an amazing trip ahead next year to celebrate your 50th! 🙂 Woohoo! Yes, the palomino island sea lion tour runs year-round. The waters will just be colder, but the wetsuit should help out with that.
Thank you for the information. I am heading to Peru and looking forward to swimming with the sea lions <3 better train on my swimming as well.
Your video made my week. It's amazing and i am happy for you both to have such a wonderful experience. Take care both of you. Continue having awesome adventures together!
Thanks Isabel, enjoy swimming with the sea lions! We’re very confident that you’ll love it just as much as we did. Please let us know how it goes, we’d be delighted to hear all about it!
Great info!! I just did this amazing activity 2 days ago and it was just incredible 🙂 I never thought of swimming with sea lions like ever! Thanks so much for your blog post about this, you really made my day (and my itinerary even more interesting). I bought the experience on exploorperu.com, a Peruvian travel company and they helped me out with everything. Really good customer service from them 🙂 Now it’s time for me to leave Lima and catch my flight to Arequipa, just wanted to make sure I give you guys some appropriate feedback before I forget hehe. Best, Marco
That’s so cool! We’ll be in Lima next week meeting my family and I’d love to send them on this trip. We were just swimming with sea lions two weeks ago in the Galapagos so I’d rather save the money but how doable do you think it is (without Viator) for total non-Spanish speakers who aren’t at all used to Latin America? I’m guessing we should suck it up and go along…
Hmmm… that’s a tough call without really knowing how comfortable your parents are traveling abroad. If you’ve been traveling throughout Latin America, you would have no problems whatsoever. It’s easy. But I’d be hesitant to send my mother in cab by herself. I’d say join them if you can. We’ve also been to the Galapagos, but we never were in waters so thick with sea lions as the waters here. So you’ll still get something out of it and it would be a cool experience to share with your parents. Hope it works out – happy travels! 🙂
What a fantastic adventure! I’ve only seen these guys from a distance but would love to snorkel with them. Great, easy and sensible rules to follow. Love the eco-friendly approach.
It’s such a fun experience! You’ll have to come down to Peru to snorkel around with these friendly guys. We really applaud the eco-friendly approach and was glad to see those reasonable rules were in place.
I am planning on visiting Lima for my birthday next week. I definitely plan to swim with the sea lions. What other activities do you suggest to make my trip to Lima Peru for my 50th birthday the greatest trip ever?
Ooh I don’t know but swimming with the sea lions definitely sounds like an amazing way to kick-off a big 5-0 celebration. Hope your Lima birthday is fantastic. Feliz cumpleaños!
Thank you for providing so much information, photo and video. I have been wanting to go to Peru for some time now and you just helped to make the decision of where to go spring break. In the video, I see you guys swimming near the sea lions island. The boat seen in the distance, is that the boat you came into the area on???? Reason I ask, that appears to be a pretty good distance to swim. I’m a decent swimmer, However my fear like most I’m sure, is within that distance there could be plenty of rather unpleasant things I don’t want to swim with…LOL (sharks, orcas)……..
Hey Kristy, thanks for your comment. We’re thrilled to hear you’ve decided on Peru for your spring break!
Yes, the boat you see in the video is the same boat we rode in on. I can’t recall exactly how far the boat was, as it moved around while we were in the water. However, I always felt it was within a safe distance. Also, a guide gets in the water with the group to help anyone that may feel distress and to protect both the animals and people from getting too close together.
We questioned other marine life in the water while we were there and were told by the guides that animals like sharks and orcas don’t visit those waters.
Hope this helps, please let us know how your trip to Peru goes. We’d love to hear about your experience.
Thank you so much for the detailed review! Incredibly helpful; we’re off to Lima for 6 nights in just a few weeks and this was on our to-do list but we were hesitant because of the Viator price vs. what we were reading in reviews. I’ve contacted both Mar Adentro and Eco because of your feedback.
Thanks a million!
Hey Erin! Thanks so much for the comment! Swimming with the sea lions has been a highlight of our travels and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we did. Please let us know how it goes!
Hi John, So… We are big people. Round and tall. So you think they have any wet suits to accommodate large people? XXL, 6’5” men and the like? We’d need 3 of those suits on our tour. How likely is that? Or do you think we should really bring our own wet suits if we’re dead set on taking this tour and swimming with the sea lions? Or, do some people go without the wet suit? I know it means less time in the water because it’s so cold. What time of year did you go? I wonder if that makes any difference, but our trip is in the dead of winter (hah) – early August.
Hi Donna, I am 6’2″ and about 200 pounds and they were able to accommodate me. I can’t recall if they had larger wet suits than what I was given. (I think they did but not sure how much bigger). I’d recommend to send an email to each of the tour operators and ask. We went in December (summer) and that water felt absolutely frigid cold! I couldn’t imagine giving it a go without a wetsuit on. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that one of the tour operators have wet suits that are large enough, but if not I think I’d recommend going through the trouble of bringing one because that water is so so cold! Hope that helps and that you enjoy this incredible experience!
Thanks so much for the info and suggestions!
I swam with the seas lions this past weekend, it was truly an awesome experience. I was nervous, but had to do it once there. A must do!!!!
Awesome!!! So glad to hear you enjoyed it. We were a little nervous too but it turns out to be such an incredible experience. Totally agree that it’s a must-do! Thanks for stopping by with your feedback!
Thank you so so much for this info. I’m Peruvian living in the US. Planning to visit my home in a few months and never knew about this. I visited Islas Ballestas last year, it was wonderful, but we didn’t swim w the sea lions. This sounds amazing!!!
It was very amazing and we hope you get a chance to check this out when you make it back down to Peru in a few months! Have some ceviche for us! 😉
Wow, this looks like a really fantastic way to spend the day! Would love to try it out someday 🙂
You definitely should! It’s an awesome sightdoing activity!
Penguins in Peru? Sounds like a totally awesome experience!
Yes! If the seal lions weren’t awesome enough, we saw a colony of penguins! How cool!
Wow looked like you had a great time in the Palomino! We agree, it’s a shame so many people travelling to Peru rush their way to Machu Pichu while Lima makes a perfect base to explore least known fantastic destinations (Lima itself, Palomino Island, Huaraz, Cerro de Pasco, Ica…). Thanks for your post John! 🙂
Yes, so many places to explore from Lima. We really wished we had more time there but if we were able to do any adventure, we’re so glad we got to do this! We’ll be back one day!
This looks incredible! When i was in Peru I hadn’t heard of this being offered anywhere! I was actually going to do this when I was in Kaikoura, NZ but the weather was so stormy and the whole thing was cancelled unfortunately 🙁 Looks like such a fun and exciting experience!
We just sort of stumbled across it ourselves when I noticed it mentioned in a really remote forum about Peru. There’s not much info online, so hopefully this post may help others discover this awesome experience. I didn’t realize you could do this in NZ too. We’re actually heading there soon! 🙂
What an amazing experience. At first I was concerned that this would be another case of bad tourism and disrespecting animals but that doesn’t appear to be the case! I love the rules that they had in place to keep this safe for everyone involved. I was shocked at how close they got to you! Definitely a memorable day, I’m sure!
Yes, we thought the same thing too, but found it all to be very responsible. Our biggest concern was that they were feeding the sea lions to attract them, which they thankfully are not. I almost couldn’t believe it when some of the sea lions came right up to us when we were at a good distance from there island. It was quite memorable indeed!
We are on our way down the Pan Am and hope to get to Peru. This is great information and inspiring imagery. Thank you very much.
I hope you make it down to Peru. And if so, you’ll definitely have to consider this! So much fun!
That is AMAZING! I would love to see these sea lions up close 😉
And that is indeed mesmerizing–how there are no predators close. I guess it’s fine since it’s safe for them and safe for you guys haha
It was one of the most amazing experiences we’ve had to date. Yeah, we’ll never understand why there seems to be no predators there, but we felt completely safe.
This looks amazing! I want to head back to Peru now! Love your photos 🙂 Totally agree re Peru being so much more than just Machu Picchu – we spent a bit of time in Paracas and actually hit Balletras islands which are said to be the Galapagos of Peru – we didn’t get to swim with sea lions but there were plenty there to see from the boat 🙂
We’d really love to go to Balletras Islands one day (and the actual Galapagos for that matter, lol) one day! The oceanic wildlife around this area is simply amazing. We’d actually never even seen wild sea lions before, let alone swim close with them!
I have seen the sea lions in San Francisco Bay, but I never dreamed you could swim with them. How cool! Your post also brings back memories from my childhood. My parents were missionaries to Latin America. Although I never actually got to visit Peru, Lima was often one of the stops on our flights to Santiago, Chile.
We had no idea either! It was truly amazing. We thought for sure they’d keep their distance but the smaller pups came right up to us. So cool!
I want to swim with sea lions! That is so amazing!
Go down to Peru and give it a try! 😉
Okay, this post has made me like sea lions. All I knew of them was from Happy Feet. Haha! I never thought it was possible to swim with them.
We had no idea you could swim with them either! It was so much fun!