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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Americas

Americas

Peru

A cold, rich Pacific coast, with humpback whales in the warm north and sea lions and penguins in the south.

Golden desert cliffs above a calm blue sea in the Paracas National Reserve, Peru
Paracas National Reserve · Photo: Maddy R. on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 26 Sep 2026. Sources: PRODUCE sets minimum approach distances to whales, dolphins and other cetaceans (RM 451-2019-PRODUCE), gob.pe; Reserva Nacional Mar Tropical de Grau, DS 003-2024-MINAM, SINIA; Velez-Zuazo et al., green turtles at El Nuro, PLOS ONE, 2014.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 5 Oct 2026. The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the VRAEM region (Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro river valleys) and within 20km south of the Peru-Colombia border and the Amazon River, updated 2 Oct 2026. Sources: UK FCDO travel advice, Peru Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

WhalesSharksWildlife watching

Why Peru

Peru's coast is shaped by the cold Humboldt Current, which feeds a lot of ocean life. In the warm north, near Máncora, Los Órganos and Punta Sal, humpback whales come to breed from about July to October, and part of this sea became a national reserve in 2024. Whale sharks visit the far north in some years. Further south, at Paracas and the Ballestas Islands, sea lions, Humboldt penguins and many seabirds are watched from the boat. In Peru, boats must stay at least 100 m from large whales and must not approach a mother with her calf, so we only watch whales and dolphins here. We also do not offer swimming with the turtles at the busy pier where they gather in the north. A very strong El Niño is expected until autumn 2027, which can move animals and bring heavy rain to the north, so Ocean Calling is only researching Peru for now.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

FijiArgentinaChileBrazilBoliviaPeruColombiaPanamaCosta RicaNicaraguaVenezuelaGuyanaSurinameFranceEcuadorParaguayTrinidad and TobagoMáncora, Los Órganos and Cabo Blanco, PeruPunta Sal and the Tumbes coast, PeruParacas and the Ballestas Islands, Peru

When to go

Jul-Oct. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Peru sets clear distances for boats around whales and dolphins, and since 2024 a new national reserve protects part of the humpback sea in the north. At one busy fishing pier, green turtles gather around fish scraps and many snorkellers swim with them, so Ocean Calling does not go there. We watch humpbacks, sea lions and penguins from the boat and keep the legal distances.

Checked 26 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Peru

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Máncora, Los Órganos and Cabo Blanco

Exploring

A warm northern coast where humpback whales come to breed from July to October, watched from the boat at a respectful distance.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (Jul-Oct, from the boat), Mothers with calves (boats keep away)

When: Jul-Oct. Humpbacks are here from about mid July to late October. Boats must stay at least 100 m away, farther when whales feed or socialise, and must not approach a mother with her calf.

Punta Sal and the Tumbes coast

Exploring

The far north coast, with a protected reef area, humpback whales in season and whale sharks in some years.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (Jul-Oct, from the boat), Whale sharks (some years only), Giant manta rays (possible)

When: Jul-Oct. Humpbacks are here from about July to October. Whale sharks are seen mostly in the southern spring and summer, but their numbers change a lot from year to year.

Paracas and the Ballestas Islands

Exploring

A desert coast and protected islands where sea lions, Humboldt penguins and seabirds are watched from the boat.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: South American sea lions, Humboldt penguins, Seabirds (boobies and cormorants)

When: Year-round. The islands are a protected reserve. Visits are by authorised boat in the morning, all year, and the animals are watched from the boat.

Animals

Animals recorded in Peru

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlue whale blowing a tall spout off San DiegoBlue whaleBalaenoptera musculusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasEndangeredHuge spotted whale shark gliding through open blue waterWhale sharkRhincodon typusSeen in 54 countries in the AtlasEndangeredGiant oceanic manta with T-shaped white shoulder patches and remorasOceanic manta ray (giant manta)Mobula birostrisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasEndangeredGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose-up of a sleeping maned male South American sea lion on rocksSouth American sea lionOtaria byroniaSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo dusky dolphins leaping above the water off Kaikōura, New Zealand, with mountains behindDusky dolphinLagenorhynchus obscurusSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo Humboldt penguins on a rocky ledge, one with its head tipped backHumboldt penguinSpheniscus humboldtiSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBurmeister's porpoise surfacing in calm grey water, with its small dorsal fin and back showingBurmeister's porpoise (spiny porpoise)Phocoena spinipinnisSeen in 1 country in the AtlasNear ThreatenedGuanay cormorant perched on a rock at the Ballestas Islands, with a red face patch and white underpartsGuanay cormorantLeucocarbo bougainvilliorumSeen in 4 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedTwo Peruvian boobies with white heads perched facing each other on a rock ledgePeruvian boobySula variegataSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBryde’s whale surfacing and exhaling in deep blue open oceanBryde's whaleBalaenoptera edeniSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableOrcas surfacing close together in calm Arctic Norwegian watersOrca (killer whale)Orcinus orcaSeen in 55 countries in the AtlasData DeficientPelagic thresher shark with long whip tail at Kimud Shoal, MalapascuaPelagic thresherAlopias pelagicusSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasEndangeredPod of common dolphins surfacing in calm blue seaCommon dolphinDelphinus delphisSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernFin whale surfacing, showing its white right lower jawFin whaleBalaenoptera physalusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePair of blue-footed boobies on lava rock, Isla Isabela, GalápagosBlue-footed boobySula nebouxiiSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMale magnificent frigatebird perched on a mangrove branchMagnificent frigatebirdFregata magnificensSeen in 52 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernScarred Risso's dolphin spyhopping out of the waterRisso's dolphinGrampus griseusSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableOlive ridley turtles nesting on Playa Ostional, Costa RicaOlive ridley turtleLepidochelys olivaceaSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSpinetail devil ray gliding in blue water off Crete with small fishSpinetail devil rayMobula mobularSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredSmooth hammerhead swimming in clear blue open water off SpainSmooth hammerheadSphyrna zygaenaSeen in 26 countries in the AtlasVulnerableShortfin mako shark at Condor Bank in the North Atlantic, AzoresShortfin makoIsurus oxyrinchusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBlue shark swimming in open blue water off the Azores with a diver in the backgroundBlue sharkPrionace glaucaSeen in 50 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedSouth American fur seal sitting upright on a seaweed-covered rock by the shoreSouth American fur sealArctocephalus australisSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernThree black-browed albatrosses with their bills together at a Steeple Jason Island colony, against blue skyBlack-browed albatrossThalassarche melanophrisSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAmerican crocodile resting on a sandy river bank at the water's edge in Costa RicaAmerican crocodileCrocodylus acutusSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerableCommon dolphins feeding on a dense shoal of sardines off the east coast of South Africa during the sardine runSouthern African sardine (sardine run)Sardinops sagaxSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCrowd of brown pelicans packed together on a coastal roost, one adult with a pale head and coloured bill facing the cameraBrown pelicanPelecanus occidentalisSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo marine otters on kelp-covered rocks at the shoreMarine otterLontra felinaSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasEndangeredHuge flock of sooty shearwaters flying low over the sea beside a rocky coastSooty shearwaterArdenna griseaSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedWilson's storm-petrel resting on calm water with its wings raised above its backWilson's storm-petrelOceanites oceanicusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernNeotropic cormorant perched among willow branches beside the waterNeotropic cormorantNannopterum brasilianumSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAnhinga holding a fish in its long, pointed billAnhinga (American darter)Anhinga anhingaSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhite-chinned petrel floating on blue water with its white chin patch showingWhite-chinned petrelProcellaria aequinoctialisSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasVulnerableClose view of an adult Nazca booby with a pale orange bill and dark face mask, perched on a rock on EspañolaNazca boobySula grantiSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAmazon river dolphin surfacing in a calm river beside rainforest, with spray at its blowholeAmazon river dolphinInia geoffrensisSeen in 5 countries in the AtlasEndangeredTwo tucuxi surfacing side by side in shallow river water beside a grassy bankTucuxiSotalia fluviatilisSeen in 5 countries in the AtlasEndangered
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Also in Americas
AntarcticaArgentinaBermudaBrazilCanadaChileColombiaCosta RicaEcuadorEl SalvadorFalkland IslandsFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaMexicoNicaraguaPanamaSurinameUnited StatesUruguay

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