Illescas Reserve

The Illescas peninsula juts into the Pacific south of Bayóvar, an isolated block of desert hills reaching about 500 metres and ending in cliffs and rocky bays, designated a national reserve in 2010. The combination is unusual for northern Peru: Andean condors nest and forage on the cliffs here despite being hundreds of kilometres from the Andes, alongside guanaco - a population isolated on the peninsula - South American fur seals and sea lions on the beaches, Humboldt penguins, and desert plants including tillandsia and algarrobo. The coast is entirely undeveloped. Access is the barrier: rough tracks across desert from Bayóvar, four-wheel drive, a guide who knows the routes, and everything carried in, with no water, shade, settlement or phone coverage on the peninsula. Fishing camps operate on some bays. Almost nobody goes, which is why the wildlife is there.

What you actually see

• The condors - nesting and foraging on coastal cliffs far from the Andes.
• The guanaco - an isolated population on the desert peninsula.
• The pinnipeds - fur seal and sea lion colonies on the rocky bays.
• The undeveloped coast - cliffs and beaches with no road access.

When to go

April to November. Two days minimum given the access. Everything must be carried in - there is no water or shelter on the peninsula.

Honest expectations

Four-wheel drive with a guide is the only access - no public transport, no marked roads. No water, shade, settlement or phone coverage. Fully self-sufficient travel. Very few visitors and no rescue capacity.

Nearby

Bayóvar and the phosphate port are north-east; the Sechura desert is inland.