Wildlife Spotting and Sea Lion Swimming at Palomino Island, Lima

Lima is a big city, and if spending hours in traffic trying to get to museums isn't your thing, getting out of the city could be one way to spend a day.

We did just this when we booked a half day tour of Palomino Island, a short boat ride from the port suburb of Callao. The drive itself was insightful as we passed so many old and dilapidated colonial buildings as we passed through the old port town of Lima.

Shortly after we were en route to the islands; a sort of mini Galapagos in Peru. Take a closer look at the beautiful animals we saw and see our top tips for a pleasant trip below.

Blue footed booby

Humboldt Penguins

Inca Tern

Pelicans

Sea lions

Top tips for your Palomino Island tour

We booked our tour through Viator, and would recommend it to anyone looking for an up-close experience with Sea lions. Here's some other tips from us:

1. Be prepared: The area where the Sea lions nest is exactly that - their home - and there's a stink you won't be able to forget for a while. This also means the water isn't as crystal clear as you might like. Try not to get any in your mouth when you jump in.
2. Take a snack and water: We were lucky enough to get some juice and crisps (chips) for the return journey, but just in case this isn't on offer, we'd recommend bringing a small snack to help you deal the bad taste that might be left in your mouth after your swim.
3. Enjoy it: There's not many opportunities to have real life encounters with animals in their natural habitat, so make the most of it, and enjoy that these animals are happy and curious about you and not stuck in a zoo doing tricks for food. 

Nha Trang

30 March - 1 April

Again, our trip to Nha Trang started the same as every other journey: with an early start. By 7:30 in the morning were rolling down from Dalat through beautiful scenery and simply stunning views.

Once we arrived (and eventually found our hotel) we grabbed a quick pizza before heading to the beach for a dip in the sea. It's immediately clear that Nha Trang is a true beach resort. There was a long promenade against the sand and helpful vendors offer you their sun beds.

We decided to set up camp under the shade of a palm tree on our towels and head for the ocean. The sea was a delight, cool and clear. There was a breeze too so a few kiteboarders were about to provide entertainment.

We dried off on the sand then headed back to the hotel when the afternoons clouds arrived for a nap.

The next day we remembered why hotels with breakfast included are so good! Banana pancakes are a great way to start the day!

We'd booked a boat trip today so we could see the islands around Nha Trang. From experience we also know a boat trip was a good excuse for some fun and this one didn't let us down.

We goggled (because the snorkel was rubbish) and saw lots of fish. At a floating fish market we saw lobsters, squid and various fish for sale. Whilst a squid was being caught we got to see the full force of its ink!

The day ended with karaoke and a happy hour drink in the sea, which I celebrated by jumping in from the top of the boat (after Mark, to make sure it was safe!).

We enjoyed cheap food and BOGOF cocktails that night before an early night as we were leaving for Hoi An at the most ungodly hour the next morning!