The small town of Nazca is renown all around the world because it’s home to one of the world’s bigger mysteries – a mix of long lines, geometrical figures, and peculiar giant drawings in the desert sand: the Nazca Lines.
Scattered over some 500 km² between the Nazca River and Ingenio River, the lines were created by the removal of surface stones, which revealed the lighter-coloured soil below. Archaeologists are even nowadays still discovering new patterns and lines.
The lines are ancient for sure. Estimations of their creation run somewhere between 1400-2500 years ago. That’s a rather amazing idea if you take into account that this even predates the time of the Incas.
The purpose of the lines still hasn’t become really clear. Apart from that, there’s also an air of mystery around it as the line are very precise and only appreciable from the air. Thus rumour has it that the Nazca’s had help from outer space..
Whatever your beliefs, for sure the lines are spectacular to behold from above. So if you have the time (and money for the flight), make sure to include Nazca on your itinerary. You will undoubtedly leave Nazca with more questions than when you came.
Below you’ll find where to stay and where to go!
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Where to stay: B&B El Jardin
Within the lip-chapping dry area of Nazca, this quaint, little B&B on the eastern side of the city truly is an oasis and a delight to stay at. Once you get through the gate you step right into another world. One that is just so much greener.
The very kind owner created the guesthouse all by himself together with his wife and made sure to include a lot of funky details within each room.
Even better is the lush garden surrounding the guest house. It includes all kinds of fruits, nuts and flowers and is the habitat of many birds, a turtle, a rabbit and cute ‘Gremlin’ or ‘Chewbacca’ looking kind of dog.
Both the rabbit and Chewbacca happily greeted me in the morning as I opened the door :)! It was almost disneyesque, so cute it was. Such a lovely way to start your day, only enhanced by the tasty breakfast served in the outdoor area. It was one of those place where I could have stayed a week if I would have had the opportunity.
So go there! It’s impossible not to enjoy this place!
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The flights over the Nazca Lines
The thrilling flight over the well-preserved Nazca Lines is obviously the highlight of what you can do in town and the reason why most tourists (if not all) come here. Viewing them takes about 35 minutes in a small 4 to 6 passenger plane.
To be honest I had my doubts going on a tour. The flights are not for the budget travellers and it’s definitely not something you want to skimp, in terms of quality. While browsing online about what operator to take I read the most horrible accidents in the past due to sleeping pilots empty fuel tanks and other ways to cut corners.
Conclusion: choose a reliable operator. We went ourselves with Aero Paracas (arranged via our B&B) and I had a very safe feeling with them. On the website you can find their prices (which vary per season). We paid $80,- USD per person in April 2018.
If you can afford it, the flight is basically a must do in here. Not only the Nazca lines itself are incredible, but also the views over the countryside and the mountains while flying.
The lines are highlighted in the various charts and pictures in the plane and are all very easy to see. But if you look well it feels like there are many more lines and shapes to be discovered.
The co-pilot points everything out for you and the pilot circles around most markings, so that everyone – on both sides of the plane – can see it.
Before you go:
- Check the weather on the day of your flight tour to be sure that it won’t be foggy.
- Don’t eat before the flight. Your pilot might perform some pirouettes that could upset your stomach in multiple ways. Perhaps you might even want to take an anti-sickness tablet to make sure your experience will be the very best it can be. I was focusing a lot on taking photos and because of that I was struggling a bit in the end to keep it cool. So learn from my mistakes and do not constantly look at the geoglyphes through your lens 🙂
Let’s see if you can discover the ‘astronaut’, monkey, flamingo, ant, dog, whale and hummingbird!
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Cantalloc Aqueduct
If you have some time left and are in the mood for some exploration, you might consider going to the Cantalloc Aqueduct. Right in the middle of a dusty area, centuries ago the Nazca people constructed earthquake proof reservoirs with a spiral technology in order to storage water; necessary to survive in the desert.
Funny enough; some of the wells are even nowadays used by the people that live close to it. All of the reservoirs are a bit different. Some you can even walk into. Unfortunately no information is provided, but perhaps you can arrange a guide to come with you.
We walked all the way from town towards the area, but I wouldn’t recommend you to do that. It didn’t feel that safe and we encountered a lot of aggressive dogs on the way. As Cantalloc isn’t that far away I’d rather take a taxi.
Admission fee to the site is 10 PEN.
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The ceremonial site of Cahuachi
Personally I haven’t been there, but if you’re in the mood for more ancient Nazca history you might opt for visiting Cahuachi.
Cahuachi used to be the city where the Nazca people in the region lived. Unfortunately most of the area is supposed to be in ruins, or not excavated yet. But some of the temples have been reconstructed in order for the audience to get an idea of the importance of the city.
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Plaza de Armas
The main square of the small town is a lovely place to sit down with an ice cream – sold all around the plaza – and do a bit of people watching. Especially in the evening this is a buzzing place; kids are playing, people are walking their dogs, playing games or just chatting with one another.
Here’s where to go in Nazca! ↓
