Nazca is always one of the most interesting stops while traveling through Peru, mainly because it is the location of one of the world-famous archaeological phenomena: the Nazca Lines.
We departed from Huacachina at about 4 pm, planning to arrive to Nazca about 7 pm. On the way we were surprised with an unexpected stop: another free tour arranged by Peru Hop.
El Catador Winery
El Catador Winery was a perfect way to conclude the two days of pure fun in Huacachina. Not only you learn how Peruvian wine has been produced for centuries and how it is made now, you also participate in a tasting. The winery presents a wide variety of sweet and semi-sweet wines, as well as different kinds of Pisco. One of my favorite was delicious Pisco Cream, similar to Bailey’s.
The Nazca Tower
At sunset, the bus came to a stop at a small parking lot and we all came out to have our first taste of the Nazca Lines. On the opposite sides of the Pan-American Highway stand two observation towers. The Peruvian one is pretty old and no one uses it anymore. Instead, the tourists climb the newer, German-built tower, donated by Maria Reiche, a German-Peruvian archaeologist, who dedicated most of her life to studying the Nazca Lines. The entry fee is included in the Peru Hop ticket. The tower is 13 meters (39 feet) tall, and can hold only several people at a time, so we had to wait for our turn to go up.
From the top you can see three figures: the Hands, the Tree and the Lizard. It is interesting that the Lizard is cut in two by the Highway: when they built the road, they didn’t even know they were running over an archaeological treasure!
Where We Stayed in Nazca
We arrived to Nazca in the evening. The city appeared a bit dark, although I never felt unsafe: people everywhere in Peru are super friendly. The local Plaza de Armas was the only well-lit place and we ate a huge delicious meal in La Estacion restaurant at the corner.
If you have time, I would recommend to stay in Nazca at least for one night. The bus stops in Nazca in the evening. This way you can rest up and dedicate the whole next day to exploring. The next evening you can board another bus to Arequipa.
If you stay with the same bus without stopping, your Nazca Lines experience is reduced to a single tower and only three geoglyphs. In my opinion, it is not enough, especially if you are interested in ancient history. Alternatively, there is an option to depart Huacachina early in the morning with a special mini-bus (extra fee) to make it early enough to Nazca for the flight and catch up with the main bus in the evening, but I think it’s a little too complicated and hectic. Staying at least overnight in Nazca is worth it and doesn’t add much to your budget.
Nazca was our cheapest place to stay in Peru, possibly because the town is less touristy than the others. A night at the Travel One Hostel was only $18 dollars for a private room with a private bath, and the hostel was very clean and cozy. In the morning, besides conventional items of a continental breakfast, a nice lady made eggs to order. In the morning the front desk gladly agreed to hold our bags for the day.
The Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines are pre-Columbian geoglyphs, etched onto the floor of the desert. Covering an area of nearly 170 sq. miles, it contains over 70 different figures, representing animals and plants, some of which measure as much as 1200 feet in length. There is also a strange humanoid figure with one of the arms raised as if he is waving at you. Besides the figures, there are over 300 triangles, trapezoids, rectangles, spirals, wavy lines and over 800 straight lines, some of which are as long as 30 miles.
The most mysterious thing about the Nazca geoglyphs is that you cannot see them if you stand on the ground. All you see are stones and flat desert floor. Some pieces are possible to make out from the nearby hills, but the only way to really see the giant lines and figures is from about 2000 feet in the air.
There are million theories trying to explain just who made them and why. It is officially believed that they were created by the Nazca culture from 100 BC until approximately 500-700 BC. The ancient people dug little trenches by removing the top 4 to 6 inches of the darker brown-gray top layer of soil and pebbles revealing the lighter yellow sand below. As far as WHY they were created, things get even more confusing. The project is gigantic and the reason for such an enormous effort must be truly important. What is REALLY was, no one will probably ever know…
So, since the best view on the Nazca Lines opens up from the air, the best experience to see them is, without a doubt, to fly over them…
Preparing For the Flight Over the Nazca Lines
Booking a flight over the Lines is pretty easy. You can book it online directly or through Peru Hop. I highly recommend the latter because you don’t want to skim on your safety and Peru Hop works with one of the most reputable airlines: AeroNasca. Besides the date, you will have to select the time window! Even though there are warnings that the dates and times are final, I found that during the lower season it is rather easy to change them, if you need to. Try not to risk it, though! The best time to fly is in the morning, the earlier the better, because wind generally increases later in the afternoon and can cause uncomfortable flight conditions. It is especially true for those who easily get air-sick!
This 35 minute flight costs $80. Additionally, the airport charges a fee of 30 soles, paid separately. It is important to bring your original passport! You will be going from a small, but nevertheless, real airport, where all the procedures are in place, such as passport controls and security checks.
Another important thing: because of the weight restrictions, anyone over 90 kg (200 pounds) will have to purchase two seats. They actually weigh you at check-in! So if you are borderline, here’s a good reason to exercise a bit and lose some weight before the experience! (and don’t eat before the flight LOL!)
Finally, after a short safety briefing, we were in the air!
The flight over the Nazca Lines covers 12 major geoglyphs in the area, including the Dog, the Monkey, the Hummingbird and even a giant figure of the Astronaut on the mountain side. Besides, you can see numerous “runways”, trapezoids and spirals. The flight is very well organized: at the beginning you are given a named flight certificate with a small map and you can follow which geoglyphs you are flying over. The pilot goes over each of them twice, so people on the right and the left side of the plane can view them properly.
Here is a short video of our Flight over the Nazca Lines. It is vertical because it was originally shot for our Facebook page, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. There are many geoglyphs to be seen!
At the end of the flight get a souvenir stamp for your passport!
What to Do the Rest of the Day in Nazca:
There are several options to spend the rest of your day in Nazca. You can
Walk around Nazca downtown and visit some of the museums. There are several museums in town, the most interesting of which are:
- Museum Antonini (Museo Antonini): Av. de la Cultura 600 | Bisambra, Nazca, Peru
- Museo Lineas de Nasca Centro Maria Reiche: Av. Espinales 300 | Oficina 201, Nazca, Peru
- Maria Reiche Planetarium: Jiron Bolognesi | Plaza Bolognesi, Nazca, Peru
- Casa-Museo Mari Reiche: Caserio la Pascana, Carretera Panamericana Sur Km 420 | San Pablo, Nazca, Peru
- Casa del Inka – Museo Incawasi: Carreta Panamericana, Desvio Aeropuerto | Camino al Aerodromo Maria Reiche, Nazca, Peru
We didn’t see Uber in Nazca, but taxies are pretty cheap: you can flag them right on the street and the going rate inside the city is about 3 soles.
Take one of the extra tours, which employees of Aeronasca will offer to you after the flight. Two of the most popular are: Cahuachi Pyramid Complex and Chauchilla Cemetery.
We opted for Chauchilla Cemetery: a real Nazca burial ground far in the desert (17 miles from the city). In a number of excavated tombs you can see the well-preserved mummies of these ancient people, who lived in the area many years before Inca. You can learn a lot about their culture.
Honestly speaking, I think we overpaid for the tour (it cost us 80 soles each) and should have bargained more, but we don’t regret this absolutely unique authentic experience. Where else, besides ancient history, can you see real desert sand twisters forming right before your eyes?
By the time of our departure we were pleasantly tired! We had a couple of tasty hot sandwiches at the rendezvous point, Mom’s Café, and about 8 pm boarded a really comfortable sleeper double-decker to Arequipa.
