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Destinations-Paracas/Nazca

El Candelabro

Twenty kilometers north from the town of Nazca are the Nazca Lines. Enormous geometric designs and figures of various animals run for several kilometers across the desert. The lines, best viewed from the air were produced by the Nazca culture. They began around 400 B.C and continued to create shapes for another thousand years or so. A host of people have studied the lines to interpret their significance including Maria Reiche, a German mathematician who spent the greater part of her life doing research in Nazca. Their true meaning remains a mystery to this day.

  • ACCESS ROUTES
    Nazca is connected by the Panamerican highway with Lima (7 hours) and Arequipa (11 hours).
  • ACCOMMODATION
    In Ica, Pisco and Nazca there are no 5 star hotels, only premium and tourist class. In Ica the best hotel is Las Dunas. In Pisco this is Hotel Paracas and in Nazca this is the new hotel Cantayo. Tourist Class hotels are abundant but fairly basic.
  • WHEN TO GO
    Nazca can be visited all year round.
  • HOW LONG
    We recommend spending at least 1 day here.
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Excursions

Ica - Chauchilla:

Chauchilla

The Inca cemetery of Chauchilla lies 30 km . south of Nazca. Bones are scattered all over this desert graveyard.

  • Included: transport/guide/entrance fees.
  • Time: 2 hours.
  • Type: this tour can be booked as a private tour or as a SIC service.
Nazca Lines:

Located in the arid Peruvian coastal plain, some 400 km south of Lima , the geoglyphs of Nazca and the Pampas of Jumana cover about 450 square km. These lines, which were drawn between 500 B.C. and 500 A .D., are among the most impenetrable enigmas of archaeology by virtue of their quantity, nature and size, as well as their continuity. Some of the geoglyphs depict living creatures, plants or imaginary figures, as well as geometric figures several kilometers long. They are believed to have had ritual functions connected with astronomy.

The Monkey - Nazca Lines

  • Included: flight, bilingual guide.
  • Time: 30 minutes.
  • Type: the plane has 5 seats.
Pisco:

Three hours south from Lima along the coast is Pisco, a small fishing village fifteen minutes by bus from the National Reserve of Paracas. Paracas is the largest port between Callao and Matarani and serves as an agricultural hinterland. The town was named after the famous local brandy and bars in the area serve delightful Pisco Sours. A twenty minute drive from Pisco will bring to the bay of Paracas, named after the Paracas winds. The bay region is protected in a large natural reserve covering 335, 000 ha. The resrve is one of the most important of its kind as it is home to one of the highest concentrations of marine birds in the world. For this same reason it is also important as a major producer of Guano.

Huacachina - Sandboard

  • Time: 3 hours.
  • Time: 2 days/1 night or 4 days/3 nights.
Paracas Peninsula:

Paracas Peninsula

The Paracas peninsula has some amazing spots to visit such as Lagunillas (a small fishing village), the Julio Tello Museum , the Mirador de los Lobos, and the Cathedral. As a result of water and wind erosion, The Cathedral is an amazing and extraordinary rock formation.

  • Included: transport, bilingual guide, all entrance fees.
  • Time: 3 hours.
  • Type: this tour can be booked as a private tour or as an SIC (group) Tour. Note that in a SIC tour the entrance fee of 5 soles (1,80 USD) is not included.
Ballestas Islands:

Known by many as the "Poor Man's Galápagos," these small islands are nonetheless spectacular in their own right and well worth visiting. They are part of a national reserve where sea lions, seals, penguins, guano birds and turtles (rarely found at this latitude) can be seen. On the way there by boat, you will undoubtedly see the famous Candelabro (candlestick) traced in the hillside of the mainland by Pre-Inca peoples. It is at least 50 meters long and believed to be linked to the Nazca Lines. Some relate it to the Southern Cross constellation, while others say it is a drawing of a cactus, a symbol of power from the Chavin culture.

Ballestas Islands

  • Included: transport, bilingual guide, all entrance fees.
  • Time: 3 hours.
  • Type: It is best is to book this tour as a SIC tour. Private tours are possible but very expensive as one would have to charter a 20-seat boat.
 
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