The Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines cover approximately 450 square kilometres of the Ica Desert in southern Peru. The largest figure, a pelican, stretches 285 metres. They were made by removing reddish-brown iron-oxide-coated stones to reveal the pale ground beneath – essentially scraping the desert surface to draw in it. The Nasca culture made them between 500 BCE and 500 CE. Nobody can say with certainty why.

The mystery is genuine. The scale is genuine. What is somewhat less genuine is the experience of seeing them from the observation tower on the Panamericana Sur highway, which gives access to three figures from ground level, partially obscured by the road that runs directly through the site.

How to Actually See Them

The overflight is the only approach that makes the lines comprehensible. Small aircraft carrying 4-5 passengers leave from Nasca’s María Reiche Neuman Airport on 30-40 minute circuits that pass directly over the major figures: the Hummingbird, Spider, Monkey, Astronaut (a humanoid figure that sparked the alien theories), Condor. The pilots bank steeply over each figure so all windows get a view. Budget USD $80-120 per person for the standard circuit; longer routes covering the Palpa lines cost around USD $150.

Motion sickness is common on these flights. The aircraft are small, the banking is sharp, and the flights are at low altitude. Take appropriate precautions the morning of. Book through the airport office or your hotel rather than the hawkers outside the airport gate; the hawkers are generally legitimate but occasionally switch aircraft quality at short notice.

Nasca Town

Nasca is 400 kilometres south of Lima on the Panamericana Sur – about 5 hours by bus. Cruz del Sur and Oltursa run comfortable services from Lima’s Terminal Terrestre at prices around PEN 50-90 depending on class. Ica (45 kilometres north) is a larger alternative base with better transport connections if you’re combining the Nazca lines with a winery visit.

The María Reiche Museum in Nasca covers the German mathematician who dedicated her life from the 1940s onward to studying and protecting the lines. Her bedroom and working tools are preserved as found. Entry PEN 10. The context it provides for understanding why the lines weren’t noticed for so long (because they’re only visible properly from the air) is worth having before your overflight.

For accommodation, Hotel Majoro and DM Hoteles Nasca sit in the mid-range. Budget rooms near the Plaza de Armas run PEN 50-80. Early morning flights give the best light; staying the night before is worth it rather than arriving by bus the same morning.

Cahuachi

28 kilometres from Nasca by unpaved road, Cahuachi is a large Nasca ceremonial site with adobe pyramid mounds still under excavation. It receives few tourists relative to its significance. A guided tour typically costs USD $25-40 including transport. The drive through the desert to reach it is itself interesting – flat, minimal, and genuinely alien in the early morning.