Safari to Nazca

mysterious art on an incredible scale

Situated on the arid coastal plateau about 100km south of Paracas, the Nazca area contains a mazy collection of mysterious lines and enormous figures which have been etched by ancient cultures into the desert floor.

In addition to many straight lines and geometrical shapes, the landscape includes around 70 zoomorphic geoglyphs, perfectly created geometrical representations, including dozens of people, a whale, a condor, a hummingbird, a monkey, a snake, a llama, a spider and a flower.

Remarkably these individual figures range up to 1100m / 3600’ in length, with the lines themselves mainly being around 300mm / 12” wide and 100mm / 4” deep.

These features were created by the Nazca people between 500 BC and 500 AD, but to this day archaeologists can’t agree how or why they were made.

During the late 1900s there were widespread claims that the lines were somehow connected with beings from outer-space, but these have been categorically debunked, not least following successful efforts to recreate the figures using a basic system of pegs and string.

The general consensus is that the lines were formed to somehow link astronomical observations with the passing of the seasons and probably connect them to a pantheon of deities, similar to other great monuments of the period such as Stonehenge in England.

Although there are some low hills and observation towers close to some of the features, by far the best way to appreciate them properly is from the air. Light aircraft charter flights originate from Pisco Airport, which is just to the north of Paracas (where you will most likely stay during your visit to the area). Flights are usually undertaken in a Cessna Grand Caravan, which has a capacity of 12 guests (although only 8 seats are immediately adjacent to windows). The flight duration is around 1.5 hours.

The Nazca Lines are almost always accessed by air from the small airport in Paracas, with guests typically staying two or three nights on the waterfront over there.

accessed by air from Paracas