Nasca Lines

Seeing the Nazca lines was the biggest thrill of my April 2024 Peru trip. I had been to Peru about 25 years prior, but back then had not been able to include Nazca and Lake Titicaca in the itinerary, so this trip was to make up for that. The Nazca lines have been such an iconic site for me since I was in grade school, so I'm feeling very satisfied to visit them. Seeing the three figures from the roadside viewing tower was nice, but I had to get the full experience with the flight. My flight was midday, and it all went off without any problems. I flew with AeroNazca, but I'd echo what others have said about the provider probably not making much difference, with taxes & all it cost about US$100. I was surprised how hard the figures were to spot from the air -- at least I had to be right on top of them before I could see them. Getting to see the whole set: spider, monkey, spaceman, plant, condor, hummingbird, etc. as well as the geometrical shapes and lines really impresses you with how much area the ancient Nazca covered with these figures.

If you're using PeruHop to get around, their standard bus itinerary would force you to overnight in Nazca in order to do the flight. However, for a slightly additional fare, you can get on a morning shuttle to Nazca from Huacachina, do the flight (and nearby aquaducts and …

We had already booked our flight with Aeronasca for the next morning with our hotel for 70 USD + 77 Soles airport fee per Person when we read about the latest fatal crash of a small airplane from Nazca airport on 5th February 2022. We had read before about the crashes around the year 2010 and that things had improved and even since the last crash there have probably been 10,000 successful flights but if something happens then it would be over. So we changed our mind and cancelled the flight again just before we were supposed to be picked up at our hotel. 
 
Instead, we took a PeruBus from Nazca to the small village where there is a museum about Maria Reiche who had dedicated her life to the discovery and maintenance of the lines. No one was there but it was open so we strolled through the few halls and the garden for free. There were some exhibits related to her work of measuring and documenting the sites.

Afterwards we hitchhiked 3 km back to Nazca to the observation tower what was newly installed in 2020. It´s bigger than the older tower that still stands on the other side of the highway. From here we could see the salamander which is split in 2 by the Panamericana, the tree and the toad. It was well visible from the top and afterwards we could check out the technique of how the lines were constructed by standing next …

In mid-March 2020, a few days before the world imploded, we spent two days in Nazca. This town was squeezed between Ica and Cusco (long night bus) in my Peruvian itinerary. We spent the first day shopping for airlines and then visited the Acueductos de Cantalloc (probably a T site). We finally chose to fly with Air Brag. Our research in the city led us to believe that all the companies offered pretty much the same circuit and service at the same price. All passengers now seem to enjoy a window (no more rows of three seats). Regulation also seemed to have been tightened in recent years and the horror stories that can be read online seem to be mostly a thing of the past. We had two pilots and the plane seemed to be in good condition.

The next day, early in the morning, we flew over all the famous figures near the city. We can think of the whale, the astronaut, the monkey, the dog, the hummingbird, the condor, the parrot, the spider, the heron, the lizard, the tree and the hands. The size and quality of the figures is remarkable. However, although these figures are the best known images of the lines, they are not the most spectacular aspect of them. The straight lines and geometric shapes, although much simpler, are much more stunning. These lines extend for kilometres, straight as if they had been drawn with a ruler. And they intersect by tens of them. …

In November 2019, I made the eight-hour bus ride from Lima to Nasca on a Wednesday, spent 30 minutes flying over the lines on Thursday morning, and made the eight-hour trip by bus back to Lima that afternoon. So, nearly a full day of travel for a brief flight over one of the world's most amazing UNESCO World Heritage Sites (securely nestled in my Top 10). The flight over the Nasca desert makes it abundantly clear that so many recent sights lack not only universal, but even national or regional, value.

I visited this WHS in June 2019. I opted for a VERY long day trip from Lima and combined a birdwatching boat trip to Islas Ballestas, a land panoramic lookout stop of some of the older Palpa lines (the Paracas Family, the Voyager, etc.), the Nasca Watchtower (really nothing special compared to the airborne view - another metal watchtower has been built in front of this one which is even worse!), and last but not least the Nasca Lines flight.

The mystery of how these geoglyphs were made, the sheer size of them and the endless amount of geoglyphs all add to make this WHS very unique and special and a must-see in Peru. Allow enough time to get there before your established flight time and make sure to add 5-10kg to your declared body weight. Apart from the extra kilos you might gain while in Peru, the personnel will NOT exclude your hiking clothes and shoes weight when checking, which might mean you'll be placed on a different flight or separated if you're with friends or family (due to weight restrictions and balancing).  

The Nasca Lines never featured high on my bucketlist. Yes, as a kid I had seen some of the pseudo documentaries asking (just asking, right?) if the locals hadn’t built these as landing strips for aliens. How else would such a remote, backwards tribe be able to accomplish such complex figures only visible from the sky? Being a WHS Traveler you learn to appreciate human ingenuity and the alien part wasn't really a factor for me. So I was wondering whether going to Nasca was worth the significant investment of time and money.

As is often the case in these situations I consulted our community and a colleague and based on their feedback decided to go. I have to agree these Lines are special and it’s a special experience. Flying above the deserted landscape you suddenly start to notice all the different forms and shapes the locals itched into the landscape. It’s not just the figures you know, e.g. the birds, but also the simple huge geometric forms. As a caveat, though, I need to point out that this is a 30min experience.

Prices

I think more or less all prices are the same. Expect to pay with all taxes and fees included around 100 USD for a 30min flight to the lines. There are also longer flight options available at higher prices. If you have your own transport you can probably haggle at the airport. But if you are relying on public transport and are short on time, I …

When I planned to visit Peru, Nazca Lines was one of the must go place I put on the list to do; however, after discovered that the best way to reach the town of Nazca is to take the night bus from Lima or Arequipa which I really hate, so I almost decided to skip this place. Fortunately, that I found out that it is possible to have a day trip to Nazca from Lima via Pisco, so after price negotiation, Nazca was back to my plan.

On Peruvian Mother Day morning, the driver had been waited for me at Lima Airport’s arrival lobby and immediately took me to Pisco by comfortable seacoast highway. With brief stop for toilet at the small town named Asia, it took 3 hours from Lima to Pisco. I arrived the empty Pisco Airport before noon. Then I directly went to small terminal for private airlines and discovered that there were about 20 Indian tourists waiting for the Nazca sky tour. It was an interesting experience to use small plane as all passengers had been asked to be weighted in order to calculate and seat everyone and balance the whole plane. My flight was about 10 persons including two pilots, I was lucky to sit at the end of the plane next to exit so I had a very large legroom in such small plane. The flight from Pisco to see Nazca lines took around 30 minutes, then captain started to fly lower and informed …

This is one of the few truly unique sights in the world. And also a place I have dreamt of visiting since I was young. As it turned out, viewing the Nazca Lines is more of a total experience than just a visit to a sight. It’s the town of Nazca, quite touristy as it caters to the hundreds that pass by every day “just” to see the Lines. It’s the airport, where a dozen of companies offer nothing else than the same flight all day. It is the anticipation, waiting in the departure hall (Will my plane crash?, Will I be sick, Is it worth the hype?). It is the attitude of the large number of pilots walking around, even showier and more flirting than pilots in general.

In the end, I did enjoy my flight. I had booked it the night before via the hostel where I was staying after having arrived in Nasca by bus from Lima at 21.30. My flight was with Aeroparacas, but I don’t think it matters that much which company you choose. I was put into a plane with 3 Koreans, one of which got all white and sick early into the trip. There's one pilot that navigates the plane, and a co-pilot that yells the name of the geoglyph you can see on the ground outside of your window.

It takes one or two geoglyphs before it becomes easy to spot them and even have time left to try to …

Still unknown why they are made, the Nasca lines form an interesting phenomenon. There are several agencies in town that will fly above the lines for an excellent view. Take some travel sickness medicine before you go because the plane will make lots of turns so everybody can see well...

From the air the figures look pretty small, but if you want to see how big they are you can go to the lookout tower on the highway just outside the town. From there you can see the "hands" and "tree" figures that are right next to the highway and from this close you can see how big the lines really are.

No visit to Peru would be complete without over-flying the Nazca lines – I won’t describe the Lines or provide a photo of them as there is so much on the Web/in guide books about them. Instead those intending to take a flight might be interested in the attached photo from our visit as long ago as 1984.

On arrival at the town of Nazca you have a number of different flying companies to choose from. In theory prices are “fixed” but, depending on the season etc, it is quite possible to shop around on the evening before and get both a “reduced fare” and a reasonably firm flight departure time. We chose Aeroica. At the airport (a rather grand term for what was an airstrip then - it may be better now!) planes are doing continuous take off and landings for the 40 minute flights. The engine on our plane wouldn’t start with the turn of the propeller from the (ageing!) ground-staff so the pilot got out and did it himself. He was, however, unaware that the chocks had been removed and, with the engine successfully started, the plane started to trundle pilot-less down the runway full of passengers! Various bystanders hung onto the tail and tried to stop it but succeeded only in turning it so that it crashed into the “terminal building”! There were no injuries so this result was no doubt better than some possible alternative outcomes!

Now Aeroica still flies “the Lines”! Its Web site …