Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
area. These great etchings are thought to have been made by a pre-Inca civilization some-
time between AD 450 and 600, but question marks still hang over how they were made
and by whom. Documented for the first time by North American scientist Paul Kosok in
1939 and declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1994, the lines today are the south
coast's biggest tourist attraction. That means the otherwise insignificant desert town of
Nazca (population 57,500) can be a bit of a circus. For more information on these mysteri-
ous lines, see the boxed text on
Click here
.
Sights & Activities
NAZCA LINES
The best-known lines are found in the desert 20km north of Nazca. By far the best way to
appreciate them is to get a bird's-eye view from a
sobrevuelo
(overflight). For more on the
lines and their possible meaning, turn to
Click here
.
Flights are taken in light aircraft (three to nine seats) in the morning and early after-
noon. The standard 30-minute overflight starts at about US$80. Many agencies also offer
combination flights that include a visit to the glyphs in the nearby community of Palpa.
These take an hour or more and are more expensive. Tour packages generally include
transportation to the aerodrome, about 4km outside town.
A word about safety:
in 2010 two
sobrevuelos
crashed in a period of eight months,
causing a total of 13 fatalities. This follows an equally catastrophic accident from 2008, in
which five French tourists were killed. As a result, some changes have been made: all
planes now fly with two pilots and prices have gone up to make sure companies don't cut
corners on maintenance. Nonetheless, it pays to put safety before price. Question any
company charging less than US$80 for the standard 30-minute excursion.
Recommended outfitters include:
| Archaeological Site
Aerodiana
(
444-3057;
www.aerodiana.com.pe
)
Also has overflights departing from Pisco.
52 2497;
www.alasperuanas.com
)
Another long-
time operator.
