Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DIRCETUR
Offline map
Google map
(Parque Bolognesi, 3rd l)
The government tourist information office; can
recommend local tour operators.
Dangers & Annoyances
Nazca is filled with persistent
jaladores
(touts) trying to sell tours or take passengers to
hotels. Pay hotel rooms directly at the front desk and never hand money over for a tour
unless the company has given you a confirmed itinerary and receipt in writing.
Getting There & Around
Bus & Taxi
Nazca is a major destination for buses on the Carr Panamericana Sur and is easy to get to
from Lima, Ica or Arequipa. The following long-haul companies are recommended:
Cruz del Sur
Offline map
Google map
(
52-3713)
Ormeño
Offline map
Google map
(
52-2058)
A taxi from central Nazca to the aerodrome, 4km from the town, costs about S4.
Detour:
Reserva Nacional Pampas Galeras
This national reserve is a
vicuña sanctuary
high in the mountains 90km east of Nazca on the road to Cuzco. It is
the best place to see these shy animals, which are the threatened wild relatives of alpacas. Every year in late May or
early June is the
chaccu,
when hundreds of villagers round up vicuñas for shearing and three festive days of tradi-
tional ceremonies. Full-day or overnight tours from Nazca cost US$30 to US$90 per person.
Arequipa
054 / POP 864,300 / ELEV 2350M
Peruvians joke that you need a different passport to enter Peru's second-largest city, a met-
ropolis that is one-tenth the size of Lima but pugnaciously equal to it in terms of cuisine,
