Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pardeones Ruins
The Pardeones ruins, 2km southeast of town via Arica over the river, are not very
well preserved, primarily because they were constructed from adobe rather than stone.
Their position on a slope above the town is commanding which is probably why the Incas
used it as an administrative control center between the mountains and the coast.
RUINS
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Cantallo Aqueducts
(admission S10)
About 2km further from the ruins are the 30-plus underground Cantallo
aqueducts, which are still in working order and essential in irrigating the surrounding
fields. Though once possible to enter the aqueducts through the spiraling
ventanas
(win-
dows), which local people use to clean the aqueducts each year, entry is now prohibited;
instead, you can take note of the Nazca's exceptional stonework from outside. It's pos-
sible, but not necessarily safe, to walk to the aqueducts; at least, don't carry any valuables.
Alternatively you can hire a taxi to take you there (and perhaps tie in the Paredones ruins
as well). This should cost around S40 to S50 round-trip. Tours from Nazca that take 2½
hours, cost from US$5 per person and may be combined with a visit to see
El Telar
, a
geoglyph found in the town of
Buena Fe
, and visits to touristy gold and ceramics work-
shops.
Cahuachi
( 9am-4pm)
A dirt road travels 25km west from Nazca to Cahuachi, the most
important known Nazca center, which is still undergoing excavation. It consists of several
pyramids, a graveyard and an enigmatic site called Estaquería, which may have been used
as a place of mummification. Tours from Nazca take three hours, cost US$15 to US$50
per person, and may include a side trip to
Pueblo Viejo
, a nearby pre-Nazca residential
settlement.
RUINS
Reserva Nacional Pampas Galeras
This national reserve is a vicuña (threatened wild relatives of alpacas) sanctuary high in
the mountains 90km east of Nazca on the road to Cuzco. It is the best place to see these
shy animals in Peru, though tourist services are virtually nonexistent. Every year in late
May or early June is the
chaccu
, when hundreds of villagers round up the vicuñas for
shearing and three festive days of traditional ceremonies, with music and dancing, and of
course, drinking. Full-day or overnight tours from Nazca cost US$30 to US$90 per person
.
WILDLIFE RESERVE
