Start | End | |||
Royal Inca : 7D | 09/13/2018 | 09/19/2018 | Book now | |
09/22/2018 | 09/28/2018 | Book now | ||
12/01/2018 | 12/07/2018 | Book now | ||
The Best Of Southern Peru : 20D | 09/06/2018 | 09/25/2018 | Book now | |
09/13/2018 | 10/02/2018 | Book now | ||
Salkantay & Inca Trail To Machu Picchu : 8D | 09/12/2018 | 09/19/2018 | Book now | |
09/25/2018 | 10/02/2018 | Book now |
SEASON | All year |
DURATION | 2 days / 1 night (Lima-Lima) |
FITNESS-LEVEL | Easy |
DEPARTURE DATES | Daily |
ACTIVITIES | Cultural activities & nature observation |
This trip combines nature observation at the Ballestas Islands with an exploration of the ancient Nazca Lines. The Ballestas are often described as a more accessible alternative to the Galapagos Islands. It is here that the warm El Niño current meets the cold Humboldt current, creating the world’s most fertile seas, rich in marine fauna.
The Nazca Lines are a unique, gigantic series of geometric and zoomorphic designs etched onto the desert surface by pre-Inca cultures.
At 3:00 am you will be transferred to the bus station in Lima for the 3-hour drive to the town of Pisco. From the station in El Chaco, it is a short walk to the jetty, where we will board our speedboat. The tour of the islands takes around two hours. On the way to the Ballestas Islands, we will pass the geoglyph known as “El Candelabro”. Nobody knows when this design was made, or who was responsible for it.
As we circle the islands in our boat we will have excellent views of the colonies of seals, groups of Humboldt penguins and thousands of seabirds that inhabit the islands’ rocky shores.
After returning to the port, we will have lunch in one of the local beachside restaurants before continuing through the desert to the city of Ica, at the heart of Peru’s most important wine producing area.
(Those who have opted for private transport we will be able to visit one of the many local vineyards and learn more about traditional wine and pisco production.)
In the afternoon we will stop at the Huacachina oasis, where there will be time for you to try sand boarding, or simply relax on the edge of the lagoon. We aim to arrive in the town of Nazca around 7.00 pm, where you will have the opportunity to attend a lecture on the Nazca lines and pre-Incan astronomy (not included).
Overnight stay in Nazca
The morning will be dedicated to the fascinating and mysterious Nazca Lines. We will explore this enigma from the air in a light aircraft. The flight takes around 30 minutes. After this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, we will visit the nearby Nazca culture cemetery, a traditional pottery factory where ancient techniques are still used, and learn more about the local gold industry. In the afternoon, we will return to Lima via the Pan-American Highway (approximately seven hours).
TRANSPORT |
Bus to Paracas and Nazca, boat to islands and flight over the Nazca Lines |
OVERNIGHT | Hotel ***1 / Total nights 1 |
TOURS | According to program + expert guide |
ENTRANCE FEE / PERMITS | To the attractions included in the program |
MEALS |
Bx1
|
TRANSPORT | International / domestic flights |
EXTRAS | Travel insurance, tips, tours & meals not mentioned in the itinerary |
2024 cost per person in US dollars
Service | 1 Pax | 2 Paxs | ||
GROUP SERVICE LOCAL TRANSP. | US 620 | US 466 | ||
GROUP SERVICE + PRIVATE TRANSP. | US 1,375 | US 781 |