Every year, thousands of tourists flocked Nazca to see the famous Nasca lines. Today we were two of them. The landmark might not be as famous as the Machu Picchu but the gigantic and mysterious shapes scratched into the plain desert surface remained a highlight of our trip in Peru.
After intensive online research and reading countless reviews, we booked a 30 minutes flight with AeroNasca, one of the companies with a good ranking on www.findlocaltrips.com. After a short drive from our hostel, Hospedaje El Telar, we arrived at the small Maria Reiche Neuman Airport on the outskirts of Nazca. The airport was named after the women who dedicated her life to the study and protection of Peru’s most treasured national symbols.
We checked in, paid the departure tax and waited nervously in the terminal for our flight watching a National Geographic documentary about the Nazca Lines. Half an hour later, our 995 flight was call out and we were rushed through security and lead onto the tarmac. Our Cessna plane was tiny. We squeezed into an 8 seater aircraft, one pilot, one copilot and 6 fellow passengers.
Listening to the copilot instruction, we took off smoothly from the piste to rise over the Nazca Desert, a high arid plateau that stretches between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the pampa. Within minutes, we saw the first geoglyphs. The Nazca lines vary in terms of size, form and complexity. Most of them are simple lines or geometric shapes which run across the arid desert and dated back from 200 B.C. to 600 A.D. But around 80 drawings, called scientifically biomorphs, depicted animal, plant or even human.
Suddenly, we spotted the first zoomorphic design: a giant whale. The pilot manoeuvred the plane left and right to make sure everyone on board had a good view. Most of the geoglyphs have a strong relationship with water. It was not a surprise to find one of the ocean’s largest and noblest of creatures etched in the rocky sand. The hot and stuffy cockpit added with the sharp turns and twists make us feel a little queasy. Nothing unbearable though.
Flying over the Nazca lines: The Whale
The flight continued. We glided past the astronaut, known to archaeologists as the giant or the owl-man. The 30-metre high figure etching from the side of a reddish hill is The Mystery of the Nazca Desert. Some people say the lines were created by ancient astronauts. In another word, Aliens. Some argue it represents a fisherman. Whatever it is, the drawing remained an impressive and humbling viewing. The pilot kept banking the plane from one side to another before continuing its journey.
Flying over the Nazca lines: The astronaut
We flew over the iconic monkey with it spiralling tail and the funny looking dog. The two enormous ground figures spanned hundreds of meters in the middle of Peruvian desert. Stunning.
Flying over the Nazca lines: The monkey
We kept on exploring from the air the UNESCO World Heritage. We saw the shape of a giant hummingbird, one of the site’s best-known figures. The tiny bird was spectacular and could only be appreciated from the sky.
Flying over the Nazca lines: The hummingbird
The condor was next. The mystical shape was one of the largest zoomorphic geoglyphs. The plane would continue to fly over 13 ancient geoglyphs imprinted into the Nazca desert. Each figure was as surprising as the previous one.
Flying over the Nazca lines: The condor
Practical information about flying over the Nazca lines
- Book through a reputable company. Too many accidents have happened in the recent years to ignore the safety.
- Book an early flight. Nazca is hot all year long and the plane as 6 seaters making them quite small. The heat in the confined space can be unbearable in the afternoon when the cockpit turns into an oven.
- Also, morning flights with less turbulence and best viewing conditions are most likely to be optimal to admire the mysterious patterns.
- We book through www.FindLocalTrips.com a flight for 80 USD. Don’t forget to bring your wallet to pay the 30 pesos departure tax.
- You will need to bring your original passport for ID. Not a copy or you will be refused the flight and more likely will lose your money.
- If you have a history of motion sickness, take medication such as Dramamine prior your flight.
- Taking pictures will worsen the nausea feeling.
- If you don't want to flight, you can still see a handful of the designs from El Mirador, a viewing platform next to the Pan American Highway.
Where to Stay in Nazca
The Hospedaje El Telar was exceptional. Located only a block from the main road along which lies the bus terminal and the Plaza de Armas. The simple but comfortable hostel is just within walking distance from Cruz Del Sur station, restaurants, cafés and ATMs. The private rooms are cheap, very clean, quiet and comfortable. They include fast internet and hot water 24/7. The owner and manager was such a nice, friendly and informative guy. We were glad to have booked at this hostel just to be able to meet the guy. The Hospedaje El Telar receives consistently positive reviews from its guests from all over the world. Highly recommended.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Aeronasca aerial tour and we would definitely recommend taking this tour when visiting Nazca. But the flight is not for the fainted heart. If you are prone to motion sickness, take medication prior your flight. You don't want to ruin one of the best aerial tours in the world.
Did you fly over the Nazca lines? Did you suffer from motion sickness? So, alien landing site or not? Leave us a comment below.
