Fly over the Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines feature hundreds of perfectly straight striations, gigantic geometric shapes, and figures. Covering 200 square miles between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes, they have baffled archeologists for years. Spanish chroniclers from the 16th and 17th centuries barely mentioned this strange network of paths drawn across the Earth. In fact, they really only came to the fore about 50 years ago. Interlaced between the long parallel lines are 18 animal figures cut into the ground, including a monkey, a spider, birds, a whale, a lizard, and a dog, as well as a flower and a man with a halo. Their sizes vary between 82 feet and 902 feet in length.

We board small planes at Pisco Airport for an unforgettable flight over these mysterious lines that still pose so many questions. It is impossible to see the lines from the ground, so how and why were they drawn so many centuries ago?

Whoever created them used incredibly precise methods to create such accurate figures. The design was likely conceived and carried out by the people of the Nazca culture between 500 BC and 50 AD. The Nazcas lived on Peru’s southern coast well before the Incas, but we know very little about them except for what has been found in their tombs. They buried their dead curled up like a fetus, surrounded by pottery and fabrics. Because decorative illustrations on the pots often depict kites and balloon shapes, an amusing but interesting theory is that the Nazcas might have been able to fly in some sort of air balloon.

Practical information

• Language: English
• Included: One bottle of water on the bus
• Remarks/requirements: Bring a hat, sunscreen, a light jacket or sweater, and wear low-heeled, rubber-soled walking shoes. Due to the nature of the tour, guests may feel dizzy during or after the flyover due to the altitude and rolling.
• Wheelchair accessible: No