Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [106]
Casa Andina (Bolognesi 367) Has a global ATM.
DIRCETUR (Parque Bolognesi, 3rd fl) Government-sponsored tourist information office; can recommend local tour operators.
Hospital (52-2586; Callao s/n; 24hr) For emergency services.
Post office (Castillo 379) Two blocks west of the Plaza de Armas.
Telefónica-Perú (Lima 525) Stays open late for local, long-distance and international calls.
Dangers & Annoyances
The town of Nazca is generally safe for travelers, though be wary when walking at night near either bridge to the south of town. Travelers arriving by bus will be met by persistent jaladores (agents) trying to sell tours or take arriving passengers to hotels. These touts may use the names of places listed here but are never to be trusted. Never hand over any money until you can personally talk to the hotel or tour-company owner and get a confirmed itinerary in writing. It’s best to go with a reliable agency for land tours of the surrounding area, as a few violent assaults and robberies of foreign tourists have been reported recently.
Sights
NAZCA LINES
The best-known lines are found in the desert 20km north of Nazca, and by far the best way to appreciate them is to get a bird’s-eye view from a sobrevuelo (overflight).
Mirador
You’ll get only a sketchy idea of the Lines at the mirador (observation tower; admission S1) on Carr Panamericana Sur 20km north of Nazca, which has an oblique view of three figures: the lizard, tree and hands (or frog, depending on your point of view). It’s also a lesson in the damage to which the Lines are vulnerable: Carr Panamericana Sur runs smack through the tail of the lizard, which from nearby seems all but obliterated. Signs warning of landmines are a reminder that walking on the Lines is strictly forbidden. It irreparably damages them, and besides, you can’t see anything at ground level. To get to the observation tower from Nazca, catch any bus or colectivo northbound along Carr Panamericana Sur (S1.50, 30 minutes). Some tours (from S50 per person, Click here) also combine a trip to the Mirador with visits to another natural viewpoint and the Maria Reiche Museum.
Museo Maria Reiche
When Maria Reiche, the German mathematician and long-term researcher of the Nazca Lines, died in 1998, her house, which stands another 5km north along Carr Panamericana Sur, was made into a small museum (Museo de Sitio; admission S5; 9am-6pm). Though disappointingly scant on information, you can see where she lived, amid the clutter of her tools and obsessive sketches, and pay your respects to her tomb. Though the sun can be punishing, it’s possible to walk here from the mirador in a sweaty hour or so, or passing colectivos can sometimes take you (S1). To return to Nazca, just ask the guard to help you flag down any southbound bus or colectivo. A visit to the museum can also be arranged as part of a tour to the nearby mirador.
Overflights
Flights over the Lines are taken in light aircraft (three to nine seats) in the morning and early afternoon. The optimal time is usually between 7:30am and 10am, when the sun is low, though flights are at the mercy of the weather. Planes won’t take off without good visibility, and there’s often a low mist over the desert in the morning. Strong winds in the late afternoon also make flying impractical.
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THE NAZCA LINES: ANCIENT MYSTERIES IN THE SAND
Spread across an incredible 500 sq km of arid, rock-strewn plain in the Pampa Colorada (Red Plain), the Nazca Lines (opposite) remain one of the world’s great archaeological mysteries. Consisting of more than 800 straight lines, 300 geometric figures (geoglyphs) and, concentrated in a relatively small area, some 70 spectacular animal and plant drawings (biomorphs), the Lines are almost imperceptible at ground level. It’s only when viewed from above that they form their striking network of enormous stylized figures and channels, many of which radiate from a central axis. The figures are mostly etched out in single continuous lines, while the encompassing geoglyphs form perfect triangles, rectangles or