Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [109]
Activities
Need to beat the heat? Go swimming at the Nazca Lines Hotel (52-2993; Bolognesi s/n; admission incl snack & drink S22).
Off-the-beaten-track expeditions offered by several outdoor outfitters include sandboarding trips down nearby Cerro Blanco (2078m), the highest-known sand dune in the world, and a real challenge for sandboarders fresh from Huacachina. Half-day mountain-biking tours cost about the same (US$25). Ask other travelers to recommend agencies, as some folks report disappointing and even dangerous experiences with unqualified guides and poor equipment.
Tours & Guides
Most people fly over the Lines then leave, but there’s more to see around Nazca. If you take one of the many local tours, they typically include a torturously long stop at a potter’s and/or gold-miner’s workshop for a demonstration of their techniques (tips for those who show you their trade are expected, too).
Hotels and travel agencies tirelessly promote their own tours. Aggressive touts meeting all arriving buses will try to hard-sell you before you’ve even picked up your bag.
Some established agencies:
Alegría Tours (52-3775; www.alegriatoursperu.com; Hotel Alegría, Lima 168) Behemoth agency offers all the usual local tours, plus off-the-beaten-track and sandboarding options. The tours are expensive for one person, so ask to join up with other travelers to receive a group discount. Alegría can arrange guides in Spanish, English, French and German in some cases.
Nasca Trails (52-2858; www.nascatrails.com.pe; Bolognesi 550) Recommended by readers, it’s run by the friendly Juan Tohalino Vera, an experienced guide who speaks excellent English, as well as German, French and Italian. Not all the agency’s tours have such experienced guides, however. Staff will pick you up at the bus station if you phone ahead.
For more unusual adventure tours, including desert trekking, Jorge Echeandia (52-1134, 971-4038; jorgenasca17@yahoo.com) is a reliable private guide. The well-educated staff at the Museo Didáctico Antonini (opposite) can sometimes be hired on their off-duty time to guide you around local archaeological sites.
Sleeping
Prices drop by up to 50% outside of peak season, which runs from May until August.
BUDGET
WalkOn Inn (52-2566; www.walkoninn.com; Mejía 108; dm S15, r per person S20; ) This hostel has a social atmosphere and rooms that are small but secure with hot-water showers. A breakfast buffet is offered for S6, and the Dutch owner speaks five languages. Light sleepers should be forewarned about the crowing roosters next door.
Hostal Posada Guadalupe (52-2249; San Martín 225; s/d without bathroom S15/30, s/d S20/40; ) Hidden on a residential block at the far western edge of town, this relaxed family-run guesthouse is near the bus stations. Some of the rooms have private bathrooms, while others are basically just a bed in a box.
Hotel Nido del Cóndor (52-3520; www.nidodelcondornasca.com; Carr Panamericana Sur Km 447; camping per person S20; ) Out by Nazca’s aerodrome, this hotel allows campers to pitch on its grassy front lawn. Campers also have access to bathrooms, pool and a shared kitchen.
Hostal Internacional (50-6751, 55-2744; Maria Reiche 112; s/d/tr S35/45/50, bungalows from S45) The staff here can be brusque and the bungalows aren’t anything to hoot and holler about, but the Hostal International is located just off the plaza and all rooms have cable TV.
Hotel Nasca (52-2085; marionasca13@hotmail.com; Lima 438; s/d/tr S35/45/65) A friendly, older place, it offers basic courtyard rooms, some with communal tepid showers. Ticket touts often hang around here offering cheap tours – don’t pay for anything until you have it in writing.
Hospedaje Yemayá (52-3146; nascahospedajeyemaya@yahoo.es; Callao 578; s & d/tr incl breakfast S50/70) An