Nazca is a small town in the Peruvian desert, most famous for the Nazca lines. These archaeological depictions are pretty amazing and deports you back to what could have been so many years ago. Many say they were used for agriculture, others as representations of the stars but no one knows for sure, which adds to the mystery.

We had one full day in Nazca. If we were to do it again we would have jumped out at the lines and got the bus back afterwards to Nazca and wait for the night bus instead.

We read a few blogs that said seeing the lines was one of their highlights but if, like us, you want to see the lines but without the expense continue reading. They were cool but definitely not our highlight. Everyone has their own interests though.

To see the Nazca Lines you have two options; fly or go to a mirador.
Flights over the Nazca Lines are typically priced between $60-100, hence our first reason for not choosing this option. However with this option you do see the majority if not all the lines from the air which is suppose to be very impressive.

The flights lasts between 30 to 40 minutes but it has been said that motion sickness hits as the plane swerves from side to side in order to let passengers on both sides see the lines.

One Day Guide to Nazca – Miradors

We got ‘PeruBus/Soyuz’ bus from Nazca to Ica and paid 3 soles each. We asked to be left off at the Mirador Natural. Best thing is to sit at the front of the bus, keep a look out for a hill on the left, watch Maps.me and after about 30mins or so get off.

The natural mirador is free to enter. From the top you can see some straights lines but no diagrams. If you are on a tight schedule and don’t fancy a walk (20 minutes) to the other mirador (tower) give this a miss.

This man made mirador or tower consiss of a few stairs and viewing platform and costs 3 soles to enter. In this mirador you can see 3 lines and appreciate seeing the lines up close. They are much shallower than I thought.
The first few layers of sand are removed and a more reddish colour is displayed.

You can see a hand, tree and a bit of the lizard that is cut in half by the Pan American highway (why!).

Other things to see in Nazca:

• Tour to Chauchilla Cemetary, to see some mummies and pottery etc.
• Cantalloc Acquaduct

Where we stayed

We stayed one night in Hostal Nazca. Felt like a slightly dodge location but the room was big and bed comfy and a nice breakfast. The owner offered different tours eg cemetery and mirador.