Nazca is located in the small town of Peru at the southern coast. The area is famous for the remnants of Nazca culture and giant drawings in the desert. The area attracts thousands of visitors interested in Nazca culture from all across the world. The area is predominantly dry and does not hold many attractions other than those belonging to the Nazca culture.
If you are traveling to Nazca then you must have a very keen interest in the Nazca culture therefore it is absolutely necessary to visit Museo Arequeoilogico Antonini which holds several items of pottery belonging to the ancient Nazca civilization and also contains a scaled model of Nazca lines. The entrance costs about 6 to 9 soles.
After catching a bit of information about the Nazca culture you can make you way to the Nazca channels at Cantalloc that are small irrigations lines that were used by the ancient Nazca people to irrigate their crops. This ingenuity enabled them to grow crops like cotton and corn despite the dry and harsh surroundings.
The biggest and perhaps the only worthwhile attraction in Nazca is the Nazca lines which stretch for hundreds of kilometers. These lines are formed in representation of different animals and geometric patterns the Lines are so precise and huge that they can only be appreciated from the air. Researchers and historians have been unable to identify how the ancient people of Nazca were able to create such precise figures at such a large scale. The site is favored mostly by the supernatural investigators who believe that Nazca civilization relied on the help of aliens to create these patterns.
You can book flights to witness the Nazca lines directly from the airport or through several registered agencies for a $60 – 70 per individual. Each flights lasts for about 30 minutes. During the high season lasting between Decembers to March it is advisable to book the flights in advance as they might be harder to find on location.
If you do not wish to take the flight then you can use the observation towers costing about 2 soles located at Panamerican highway, where you witness three patterns of Nazca lines. Although the true experience can only be earned from the air.
Buses are the perfect way to travel to and from Nazca, most of these buses take about 2 – 3 hours from Ica. In addition to the frequent buses traveling to Nazca every half an hour you can also take an overnight bus from Cuzco directly to the Nazca lines. These take about 14 hours and cost about 60 to 170 soles.
Nazca is a very small town and does not have any proper bus station, all the buses gather at the main roundabout to pick and drop passengers willing to see the Nazca lines. If you travelling in a group you can also choose the option of Private tour buses from Lima to Nazca. Private trips can be far more expensive and cost about 900 soles.
Most of the travelers arriving in Nazca rely on their hotels to pick them from the bus station. As you arrive at the station you would be greeted by hundreds of people claiming to offer cheap flights and nice hotels to stay, make sure you avoid those as most of these individuals are seeking to make a cheap buck and nothing else.
There are hundreds of street vendors and fast food hotels in the area that serve full menus and also offer some cheap alternatives such as burgers and fries. Each meal may cost about 5 to 50 soles.