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Peru
Ica, Nazca Lines and Paracas National Reserve
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ICA: The department of Ica is located on the southern coast of Peru, south east of Lima. Beautiful valleys, famous for their vineyards and the excellent quality of the wine produced in them, surround the capital, Ica. The weather is hot and dry all year round, with no rain.
The Nazca Lines To the south of the city of Ica, the Pan-American Highway cuts through the desert of sand dunes to Km 420, just 25 km (15 miles) before the town of Nazca. There, on the plains of San Jose, lies a collection of mysterious geoglyphs and straight lines that were etched into the desert around A.D.600. The Nazca Lines consist of furrows some 20 centimeters deep (8 inches) drawn in the shape of animals such as a hummingbird, a monkey and a fish. They are almost 500 meters (1,640 ft) long.
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Nazca Monkey
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The German mathematician and student of Kosok, Maria Reiche, dedicated her life between 1940 and 1998 to protecting these geoglyphs, which were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994. The Nazca lines are best viewed by plane.
Paracas National Reserve 22 km south of the city of Pisco. This rich coastal eco-system covers an area of 335,000 hectares (827,450 acres) that includes desert, beaches, islands, cliff sides and ocean. This natural habitat is a haven for flamingos, pelicans, penguins, dolphins, sea lions, and an almost infinite variety of fish and crustaceans. An hour away by boat to the northwest lie the captivating Ballestas Islands, a protected area of cormorants and sea lions. Some of the beaches within the Paracas Reserve are not appropriate for children because of the banks of large seaweed and the muddy ocean floor.
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Sea lions at Paracas
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Activities
Archaeology, nature watching, water sports such as windsurfing and water-skiing, boat rides, trekking, camping, cycling excursions, sand boarding, horseback riding. Dune buggy rides through the desert; boat rides to the Ballestas Islands from Paracas; Nazca lines viewing by air.
Nearby Attractions
There are a number of pre-Hispanic attractions, such as the Cantayoc aqueduct (5 km east of Nazca); the ceremonial center of Cahuachi (17 km north of Nazca); and the Inca ruins of Tambo Colorado in the Pisco Valley. Ica is also an attractive travel destination for its festivities and wine-growing tradition. It is the birthplace of pisco, Peru's grape brandy.
There is also the attractive Huacachina, a small traditional resort located in an oasis close to the city of Ica.
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