Tour Ica 2D/1N (Ballestas-Huachachina-Nazca)

DAY 1: BALLESTAS ISLANDS – HUACACHINA

At 04:00 a.m. you will be picked up from the hotel or coordinated place to go to the city of Paracas, we will arrive to Paracas at 8:00 a.m. approximately. Afterwards you will go to the dock “El Chaco” to board a boat that will take us to the Ballestas Islands.

The first stop of our boat will be in front of the enigmatic Candelabro, a huge geoglyph designed in the sandy summit that has the shape of a trident with more than 2500 years old. We will discover the different hypotheses about its origin, which could be linked to ancient pirates or even with the creators of the famous Nazca Lines.

Continuing our tour, we will arrive at the Ballestas Islands. The Ballestas Islands are three small islands where we will discover the impressive maritime and ecological richness of Peru. We will be impressed by immense colonies of sea lions and Humboldt penguins, and by the countless guano birds that fly over the area.

Although it is forbidden to land on the islands so as not to alter the ecosystem or disturb the animals, we will get close enough to see them interacting in their natural habitat. We will skirt the three islands in a crossing of approximately one hour. Then, we will return to the Paracas dock.

Afterwards, we will continue our trip to Ica. We will visit the Plaza de Armas, colonial mansions, the temple and the Luren mall. We will visit an artisan winery where the Peruvian liquor known as Pisco is made. In this place our local guide will take us on a tour of the winery facilities and explain the ancient method of elaboration of Pisco and wine. After the tour our clients will be able to taste the different varieties of Pisco and wine that this winery produces, and if they wish, they will also be able to purchase these products.

Afterwards, we will go to the Huacachina Oasis, a place located only 5 Km. from downtown. In this beautiful lagoon visitors can enjoy the tranquility of the place and walk around in search of good photos and / or restaurants (free time).

At 4:00 pm, or coordinated time, the sand buggy ride begins through the dunes surrounding the Huacachina Lagoon. Also, the huge dunes surrounding the lagoon allow visitors to practice one of the most fascinating sports in the area, popularly called Sandboarding, which consists of sliding on a board on the desert sand. Overnight in Huacachina.

DAY 2: NAZCA

At 7:00 am, you will go to the province of Nazca, where you will have 3 activities:

TOUR ACUEDUCTOS DE CANTALLOC, this place is located 3 km east of the city of Nazca, these subway channels were built by the ancient Nazca approximately 500 years after Christ, thanks to these channels we have water all year round, because our rivers are always dry, the ancient Nazca were the best hydraulic engineers because they used materials that resisted for more than 1500 years, they controlled the speed of water and found the way to perform maintenance. This tour has a duration of 2 hours.

FLIGHT OVER THE NAZCA LINES, the flight over the Nazca Lines lasts approximately 30 minutes and is the best way to see these fascinating lines and drawings that have intrigued people for years. Here, you will be able to see the various figures drawn on the surface of the Nazca desert, representing stylized animals and plants, distributed in a huge maze of lines, trapezoids, triangles and spirals that have been preserved for almost 2000 years. At the end of this activity you will have some time for lunch.

TOUR TO THE CAHUACHI CEREMONIAL CENTER, this archaeological site is located 28 km southwest of the city of Nazca. CAHUACHI is made up of a group of ceremonial plazas, stepped temples and pyramids; all of which served as a place for sacrifices and offerings. Archaeologists believe that it was the inhabitants of Cahuachi who built the Nazca lines, since it was located very close to them. In addition, you will also visit the Maria Reich Museum and the pottery, goldsmith and weaving workshops.

After visiting the above mentioned places, we will return to the city of Lima. End of service.