Nazca Lines
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Lines And Geoglyphs Of Nasca And Palpa (1994). Giant Figures Of Animals And Geometric Lines Drawn On The Desert Floor By The Nazca Culture Between About 200 BC And 600 AD, Including The Monkey, Hummingbird And Spider. · Nazca, Ica
The Nazca Lines are enormous drawings scratched into the stony desert of southern Peru by the Nazca people between roughly 200 BC and 600 AD. Dark surface stones were swept aside to expose pale ground beneath, forming a monkey, a hummingbird, a spider, a condor and a long list of straight lines and trapezoids. Dry air, almost no rain and little wind have kept them intact for about two thousand years. Nobody is certain why they were made; scholars point to water rituals, processions and astronomy, while the alien stories are popular theories that archaeologists reject. The honest catch is that the figures can only be properly seen from the air, and the town of Nazca sits some 450 km south of Lima, so you are making a long trip for about half an hour aloft. Most people still call it worth it, and the desert, the mummies at Chauchilla and the ancient aqueducts make a fuller day around it. Fly early in the morning, take airsickness pills, and book with a careful operator that has a visible office.
Desert plain of giant geoglyphs on the south coast between Nazca and Palpa, best seen from a small plane or the roadside observation tower, Nazca, Ica, Peru
The desert itself is open and free, since the lines lie on open ground. Flights run in daylight, with the calmest and clearest air in the early morning before wind and heat build, and many operators pause or cancel in poor visibility. The roadside tower and the small Maria Reiche museum keep ordinary daytime hours, and Chauchilla and Cahuachi open in the morning to early afternoon. Some sites close on certain days or holidays, so confirm locally. The aerodrome desk is usually open from early morning to late afternoon.