Nazca Extension

Welcome to Lima, the capital of Peru. The city hasn’t always held this title, taking the reins from Cusco in 1535 during the Spanish Conquest.
Francisco Pizarro and his conquistadors sought a new location closer to the coast and originally named their capital the City of Kings, or Ciudad de los Reyes. However, this title didn’t stick and instead the city name resembles what the Inca’s originally called the area, ‘Limaq’.
Spend your day exploring Lima’s various sites such as Museo Larco (which houses a collection of pre-Columbian art), the Larcomar Shopping Centre (where there are spectacular clifftop views of the Pacific Ocean), Huaccu Pucllana (a massive adobe and clay pyramid built between 200 and 700 AD) and Lima’s Plaza de Armas (where you can see the Government palace, the Archbishop’s Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace, the Palace of the Union and the Cathedral Basilica of Lima).

You will depart Lima’s sprawling metropolis and travel by luxury coach to Nazca. Situated in the desert off the southern coastline of Peru, Nazca is famous for being home to the Nazca Lines, a series of geoglyphs and lines etched into the desert floor. During your stay you will uncover the great mysteries behind the Nazca lines and learn about the culture of the Nazca people, who thrived in this area between 100 and 800AD.

Today you will tour two of Nazca’s key archaeological sites and a museum. Your first stop is the Aqueducts of Cantalloc, an underground irrigation system built by the Nazca’s using river stones called ‘Laja’ that dates back to around 300AD. There are 46 aqueducts in total, 32 of which are functioning and still used by farmers today. You will then head to the Paredones Ruins, a small administrative centre built by the Inca’s in the 1400’s that provided a link between the coast and the highlands. Finally, we’ll visit the Antonini Museum, which houses and conserves a collection of ceramics, mummies, trophy heads, textiles and other items from the Nazca culture.

This morning take a flight over the UNESCO World Heritage listed Nazca Lines.
These famous lines and geoglyphs are spread over an area of 50km2, with individual image designs measuring between 400 and 1,100m. Therefore, the best way to see them is from the air.
The majority of the lines are believed to have been created by the Nazca people between 200BC and 500AD. However, recent discoveries using drone technology have brought new evidence suggesting some geoglyphs might have been created even earlier by the Paracas and Topara people.
Theories for the reasons why the lines were created vary, with some believing they were symbols the Nazca used to help guide them with agricultural crop cultivation and others consider them to be a giant astrological calendar of the stars.
During your flight you will travel over the better known geometric shapes and designs such as the monkey, the spider, the condor, the hummingbird and a tree.
Afterwards we will depart Nazca to head toward the coastal port town of Paracas.

The town of Paracas, which means ‘sand rain’ in Quechuan, is our departure point for today’s tour of the Paracas National Reserve. In the morning you will board a small speed boat at the port and cruise to the Ballestas Islands. While these islands are not part of the Paracas National Reserve, they are rich with bird and sea life. In the air you’ll spot cormorant, Peruvian booby, pelican and possibly Inca terns while in the sea you’ll see sea lions and sometimes Humboldt penguins and dolphins. The cruise will pass the Candelabra of the Andes, a famous three pronged geoglyph carved into the hillside of the mainland at Paracas Bay. Standing more than 150m high and 50m wide, this geoglyph dates back to approximately 200BC.

In the afternoon we will tour the Paracas National Reserve. Spanning 335,000 hectares the reserve encapsulates the Paracas peninsula, the Independencia Islands and the San Gallan Islands. You will visit Playa Roja, Yumaque and La Aguada beaches, taking the chance to see flamingos at the latter. We will also take you to the Interpretation Centre of the Paracas National Reserve. There, you will be captivated by photos of the region’s flora and fauna.

You will return to Lima from Paracas by luxury bus.
In the evening why not head to one of Lima’s many restaurants and try ceviche. Lima is considered the gastronomical capital of the Americas and ceviche is the country’s national dish. Be sure to also order a Pisco Sour, Peru’s national cocktail, to wash it down.

You will return to the airport for your onward flight.