Nazca Lines Flights Tour

Nazca is one of the cities with the greatest cultural value in Peru. Its tourist attractions, which stand out for being ancient and mysterious, attract thousands of travelers every month from different parts of the world.

According to Dr. María Reiche, who dedicated much of her life to studying these lines, this is the largest astronomical calendar in the world.

Located about 400 kilometers from Lima, the Nazca Lines remained unknown for centuries until the beginning of aviation revealed the mysterious figures that are only visible from above.

Lima – Ica
By bus or car: approx. 4 hours

Ica – Nazca
By bus or car: approx. 2 to 2.5 hours

They can be visited year-round, as Nazca has a kind of eternal summer. However, the best months are from October to March for several reasons: The weather is slightly warmer, and the skies are usually clearer.

After many studies, it has been concluded that the lines were created between 200 B.C. and 600 A.D. Researchers determined that they served as a gigantic solar and lunar calendar for the ancient Peruvian astronomers, who used them to predict the best time for harvesting and to identify the rainy season.

From the sky, figures such as the Hummingbird, the Monkey, the Dog (Chaucato), the Heron, and the Spider can be clearly seen.

The most representative features are the animal drawings: birds ranging from 259 to 275 meters in length (giant hummingbirds, condors, herons, cranes, pelicans, seagulls, parrots, and others), a monkey, a spider, a snail, a 27-meter-long whale, a dog with long legs and tail, an anthropomorphic figure, two llamas, and others.

The Hummingbird – According to historian María Rostworowski, the hummingbird was a tribute to a flying god revered and feared by the Nazca people. It served as an offering to prevent the deity from punishing them with droughts. This figure is the most iconic due to its harmonious proportions and the distance between its two wings, which measures approximately 66 meters.

The Monkey – According to its researcher, María Reiche, the formation of the monkey’s tail and hands is directly related to constellations and the arrival of rainy seasons, which were vital for the Nazca people. This geoglyph depicts a monkey with nine fingers and a spiral-shaped tail. Considered one of the most significant figures, it measures about 135 meters in length and is believed to represent the Big Dipper constellation.

The Spider – This Nazca Line has both astronomical and religious significance, both related to predicting rainfall. Research suggests that, due to the extreme aridity of the region, the inhabitants used this figure to avoid long periods of drought. The spider is part of a large network of lines located at the edge of a trapezoid and is one of the most notable figures thanks to the skill required to create its design. It measures approximately 46 meters in length.

The Giant Bird – This massive bird-shaped geoglyph measures 300 meters in length and 54 meters in width. One of its most distinctive features is its snake-like neck and its beak pointing directly toward the sunrise. Scholars consider it the “Announcer of Inti Raymi,” the Incan solar festival. This is because, during the mornings between June 20 and 23, if an observer stands at the head of the bird, they can see the sunset align exactly with the tip of its enormous beak. Because of this, it stands out as an ingenious work in terms of precision for marking solstices.

Other Figures – Other notable Nazca Lines include the Astronaut (a human-like figure), birds such as the frigatebird, condor, heron, crane, pelican, seagull, and parrot. Also represented are animals like the snail, whale, and dog with long legs and tail. Among reptiles are the lizard, iguana, gecko, and snake. Finally, there are also figures such as the flower and the hands.

They were discovered in 1927 by the archaeologist Toribio Mejía Xesspe; however, more in-depth studies began in 1946, when the German researcher María Reiche took over. She continued this work until the end of her life.