Nazca Lines 35-Minute Scenic Flight

The Nazca Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Nazca Lines are huge drawings etched into the flat desert between the towns of Nazca and Palpa. They were made by the Nazca culture roughly between 500 BC and AD 500, by removing the reddish, iron-coated stones on the surface to reveal the paler ground beneath. Thanks to one of the driest, calmest climates on Earth, the lines have survived for some two thousand years, and UNESCO listed them as a World Heritage Site in 1994.

The site includes straight lines running for kilometres, vast trapezoids and dozens of animal and plant figures. Because they are so large, most of the designs only make sense from the air, which is why a Nazca Lines flight is the best way to see them. Their purpose is still debated: many researchers link them to water, ritual walking and astronomy in this harsh desert.

The Figures: Monkey, Spider, Astronaut and More

On this Nazca Lines tour by air you see 14 of the most representative geoglyphs. Among the best known are the Monkey with its spiral tail, the Spider, the Hummingbird with its long beak, the Condor, the Whale and the Dog, as well as the Hands and the Tree. The Astronaut, a round-headed figure about 30 metres tall, is unusual because it is carved on a hillside rather than on the flat plain.

The pilots tilt the aircraft so that the figures appear in the window on each side, and they tell you when and where to look. The flight is a sightseeing flight only, so the cockpit focuses on flying and pointing out the drawings rather than giving a history lecture. Many travellers like to read a little about the figures beforehand so they can recognise them quickly from the air.

Nazca Aerodrome and the Flight Experience

Flights leave from the small aerodrome just outside Nazca town, about 20 minutes by road from the centre. At check-in you show your passport and are weighed, as light aircraft have strict weight and balance limits; passengers over 100 kg must contact us before booking. Airport tax and the site fee are paid locally in Peruvian currency at the counter.

Departure times are a guide only. Weather, air traffic control and airline planning can move a flight, sometimes with notice the day before, and travellers are kept informed by WhatsApp. The best time to fly over the Nazca Lines is usually the morning, when the air is calmer and the light shows the lines clearly. The flight banks a lot, so anyone prone to motion sickness should take medication beforehand and skip a heavy breakfast.

Nazca Town and How to Get There

Nazca is a small desert town in the Ica region, about 450 kilometres south of Lima along the Pan-American Highway. How to get to Nazca: most travellers arrive by long-distance bus from Lima, Ica, Paracas or Arequipa, a journey of around seven to eight hours from Lima. Our shared transfer meets you at listed hotels and the main bus terminals, so you can even fly straight off an overnight bus.

If you are continuing the same day, book a later onward bus, as delays in the flight schedule are common. With more time, Nazca also offers the ancient underground aqueducts of Cantalloc, the Chauchilla cemetery and the ceremonial centre of Cahuachi, which help explain the culture behind the lines. The desert is dry all year, so the Nazca Lines flight can be enjoyed in any season, with very little rain.