Nazca and Huacachina - Of Figures and Oases

Fancy another stop on the Gringo trail? Nazca and Huacachina are approximately fourteen hours by overnight bus north from Cusco and about four hours south of the capitol, Lima. Both towns are located in the Ica region of Peru. The Ica region borders the Pacific Ocean to the west and is dominated by deserts, dryness and high temperatures.

Nazca

The Nazca Lines are geoglyphs in the Nazca desert, close to the city of Nazca. Who made them and what purpose do they have? A popular belief is that they were made by the Nazca culture between 400 and 650 BC and in order to be seen by their gods in the sky. Read up on Wikipedia for more information if you want, there are tons of hypothesis about the origin and purpose. I boarded a Cessna, flew over them and got airsickness: Stunning scenery and nausea!

Huacachina

Huacachina is an oasis, approximately five kilometers from Ica, the capitol of the Ica region. It is a natural lake, although at the moment endangered because groundwater is being accessed by wells nearby. As far as I know they have to pump water into the lake to maintain the current water level. I stopped there for a few nights, did some dunebuggying and sandboarding, but essentially was annoyed because of the many tourists.

Enough said, enjoy the pictures!

If you're on Instagram, check out more pictures here and here.