Now You Can Easily Tour Ica & Nazca en route from Lima to Cusco or Arequipa

The presence of the Pisco airport this past two years has been revolutionary. Travelers now have the option of doing in an hour or two what used to take two days: traveling to and from Nazca, and flying over the Nazca Lines while there. Currently, the Pisco airport is only being used for flying over the Nazca Lines and for air force practice flights, but a large renovation is underway to provide direct flights to Cusco or Arequipa as well.

Travelers who are in Pisco to visit the Ballestas Islands can fly directly to either of these cities or to Lima. Travelers in Lima who want to travel to Cusco or Arequipa without missing the Nazca Lines simply change to a smaller plane at the Pisco airport for a flyover of the Nazca Lines, then continue their route. The whole trip, with the tour included, takes only a few hours. Just two years ago, travelers took 12hr bus trips to arrive at Nazca, budgeting a couple of days of their trip for what is essentially a half-hour flight over the mysterious Nazca Lines.

Evans Avendaño, the executive director of the concessionaire Airports of Peru has "We want Pisco to be the gateway to the south and the point of departure for tourists to visit the Nazca Lines, the Ballestas Islands, and the other attractions of the zone."

Along with the new Chincha-Ica road that is currently under construction, and the new port, the Pisco airport is doing its part to open up the Department of Ica for travelers.

Ica is bordered by Lima to the north and Cusco to the south. It is mainly subtropical and desert coast. Now, you can enjoy its attractions with less effort and less time invested:

• Tour the city of Ica, visiting its museums and pisco vineyards
• Visit the Paracas National Reserve and watch the penguins of the Ballestas Islands
• Sandboard along the giant dunes surrounding Huacachina Oasis
• Fly over the Nazca Lines
• Visit Chauchillas Cemetery
• Tour the Aqueducts of Cantayoc
• Sandboard down the massive White Hill sand dune
• Tour the adobe city of Cahuachi and Usaca Oasis by sandbuggy, with a sandboarding stop