Nazca

The dry and dusty desert city of Nazca is home to one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world: The Nazca Lines. Carved some 1500 years ago into the arid surface of the Pampas de Jumana, this web of precise geometric shapes and curious geoglyphs has puzzled historians and archaeologists just as much as its excited conspiracy theorists and alternative mystics since its discovery in the mid-1920s.

Traditionally tourism here has revolved around birds-eye flight tours and archaeological excursions into the desert, and consequently there’s a healthy offering of well-established Nazca tour guide services to choose from. Real history buffs though should not miss a trip to the Nazca channels; they were once the principal water source for the pre-Incan farming oases here and a veritable wonder of this region’s ancient civilisation.

Following a particularly destructive earthquake in 1996 Nazca town centre has taken on a more modern appearance, with wide streets and green parks filling many of the inner-metropolitan spaces. That said, there’s still all the charming energy of a post-colonial Peruvian town and visitors should not miss the mouth-watering array of street food that’s served around Plaza de Armas everyday.