Flying The Nazca Lines With Great Nazca Tours

I think most would agree, Machu Picchu is Peru’s trophy attraction and is most well known across the world. So much so that Machu Picchu has been named one of the seven modern wonders of the world. Despite the title though, historians and archaeologists know almost everything there is to know about the ancient Incan site. The Nasca Lines however, are in our eyes, a true wonder, as they are one of very few attractions around the world which experts still don’t really understand. Of course there are theories, the most popular referencing astronomy and religious motives for the construction of the lines but equally there are others that will tell you that aliens were involved. The point is, the Nasca Lines are still to some extent shrouded in mystery, which is what makes them so appealing to us and many other tourists alike. 

We were picked up at 7:45am on the dot by an uncharacteristically punctual Peruvian. During the short drive to the airport he gave us some more information about the lines and the route that the plane would take. We were also informed that if we were quick we’d make it into the early slot they had for takeoff. We therefore ran straight through the airport, gave a lady the airport tax money and continued running straight onto the plane. We went from the car park to the sky all in about the space of a minute and started the 30 minute flight over the famous lines.

First up was the whale, then the geometric shapes, followed by the astronaut (or alien as some might say). We were astounded by how clear they were to see and how they hadn’t been damaged at all over the last 2000 years. It was crazy to think about how the ancient Nasca people created them despite being a long way off any form of flight meaning they had no way to see their work themselves. We were very lucky to be in a plane by ourselves, meaning the co-pilot could give us information and point them out to us as we went along.

 

Next up was the monkey, then the dog and the condor followed by the spider. Then the hummingbird (my favourite!), the Alcatraz bird, the Parrot, the Hands, the Tree and the Lizard. We’d seen so many pictures of the lines but it was nothing compared to the experience of flying over them ourselves. 

Due to the speedy start we were given the talk about the history and theories of the lines by our guide after the flight rather than before which was useful to ask any questions we’d thought about on the plane. We couldn’t have had a better experience and are so glad we made the choice to fly over the Nasca lines. We won’t deny though that it can be a difficult choice to make. It’s not the cheapest activity, there’ve been a disconcerting amount of accidents in the past and so some would say it’s not the safest either. Here’s a few points to help you decide whether it’s for you...

Should I fly the Nasca Lines?

✔️It’s without a doubt the best way of seeing them. There is a viewing platform on the ground but this only gets you views of the Hands, the Lizard and the Tree and doesn’t compare to the birds eye view you get from flying.

✔️The plane ride is awesome! For us, flying in a tiny plane was just as exciting as the lines themselves!

✔️It’s much safer than previously. In the past there has been crashes from Nasca line flights which originally put us off, but much tighter regulation has forced standards equal to commercial flights back home.

❌ If you’re on a tight budget it may not be accessible. With tighter regulations come higher prices and it is standard to pay $100us for the flight.

❌Sickness. We’ve put this in here as we’ve read lots about air sickness due to the plane banking quickly to help you see the lines. We didn’t get this at all and we normally do get travel sick but if you’re someone who suffers from severe travel sickness, particularly on planes then take this into consideration. We were advised to not eat breakfast before the flight and would recommend for others to do so too - just in case!

Overall?

In our opinion if you’ve got the money, go for it. It truly is an unforgettable experience and is a highlight of our South American trip. 

Great Nazca Tours

We were very lucky to have the majority of our flight paid for by Great Nazca Tours, to allow us to be able to enjoy, experience and review the trip on our blog here. All opinions however are honest and are our own. We did extensive research when choosing our flight company as we had heard that some had bad safety records in the past.

Great Nazca Tours has an exceptional amount of positive TripAdvisor reviews and we settled on the company after reading them. It is evident from what we’ve written that we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would therefore recommend using Great Nazca Tours to anyone wanting to fly the Nasca Lines.

Great Nazca Tours were extremely organised, keeping in contact with us regularly via email about the details of the flight and were constantly making sure that we were enjoying the flight as much as possible. We were given excellent information about the lines by our guide Oscar, who spoke perfect English and could answer all of our questions. The pilot and co-pilot were extremely professional and made sure that we saw all of the lines before moving on. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Thank you!

If you don’t believe us, check them out on TripAdvisor for yourself here!

Where to stay in Nasca?

We stayed at Nanasqa Hostel which did the job just great. All the staff were friendly, good vibe and although not central not too far a walk to the centre of Nasca. They also run tours to Nasca’s other sites besides the lines (the pyramids, graveyard and aqueducts). The rooms are basic but fine and are very cheap - we’d recommend it.

We hope this is useful!

Once again many thanks to Great Nazca Tours for making this post possible!

Thanks for reading,

Will & Melissa