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Archaeological site and modern city in Peru
Photo: Leon petrosyan, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Nazca or Nasca is a town in Peru's Southern Coast region. It is most famous for the Nazca Lines, a collection of long lines, geometrical figures, and giant drawings in the desert sand that have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
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Sandboard down the second highest dune in the world. You can do about 7 runs down, 30-50 metres each, and a few very long ones (last one is more than 700 metres long). Tour starts at 04:00, ends at 11:30. Shop around tour agencies on a street between bus terminal and Plaza del Armas. Sanboards agencies provide are smaller ones, not like repurposed snowboards in Huacachina. Check that your board bindings/straps hold your feet strong (raise it up with force, it should not detach), and verify they will bring wax, as the board won't slide without it. Edunas agency, and guide "Richard", +51928744987, are reported to have failed to check and provide both items above.
3-star hotel with A/C rooms. For some reason the only English channel on TV is FoxNews.
Hacienda-style accommodation in individual bungalows with common swimming-pool and a view out to the biggest sand dune in the world.
Swimming pool.
A cheap, quiet, safe and clean small hostel, one block from the main square. The Dutch-Peruvian owners provide a family atmosphere, great service, good breakfast, roof terrace, games, internet, and laundry. They also organize flights over the Nazca Lines and other tours. Bus terminal pick-up day or night, just call or mail them before. Multiple languages spoken. People hanging around the buses when you arrive do not work for this hostel, they are attempting to mislead for their own personal gain. The dormitory is used as luggage storage too, so it can be very busy.
A quiet and safe place to stay in Nazca, located just 3 blocks away from downtown.
Swimming pool surrounded by a garden with comfortable hammocks and furniture to chill out on, free tea and coffee, English spoken and lots of information about Nazca. On the south side of the river and therefore in a very dangerous part of town.
Pirwa backpackers hostel Nazca
Services: free pick up, free internet access, free continental breakfast.
Cheap beds to sleep, however Micky the tour guy will bug you for his tours. Often they are overpricing cost 5 times the normal value on the main street.
This hostel is located exactly between the bus station and the main plaza: two and half blocks from each. It has clean rooms with private bathroom, good wi-fi (AcessPoint on each floor) and not so good TVs. The best thing is its owner - super friendly Luis: he will give you advice about fair prices agencies should ask for or tips how to visit all three miradors and Maria Reiche museum independently.
By car
Nazca is located along the Panamericana Sur. Driving takes around 6-7 hours from Lima and around two hours from Ica, depending on traffic.
Getting around in Nazca is easy. You can walk almost anywhere and a taxi inside of town really costs around S/3 although every taxi driver might try to charge you more.
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Nazca · Regional · NZC
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