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Peru
Photo: Derivative work by Shaundd. Other authors listed on source image page., CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Southern Coast region of Peru includes the departments of Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna. It is a barren desert landscape that merges into the Atacama Desert in the south, with the only green being in irrigated river valleys and remote fog-watered ravines known locally as "lomas". There are numerous seaside resorts on the coast, and it is comparatively well developed, with major roads being completely paved. However, other than the upland city of Arequipa, everything south of Nazca is decidedly off the Gringo Trail, with no backpacker hostels or proper mid-distance bus services, and the other tourists are mostly people from Peru or neighboring countries driving their own cars.
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For many years this pre Inca cemetery was looted by treasure hunters, who destroyed the place completely, taking away all the treasures the mummies kept in their tombs for centuries. Grave robbers just left behind the corpses, which can be seen today all over the ground. In addition to skulls and bones, visitors also can see several tombs centuries old, as well as long human hairs, ceramic fragments and others remains scattered on the dessert surface. It is the only archeological site in Peru, in which ancient mummies are seen in their original graves, along with ancient artifacts, dating back to 1000 AD. This archaeological excursion is combined with the visit to a Nasca ceramic workshop, where visitors will learn about the old technique of making Nasca pots and also a visit to the gold extraction center to see an old way of extracting gold using huge mortars.
About 30 minutes off the Peruvian Coast, athese islands are inhabited by an amazing marine life, with over 200 types of migratory and resident birds, including Peruvian Pelicans, Belcher’s gulls, Humboldt penguins, guanay cormorants, red-legged cormorants, Inca terns, Peruvian boobies, turkey vultures, among others. In addition you can find around the islands hundreds of sea lions resting at the beaches, sleeping on the rocks or just swimming near the boat.
Proper buses and run frequently between Lima and Ica and between Ica and Nazca. But south of there, they generally only run express overnight routes to Arequipa, Ilo, or perhaps Tacna.
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Nazca · Regional · NZC
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a UNESCO World Heritage site that embodies a rich mix of the indigenous and Spanish colonial cultures
a town with good beaches and fresh seafood from the ocean and the river
a city in the desert near the Huacachina Lagoon, the only oasis in South America, surrounded by huge sand dunes where you can practice sandboarding
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
the main gateway between Peru and Chile
home to various fauna like the guanay guano bird, the blue-footed booby, the tendril, the Humboldt penguin, fur seals and sea lions
an oasis town in the middle of sand dunes.
Coastal desert and wildlife viewing.
Articles and travel topics about Southern Coast (Peru) and Peru.
Nature & adventurePeru has some of the world's most spectacular national parks, protecting a range of different ecosystems including rain forests and cloud forests, remote beaches where sea turtles nest, dense jungles, and active…
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Food & drinkPeruvian cuisine is among the most varied in the world.
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ItinerariesThe Inca trail to Machu Picchu, the "Lost City of the Incas", is a world-famous 45 km (28 mi) trek in Peru. It's the best known part of the Inca road system, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014.
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ItinerariesThe Inca Highlands, the center of Inca civilization in Peru, features numerous attractions, notably the world-famous Machu Picchu (the "Lost City of the Incas") and the Inca Trail which leads to it.
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