Guide to Flying the Nazca Lines in Peru
FYI: Some links on my site are affiliate links that help support my site at no additional cost to you. Read more on my privacy policy page.
The Nazca Lines are an amazing ancient wonder in Ica, Peru, that you can visit by taking a Nazca Lines Flight Tour in a tiny plane hundreds of feet in the air.
I did a flight tour of the Nazca Lines during my travels in Peru, and I have compiled a complete guide with everything you need to know about flying the lines!
🏆 The BEST Nazca Lines Flight Tour! If you’re looking for a tour recommendation, I suggest this tour that also includes Huacachina Oasis 👉 Check Tour Rates & Dates Here!
What Are The Nazca Lines?
The Nazca Lines are considered Geoglyphs, or large designs on the ground. The geoglyphs were created by removing the top layer of red, oxidized soil to reveal the pale stone beneath.
Archeologists know that they were created between 500 BC and 500 AD, and they know they’re so well preserved because of the dry desert climate in Nazca, but that’s pretty much all that is known about the mysterious Lines.
The Nazca Lines are huge.
In total, there are 800 straight lines, 300 geometric figures, and 70 animal and plant designs, also called biomorphs. Some of the straight lines can be up to 30 miles long.
Due to their scale, it’s almost impossible to understand them unless they’re seen from above. They weren’t rediscovered until the 1920s by Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe, and then not properly studied until airplanes became more common in the mid-20th century.
Even with almost a century of research, there’s still a lot of mystery surrounding the lines.
The lingering question seems to be: if you need an airplane just to see the lines, how did ancient people construct them at all?
Who Made The Nazca Lines?
In the mid-20th century a German woman named Maria Reiche (who later became known as the Lady of the Lines), dedicated her whole life to studying the geoglyphs in Nazca.
The prevailing belief at that time was that The Lines were some sort of ancient celestial calendar, but other people preferred to believe in aliens and ancient magic.
Towards the late 20th century, American researchers came out with a new theory. Instead of the Lines being related to anything of importance in the physical world, the Lines’s power actually lay in that of the sacred.
Because of the infertile dry climate around Nazca, the ancient people living there would perform rituals for fertility, water, and crops.
The Lines, in this scenario, would be a part of ancient ceremonies long since lost no matter how much we studied them; allowing Nazca to keep a hold on to its mystery.
How To Take A Flight Tour Of The Nazca Lines
If you want to see the Lines in Nazca for yourself there are two ways:
1) There’s a 42 M high tower off the side of the highway you can view two of the lines from. This is a better option for those on a budget, or those afraid of flying in a teeny tiny plane (understandable!). It costs just between 2-5 sol to enter the tower ($1).
2) The more popular option is to book a half-hour flight over The Lines for $70. This is what I did, and I’ll delve into more detail below.
About Flying Over the Nazca Lines
We were supposed to depart for the airport at 8 AM, but due to cloudy weather (if it’s cloudy you can’t see the lines) I didn’t wind up actually flying until around 10:30 AM – 11 AM.
The airport was surprisingly like any other airport. There were multiple airline companies, security check-in, and you need your passport.
The only thing I didn’t like about this check-in process was that they weighed you! Since the plane is so small, everyone inside (besides the pilots) needs to be organized by weight from heaviest to lightest.
You’re also not allowed to bring any bags on board, but they’ll watch your bags for you behind the airline check-in counter.
💡 Note: There is a weight limit of 200 pounds per passenger, if you exceed this (depending on the airline) you’ll either have to buy an extra ticket or pay a fee.
Inside the Nazca Lines Airport, which is called the Maria Reiche Neuman Airport, there are multiple different airline options you can do the flight tour with, but when I visited only two companies were currently operating.
The company I flew with was Aeronasca, and while they accepted card for the $70 ticket at the airport, you also will need to pay a 30-sol ($7.50) airport tax in Peruvian Sol, cash.
I only had a 50 Sol note and the woman behind the counter tried to play that she didn’t have any change until I made a bit of a fuss, so make sure you have cash for the tax (and preferably exact change in Peruvian Sol).
Once you’re in the teeny tiny plane you need to put on headsets. These will allow you to hear your pilot/tour guide. The flight tours are all in both Spanish and English.
I had never been in an unpressurized plane before and while I consider myself to have a tough stomach, this was a rough ride!
Bring ginger chews, Dramamine, Tylenol, or whatever else you might need for nausea.
During the first 5 minutes or so I couldn’t see anything but straight lines through the desert.
I was beginning to get a bit disappointed but then we started coming up to the biomorphic shapes.
The tour says you’ll pass at least 13 distinct geoglyphs and you will be able to see them all (if only for a second). The guide shouts out “Look to your left! The Spider!” and it will appear for a moment, and then disappear just as fast.
The plane is small and the pilot loops back so it doesn’t matter if you’re seated on the right or left side, everyone has a window and a chance to see all of the lines.
The tour only lasts half an hour but it feels like longer, at the end you’re given a cheesy “certificate of achievement” for flying the Lines.
The pilot/tour guide does expect a tip so bring some cash with you!
Flying the Nazca Lines: FAQs
Popular questions people have about flying the Nazca Lines in Peru:
How much does it cost to fly over the Nazca Lines?
The price to fly the Nazca Lines can be as cheap as $80 USD if you book on-site and in cash, but do know that there are different airlines that fly the Nazca Lines, and they have varying prices and availability.
Note! The price above does not include transportation to/from the Nazca airport.
There is no Uber in Ica, Peru, and this can be a larger expense as the taxi drivers tend to overcharge tourists visiting to fly the lines.
I recommend taking a tour that includes everything because it will likely wind up being cheaper if you need transportation to/from your hotel, and then there are no surprises.
If you would like to book your Nazca Lines Flight Tour ahead of time, you can use this tour, which only costs $30 more and includes round-trip transportation to your hotel.
👉 Explore All Nazca Lines Flight Tours Here! 👈
Can You Fly Over The Nazca Lines?
The answer is YES – You can fly directly over the Nazca Lines on a flight tour. There are 800 straight lines in Nazca and 300 geometric figures, so you will be flying directly over or next to one of the Lines at any point in your flight.
Are The Nazca Lines Worth Seeing?
Is the Nazca Lines Flight worth it? The answer to that question is a resounding YES! The Nazca Lines Flight is one of the most amazing, adventurous, and educational experiences you can have in Peru.
I recommend combining your trip to Nazca with a trip to Ica, where you can visit Huacachina Oasis as well as Ballestas Islands.
💡 Tip! Lima > Huacachina Oasis > Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve > Nazca Lines Flight is my PERFECT 5-7 day Peru Itinerary!
RELATED ARTICLE 🚌 Guide To Taking Buses In Peru
Where Do You Fly Into For The Nazca Lines?
While Nazca has its own airport, it doesn’t offer internal flights to other areas in Peru, and instead is only used for people flying the Nazca Lines Flight.
Most people choose to take a long-haul first-class bus from Lima to Ica, visit Huacachina Oasis, which is in Ica, and then take a second bus to Nazca. 👉 You Can Book This Tour Which Includes Huacachina Oasis & the Nazca Lines + Transportation Here!
Long-haul buses is a common mode of transportation in Peru.
If time is limited, you can take a 1-hour internal flight from Lima to Ica, but you will still have to take a bus or hire a driver or tour service for your transportation to Nazca.
The drive from Ica to Nazca is only two hours – You can book your bus on BusBud.com, which accepts non-Peruvian credit cards and is one of my travel essentials for Peru.
Looking for more information on Peru?
If you’re planning a trip to Peru and looking for more information, consider reading some of my other posts:
- How To Fly The Nazca Lines In Ica, Peru
- Complete Guide To Taking a Bus In Peru
- Best Restaurants In Cusco
- Best Cafes In Cusco
- The Most Common Travel Scams In Peru
- Ultimate Gude To Using Uber In Peru
📍Like this? Pin it for Later
