Nazca Lines Fly Over

Without a doubt, one of Dog’s coolest excursions to date has been a Nazca Lines fly over. In March 2024 Dog had the opportunity to fly over the Nazca Lines on a flight with Aerodiana out of Pisco, Peru. Some of you may have never heard of the Nazca Lines and are wondering what in the world we’re talking about. Let’s start with a bit of basic information about what the Nazca Lines are before getting into the tour.

What Are The Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines are a UNESCO World Heritage site in southern Peru estimated to be have been created between 300BC – 800AD. This region is one of the driest areas on the planet, only getting about 20 minutes of rainfall per year. There are over 800 Nazca Lines covering an area of more than 50 miles. These lines were created in a variety of geometric shapes and animal representations. Strangely, many of the animals depicted don’t otherwise exist in this region; killer whales, monkeys, hummingbirds. These 2000 year old geoglyphs are massive in scope and precision, boggling the imagination of laymen and scientists alike.

First seen by a European in 1586 they were forgotten to modern history until being rediscovered by a Peruvian scientist in 1926. Since then they have been routinely studied. Many theories have been developed as to their purpose, from ritual sacrifice to massive agricultural calendar. Given the size and scope of the Nazca Lines they can only truly be appreciated from the air. That has led some to suggest a more extraterrestrial design and purpose. Despite nearly 100 years of study, no specific evidence has emerged to indicate a definitive purpose for the creation of the Nazca Lines. Find out more about the Nazca Lines and draw your own conclusion:

• Watch an in-depth analysis of the Nazca Lines on Histories Greatest Mysteries
• Read more about the Nazca Lines at History.com

Nazca Lines Fly Over

The Nazca Lines fly over with Aerodiana begins at Capitán FAP Renán Elías Olivera Airport in Pisco, Peru. Arriving at this airport was a surreal experience in and of itself. Dog had never set foot in such an empty airport before. There were a couple of vendors selling snacks, beverages, and various touristy treasures. They had a “Peruvian” beer called Cusqueña (ironically owned by Molson Coors) which was a great pre-flight prep. Beyond the vendors and workers, the visitors on our tour were literally the only other people in this entire “international airport”. It was super bizarre walking around an empty airport.

Once the flight was ready our group walked across the tarmac to board a 12 seat plane for our flight. There were 2 pilots and 10 passengers. The flight was both extremely loud and bumpy. Many of the passengers become nauseated. We had reports of guests regularly throwing up. This is because the plane makes rapid maneuvers to allow passengers on both sides to take pictures of the geoglyphs. Everyone is looking back and forth from their phone or camera to the ground far below. It can be very disorienting and dizzying. Dog’s recommendations to improve your experience if you undertake this tour are:

• Bring ear plugs as if you are going to a loud rock concert or working with machinery.
• Prep for nausea ahead of time with the anti-nausea or motion sickness remedy that works for you.
• Have plenty of battery power and camera space to get all the videos.
• Skip the pictures and only take videos. You can pause the videos and screen shot images from them later.

It took about 30 minutes flying time out to where the fly over began at the whale geoglyph. It proceeded to fly over a total of 16 of the giant figures spread out through the region. The view of the geoglyphs from up in the sky is simply amazing. They are huge, precise, and carefully crafted to represent specific things. One of the strangest is called the astronaut, but appears to be a huge alien humanoid with big round eyes waving into the heavens. It is different than many of the others in that it is carved up the side of a hill, rather than across the flat earth.

Dog was able to book his experience through the cruise company. It is well worth the cost as it is a once in a lifetime experience that you simply can’t get anywhere else on the planet. Plan to book your excursion well in advance as these tours fill up quickly. The same can be said for other popular cruise ship excursions to places like Machu Picchu. Don’t waffle and dilly dally on those major excursions or you may miss your opportunity.

Paracas and Pisco

It turns out there is actually a lot to see and do in this part of Peru beyond a Nazca Lines fly over. The remote town of Pisco is a jumping off point for a variety of cool experiences. Some of the various opportunities for adventure in the area include the following (this list includes both sponsored and non-sponsored links):

• The resort town of Paracas is known as an ideal spot for epic kite surfing.
• Explore the Paracas National Reserve. Several tour options are available, including:
  • overland by dune buggy
  • from above via desert paragliding.
• Explore the ancient Incan archaeologic site at Tambo Colorado.
• Take a guided boat tour to the Islas Ballestas or poor man’s Gallapagos. Along the way you’ll pass by…
  • El Candelabro, another massive geoglyph along the Pacific Ocean within Paracas National Reserve.
• Visit the Band of Holes which is yet another mysterious geoglyph in the desert close to Pisco.
• Sample Pisco’s namesake aromatic liquor called pisco. Considered Peru’s national liquor you can’t miss the chance to have a pisco sour while in Pisco.

Peruvian Desert

For Dog, the Nazca Lines fly over was a bucket list adventure item. Despite the rocky flight over the Peruvian desert it was amazing to see the Nazca Lines from high above. They can’t truly be appreciated any other way. Unfortunately we only had a brief stop at Port San Martin and Dragon had day call so she couldn’t join the excursion. It was an episode of spare husband duty as Dog did the excursion with another member of the medical team, Dr. Carien. Maybe we’ll get a chance to come back this way to explore the region further in the future. It turns out this dry, remote region of Peru has a lot to offer intrepid explorers and adventurers.