The Nazca Lines are an ancient series of geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in Peru. Created by people who lived in this region nearly 2000 years ago, these lines form many recognizable shapes including monkeys, birds, and even an astronaut/alien. These geoglyphs are massive and the best way to really appreciate them is from the air on a Nazca Lines flight.
On my trip to Peru, I found myself passing through Nazca, so I turned that pass through into a brief stopover. It was just long enough to do a Nazca Lines flight and see these geoglyphs from above.
Here’s what to expect on your Nazca Lines flight.
Nazca Lines Flight Seeing Trip
There are numerous companies offering Nazca Lines flights, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find one. If you arrive in Nazca and don’t have something booked, don’t worry. There will still be people offering to sell you a flight. Even when I arrived at the bus station at 7:30 in the morning after an overnight bus from Cusco, a woman approached me trying to sell me a Nazca Lines flight.
That said, I recommend booking your Nazca Lines flight online in advance. This not only guarantees you can get the time you want (though weather can delay your flight), but also allows you to research the company and verify that you choose a tour operator with a good safety record.
Pick Up
All of the Nazca Lines flights depart from the Nazca airport. However, nearly every single company will include pick up at your hotel and transportation to and from the airport.
If you’re like me and just passing through Nazca, they can also pick you up at the Nazca bus station or a nearby cafe if you’re killing time before your flight.
The exact amount of time this takes depends on where you are located and how many people are being picked up. During my Nazca Lines flight, the company handled pick up and drop offs at the same time. So while I was being picked up for my flight, many others were being returned to the city of Nazca after their flight.
Arrival at the Nazca Airport
When you arrive at the airport, you’ll need to check in for your Nazca Lines flight. This involves a few steps. First, you’ll be shown to the counter for your specific flight. Hand over your passport so the workers can verify your identity.
Then, you’ll need to step on the scale to verify your weight. These planes are small with just six seats, so weight is incredibly important. They want the plane to be balanced but also to not be overweight.
Note that there is a weight limit for the Nazca Lines flight. If you weigh over a certain limit (for my airline it was 95 kilograms), you’ll have to pay extra. On my flight, there was one woman over the limit and from what I witnessed, the staff handled it very well. The staff quietly pulled her aside, explained the situation, and she made her payment. She was aware that this was coming, but I thought it was great that the company attempted to be more discreet about it to avoid any potential embarrassment. To my knowledge, you can’t pay for this extra supplement ahead of time (even though you’ll provide your weight when you book).
After you are checked in and weighed, it’s off to pay more fees. Yes, the Nazca Lines flight isn’t cheap and unfortunately, the price you pay online is not the final price. You need to pay an airport fee (30 soles at the time of writing) and a tourist tax (47 soles at the time of writing). The airport fee had to be paid in cash, but there was a credit card option for the additional tourist tax.
Waiting and More Waiting
Now it’s time to wait. Even though you signed up for a specific time, you’ll have to wait until your Nazca Lines flight is actually ready. It is an airport after all, so I guess it just makes sense, but it’s still annoying.
When I took my Nazca Lines flight, we were told it would be an hour before we’d get to take our flight. This seemed crazy since we had signed up for the 11:00 time. It turns out that the time you book is just your pick up time and you may spend more time at the airport waiting. If a flight gets delayed earlier in the day, it causes a ripple effect, just like any other commercial flight.
Luckily for us, our company was able to move things around and we were able to get on an earlier flight. This was fantastic for me since I had already booked a bus ticket out of Nazca for this afternoon. We followed our guide to security.
It’s still an airport and you have to go through security here too, but it felt much less chaotic and strict than a normal airport security check. Then we were out to the tarmac.
The Nazca Lines Flight
We were able to take a few pictures with the plane before boarding. Our safety briefing consisted of “use the seat belt” and “look at the blue tips on the wings when we turn to help with the motion sickness”. That was it. We got in (seats are assigned) and before we knew it, we took off and were flying over the city of Nazca.
You’ll get to see a little bit of scenery before you reach the first of the geoglyphs. Take in the view and do your best to listen to what your guide is telling you. There are headsets in the plane so that the pilot and guide can tell you what you’re seeing and where to look, but I found it incredibly difficult to hear. I could hear a few words if I really focused, but it wasn’t enough to get a lot of context. Maybe it was because I was in the last row of the plane, but I just didn’t hear much.
In the end though, I don’t think the guide makes a huge difference. Try to listen to those few words just so you know which side of the plane to look out and which geoglyph you’re actually at.
Note that for most of the geoglyphs, the pilots will circle the glyph so that people on both sides of the plane can see it. I got a bit lucky on my flight. We only had five people on a six passenger plane and I had the back row to myself, so I was able to easily slide over to see the glyphs from both sides. Woohoo!
Rather than me trying to explain single geoglyph, here’s a few photo highlights from my Nazca Lines flight.
By the end of the flight, I started feeling a bit queasy. I’ve never experienced motion sickness before, so this was a new one for me and a great reminder that you should take the warnings about motion sickness on Nazca Lines flights seriously. I was very happy to be back on solid ground and after talking to some other people on my flight, they were as well. We all did fine until about the last ten minutes and then we were ready to be done. And yes, one of those people took two Dramamine before the flight and still felt queasy by the end.
Back to Nazca
After your flight, you’ll get a certificate. This just feels cheesy, but it was a great reference for when while writing this blog post. Then it’s time for more waiting as you wait for your driver to take you back to Nazca.
In my group, our transportation was a bit messed up. I think because we took a slightly earlier flight, the transportation to and from Nazca was messy. So when they said our van was ready, there was only enough space for one person despite there being three of us trying to get back to Nazca. Since I had a bus ticket with a guaranteed departure time, I was given the last remaining spot.
I actually ran into those same girls the next day while in Huacachina and they told me they had to wait an hour for a ride back to Nazca. That’s not ideal, but a great reminder to build in extra time if possible. If you’re really desperate to leave after your tour, I’m sure you’d be able to get a taxi, though it would be at your own expense.
Is a Nazca Lines Flight Seeing Trip Worth It?
I think the Nazca Lines flight is worth if you are passing through Nazca. I’ll admit that this was a bit of a bucket list item for me, so I was very happy that I was able to include it on my trip.
However, if you’re not passing through already, I don’t think it’s worth adding to your itinerary unless you have a big interest in geoglyphs or the Nazca Lines in general. It’s a great trip, but it’s over quickly and I do think there’s better ways to spend your time if you only have a very short trip to Peru.
How Long is a Nazca Lines Flight?
The Nazca Lines flight itself is just 35 minutes, but you should budget about 3.5 hours for the the whole experience. This 3.5 hours includes transportation to the Nazca airport, check in, waiting time, the flight, and the ride back to Nazca.
How to Get to Nazca
Nazca is well connected with many other major cities in Peru, but only by bus. There aren’t any commercial flights out of the Nazca airport.
What I Did
I was traveling from Cusco to Huacachina and passed through Nazca along the way. I used Cruz del Sur, but there are other bus routes that will make the connection.
On Cruz del Sur, I departed Cusco at 5:00 pm and arrived in Nazca shortly after 7:00 am the next day. I had booked my Nazca Lines flight for 11:00 am, just in case of any bus delays, but we were on time. I did message the company to ask if the flight could be changed, but there was no availability, so I headed to nearby Mom’s Cafe for a light breakfast and to wait. I took my flight and had enough time for lunch before catching Cruz del Sur’s 2:30 bus from Nazca to Ica (where I then caught an Uber to Huacachina).
Final Thoughts
The Nazca Lines flight was a bucket list item for me. While I did experience some queasiness and a tiny bit of motion sickness, I’m still so glad I splurged on the experience. I’ll admit that the flight isn’t for everyone, but if you’re passing through Nazca, I think it’s worth it.
