Nazca Lines
Nazca, Peru
Líneas y Geoglifos de Nasca
Giant desert drawings made 2,000 years ago, best seen from a small plane.
Checked 7 October 2026
The Nazca Lines are hundreds of lines, shapes and animal figures scraped into the desert of southern Peru between about 500 BC and AD 500, so big that you only see them properly from the air. Most visitors take a 30–35 minute flight in a six-seat Cessna from the María Reiche aerodrome in Nazca: on top of the fare you pay about S/ 77 in cash at the airport (S/ 30 airport tax plus the S/ 47 Nasca tourist ticket), and you must show your original passport and be weighed.
About Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines are drawn across the Pampas de Jumana, a flat, stony desert between the towns of Nazca and Palpa, about 400 km south of Lima. The people of the Nazca culture made them by moving the dark surface stones aside to expose the paler ground below. There are hundreds of straight lines, triangles and trapezoids running for kilometres, and more than 70 figures of animals and plants: a hummingbird, a monkey, a spider, a condor, a whale, a tree, a pair of hands and a figure with a round head that is now called the Astronaut.
The scale is the point. The condor is about 134 m long, the monkey 93 m, and the largest figures span almost 370 m, so from the ground most of them are just shallow furrows. Because it almost never rains here and the wind is weak, the lines have survived for some 2,000 years. UNESCO listed them, together with the Palpa geoglyphs, as a World Heritage Site in 1994.
Peruvian pilots were the first to report the lines in the 20th century, and the Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejía Xesspe spotted them on foot in 1927. The American historian Paul Kosok studied them from 1940, and the German-born mathematician Maria Reiche then spent most of her life measuring, mapping and protecting them; she argued they had an astronomical purpose. The local aerodrome and the small museum in her old house carry her name. Why the lines were made is still debated, but most scholars link them to ritual, water and the sky.
New figures keep turning up. A Yamagata University team, working with IBM and using AI on aerial images, confirmed 303 new figurative geoglyphs in 2024, many of them smaller drawings along footpaths. On a standard flight you see 12–17 of the classic figures, and the pilots bank hard left and right so that both sides of the plane get a look.
What to see
The classic flight circuit
A 30–35 minute loop from the Nazca aerodrome over the Whale, the Astronaut, the Monkey, the Dog, the Hummingbird, the Condor, the Spider, the Parrot, the Hands and the Tree. Operators name 12 to 17 figures depending on how they count. Every seat is a window seat; the co-pilot calls out each figure.
The Astronaut
An owl-headed human figure on a hillside rather than on the flat pampa, waving one hand. It is one of the first figures on most circuits and easy to spot because it stands on the slope.
The Hummingbird and the Monkey
The two best-known figures. The hummingbird is about 93 m long; the monkey, with its spiral tail, about 93 by 58 m. Both are drawn as one continuous line.
The roadside tower (mirador)
A 13 m metal tower beside the Panamericana Sur, about 20 km north of Nazca, run by the Ministry of Culture. From the top you see the Tree and the Hands up close and part of the Lizard, whose tail was cut by the highway. Entry is S/ 6 in the ministry's 2024 tariff, and it suits anyone who will not fly. The tower was closed for renovation works in November 2024; tours and bus passes stop there again, but ask in Nazca that it is open before you make a special trip.
Maria Reiche Museum
The house where Maria Reiche lived, about 5 km north of the tower on the Panamericana, with her tools and sketches. It is small and short on explanation, but many land tours combine it with the tower. Entry is about S/ 8.
The Palpa lines
Further north near Palpa, figures of people and a 'family' are drawn on hillsides. You see them on longer 'Nazca and Palpa' flights or from a second lookout tower beside the highway.
Nazca Lines tickets: which to buy and where
There is no entry ticket to buy online: you book a flight with an airline or agency, then pay the S/ 30 airport tax and the S/ 47 Nasca tourist ticket at the aerodrome, in cash, before you board. Flights quoted in dollars almost never include these. Bring your original passport (a copy is refused) and expect to be weighed.
The official ticket site
Boleto Turístico de Nasca (Comité del Boleto Turístico de la Provincia de Nasca)
The official charge for flying over the lines is the S/ 47 'Boleto del Circuito Turístico Parcial Aéreo', set by Nasca province's tourist-ticket committee (published in El Peruano, the official gazette, on 31 January 2021). It is sold only at the aerodromes in Nazca and Pisco, not online. The roadside tower is run by the Ministry of Culture (S/ 6 in its November 2024 tariff), paid on site. Flights themselves are sold by private airlines and agencies.
Nasca tourist ticket (overflight)
S/ 47
(€12)
Official ticketsDoes not skip lines
- Includes
- The right to fly over the lines; paid at the aerodrome before boarding, from Nazca or Pisco
- Best for
- Everyone who flies; budget for it on top of the fare
Nasca tourist-ticket committee, at the aerodrome · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Roadside observation tower (Torre Mirador)
S/ 6 adult; S/ 2 students; S/ 1 under 18; 50% off for over-60s and disabled visitors (Ministry of Culture tariff, November 2024)
(€2 · under €1)
Official ticketsDoes not skip lines
- Includes
- Climb to the 13 m platform on the Panamericana Sur; view of the Tree, the Hands and part of the Lizard. The same 2024 resolution closed the tower for renovation from 6 to 25 November 2024; check locally that it is open
- Best for
- Visitors who will not fly, or a stop on the bus from Ica
Ministry of Culture, on site · as of November 2024See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Flight from Nazca, 30 minutes
$90 (US) + S/ 77 airport tax and tourist ticket
(€20)
ResellerDoes not skip lines
- Includes
- Transfer from the Nazca bus station, hotel or office; 14 figures; two pilots; Cessna 207 (6 seats) or 172 (2 seats); flight certificate
- Best for
- Booking straight with a local airline at its own price
Alas Peruanas · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)35-minute flight with pick-up (platform)
from €111 + S/ 77 airport tax and entry fees
(€20)
ResellerDoes not skip lines
- Includes
- Pick-up from listed Nazca hotels and the Cruz del Sur terminal; shared six-seat plane; 14 figures; free cancellation up to 24 hours
- Best for
- Paying by card in advance with a platform's cancellation terms
GetYourGuide (provider: JD Adventure Travel) · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Flight from Pisco, about 1 hour 40 minutes
$330 (US) + Pisco airport tax (about $6 (US) per this airline; another guide lists about S/ 70) + S/ 47 tourist ticket
(€18 · €12)
ResellerDoes not skip lines
- Includes
- Transfer in Pisco; 12-seat Cessna Grand Caravan; 13 figures; flight certificate
- Best for
- Travellers based in Paracas who do not want to travel on to Nazca
Alas Peruanas · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)
How to buy
- Pick where you fly from: Nazca (30–35 minutes over the lines, about $90–120 (US)) or Pisco near Paracas (about 1 hour 40 minutes, mostly getting there and back, about $330–350 (US)).
- Book with an airline's own office or website, an agency with a tax receipt, or a platform; give each passenger's passport number and weight when asked.
- Bring your original passport and soles in cash. At the aerodrome you check in, are weighed, and pay the airport tax and the S/ 47 tourist ticket. In Nazca the airport tax is S/ 30. For Pisco the sources differ: one airline lists about $6 (US), a travel guide about S/ 70, so ask your airline for the exact amount.
- Expect to wait: flights leave in the order the airport and weather allow, and waits of 1–3 hours are common in busy periods. Do not book a bus out of Nazca for the same afternoon without a buffer.
Look-alike sites
There is no official online ticket for the Nazca Lines, so any site that calls itself the 'official ticket' is a seller. Note also that some websites carry the name of a former airline but belong to travel agencies: the site using the Aeroparacas name, for example, states in its own small print that it is an agency and that another company flies the plane. Before paying, look for the company's legal name and RUC (tax number) on the site, and ask which airline operates the flight.
We can never guarantee a ticket seller, tour company or deal. Prices, opening hours and what is included change, often without notice: check the details on the seller’s own page before you pay, and book through the official site where you can. How to avoid ticket scams · Disclaimer.
Guided tours of Nazca Lines
The flight is the tour: two pilots fly the circuit and point out each figure, and the commentary varies from detailed to none at all. Paying more buys transfers (from Ica, Huacachina or Lima), a combination with the tower, museum or Cantalloc aqueducts, or simply card payment and cancellation terms. If you are already in Nazca, a flight booked directly with an airline costs least.
Shared flight with pick-up
Flight over the Nazca Lines from Nazca (35 min)
Meteorito Aerolíneas (via Viator)Pick-up from Nazca hotels and bus terminals or meet at the airline's counter at the aerodrome. Planes for 6 or 12 passengers; the listing names 17 figures. Free cancellation up to 24 hours. Recent reviews mention waits of over two hours and late confirmations.
from €90.51
See this tour → (opens in a new tab)Day trip from Ica or Huacachina with flight
Flight over the Nazca Lines from Ica
Sam Travel Experiences (via Civitatis)Hotel pick-up in Ica, road transfer to Nazca, 35-minute flight over 13 figures, optional Cantalloc or Maria Reiche Museum. Not included: S/ 30 airport tax, S/ 47 tourist ticket, S/ 8 museum, S/ 10 Cantalloc. Weight limit 90–100 kg; an extra seat costs $70 (US). Minimum 2 people.
from €160.90
See this tour → (opens in a new tab)Private transfer from Ica plus flight and lookouts
Nazca Lines Flight From Ica
Alas Peruanas
Private car from Huacachina or Ica to the Nazca aerodrome, an extended flight that adds six newer figures, Cantalloc and the Paredones ruins from the air, then the Nazca and Palpa lookout towers on the way back.
Shared flight with pick-up
From Nazca: 35-Minute Flight Over Nazca Lines
JD Adventure Travel (via GetYourGuide)Six-seat plane, 14 figures. The listing says plainly that there is no historical commentary on board: the pilots point out the figures. All coordination is by WhatsApp; a late bus counts as a no-show. Strict 100 kg limit.
from €111
See this tour → (opens in a new tab)
We can never guarantee a ticket seller, tour company or deal. Prices, opening hours and what is included change, often without notice: check the details on the seller’s own page before you pay, and book through the official site where you can. How to avoid ticket scams · Disclaimer.
Nazca Lines deals and discounts
There is no discount on the flight itself, and the S/ 77 in airport tax and tourist ticket is the same for everyone. The cheapest way to fly is from Nazca, booked directly with an airline; the cheapest way to see the lines at all is the S/ 6 tower.
Fly from Nazca, not Pisco
A Nazca flight costs about $90–120 (US) against about $330–350 (US) from Pisco, for a similar circuit over the lines. The Pisco fare buys the long transfer flight, not more time over the figures.
Book at the airline's own desk or site
Platforms in October 2026 started at about €91–111 for the same 35-minute Nazca flight that one airline sells for $90 (US) on its own site. Each airline also has a sales desk at the aerodrome, where you can compare prices on the day outside the peak season.
Reduced tower tickets
At the Ministry of Culture's tower, students in higher education pay S/ 2, under-18s S/ 1, and over-60s, teachers and disabled visitors get 50% off the S/ 6 general price with proof (tariff of November 2024; travel guides in 2025 quoted S/ 3–7, so check on site).
Tower stop included in hop-on bus passes
Peru Hop's coastal bus passes stop at the viewing tower on the way to Nazca, so if you travel that way you see the Tree and the Hands without a separate trip.
Best time to visit Nazca Lines
Time of day: fly as early as you can. Morning air over the desert is calmer and the ride less bumpy, and delays build up during the day. Nazca airlines list departures from about 8:00 or 9:00 to 15:30–16:00.
Season: Nazca is dry all year, so the lines are visible in any month. Flights from Pisco are more often held up by coastal fog and low cloud from about June to September, and strong Paracas winds can stop flights on both routes.
Crowds: July–August and Peruvian holidays bring the longest airport waits; one platform listing for a Nazca flight cites holiday congestion with waits of over three hours (July 2026).
Cancellations: no one flies in bad weather or low visibility. Airlines move you to a later slot or the next day, and most refund if they cannot fly you, so leave a spare half-day if the flight matters to you.
Tips and tricks
Gathered from travel forums, locals and the sight’s own advice, rewritten in our own words. What worked for others, not a guarantee.
Bring your original passport and cash soles
The airlines and airport security check your original passport (Peruvians can use their DNI); a photocopy is refused. The airport tax is cash only, so carry about S/ 80 per person in soles.
From Alas Peruanas and Wikivoyage Nazca, 2026
Know the weight rules before you book
You are weighed at check-in to balance the plane. Limits differ by company: one platform listing sets 100 kg, another 90–100 kg with a $70 (US) extra seat, and one Pisco airline's terms 110 kg with a $165 (US) surcharge. Ask your airline before you pay.
From GetYourGuide and Civitatis listings and a Pisco airline's terms, 2026
Eat light before you fly
The plane banks steeply left and right over each figure so both sides can see. Visitors and the airlines themselves suggest a light breakfast or eating a few hours before; people prone to motion sickness often take the earliest flight.
From Air Majoro FAQ and visitor reviews, 2026
Look only out of your own window
Follow the co-pilot's call, find the figure on your side and leave the other side alone. A printed map of the figures, or a look at photos beforehand, helps you spot them quickly.
From How to Peru and visitor reviews, 2025–2026
Leave a buffer before your next bus
Departure times are indicative and waits of one to three hours are common. Book a late bus to Lima or Arequipa on flight day; one platform operator treats a late arriving bus as a no-show with no refund.
From GetYourGuide listing and Viator reviews, 2026
Ask for a tax receipt
Having an office in Nazca does not prove an agency is sound. Pay a business that gives a boleta or factura with its name and RUC tax number printed on it.
From Wikivoyage Nazca, 2026
Do the tower and the museum together
The tower is about 20 km north of Nazca and the Maria Reiche Museum 5 km further on the same highway. A taxi or land tour does both in about half a day; buses heading north also pass the tower.
From Lonely Planet and Wikivoyage, 2026
How to get to Nazca Lines
- From Lima: buses take about 7 hours along the Panamericana Sur via Paracas and Ica. Cruz del Sur, Tepsa and Oltursa run several departures a day from public terminals; Peru Hop picks up at hotels. Many people break the trip in Paracas and Huacachina.
- From Ica or Huacachina: 2–3 hours by bus (Cruz del Sur, Oltursa and others) or colectivo; several operators sell day trips from Ica with the flight included.
- From Arequipa and Cusco: about 9 hours from Arequipa and about 14 hours from Cusco by overnight bus, arriving at the bus offices in the north-west of Nazca town.
- To the aerodrome: the María Reiche aerodrome is a short taxi ride from Nazca town on the Panamericana Sur. Most flights include a pick-up from your hotel or bus office. Parking costs a few soles if you drive.
- From Pisco: flights to the lines leave from Pisco airport near Paracas and return there, about 1 hour 40 minutes in total.
Scams and problems to watch for
Touts at the bus offices
People meeting the buses offer hotel-and-flight packages, claim your hotel is full or that they work for it, or promise cheap flights. The tell-tale sign is anyone who approaches you first. Arrange a pick-up with your hotel or flight company, or take a taxi to the aerodrome and book at an airline desk.
Hidden extra fees
A low price in dollars almost never includes the S/ 30 airport tax and S/ 47 tourist ticket, and some agencies add a card surcharge. Ask for the total per person, and what is paid in cash at the airport, before you hand over money.
Agencies that look like airlines
Some sites use an airline's name but are agencies passing your booking to another carrier. That is legal, but you should know who flies the plane: look for the company's legal name and RUC number and ask which airline operates the flight.
Overbooking and long waits
On busy days flights are packed into whatever slots the airport and weather allow, and travellers report confirmations sent late the evening before and two- to three-hour waits. Keep your phone on WhatsApp, arrive at the stated time and do not plan anything tight afterwards.
Hotel and agency commissions
Hotels and town agencies earn a commission on flights they book, so the same seat can cost noticeably more through them than at the airline's own desk or website. Compare at least two prices.
Accessibility
Seeing the lines from the air means climbing into a small single-engine plane by a step and sitting in a narrow seat, so it is not suitable for most wheelchair users; one platform listing marks its flight as wheelchair accessible and another as not, so ask the airline directly. Passengers over 90–110 kg (depending on the airline) must buy a second seat. The roadside tower is reached only by steep metal stairs, with no lift. Disabled visitors pay half price at the tower with proof. The Maria Reiche Museum publishes no access information, so ask locally.
Combine it with
Cantalloc aqueducts
Spiral stone shafts that let the Nazca people reach underground water channels, some still in use. A short taxi ride from town and entry is about S/ 10; some flight-and-land tours include it.
Chauchilla Cemetery
A pre-Hispanic burial ground south of Nazca where mummies sit in their open graves. Half-day trips often add a pottery workshop.
Palpa lines and lookout
Hillside figures north of Nazca, seen from a second tower beside the Panamericana or on longer 'Nazca and Palpa' flights.
Huacachina and Paracas
The desert oasis near Ica (dune buggies, sandboarding) and the coast at Paracas (Ballestas Islands) lie on the road from Lima. Most travellers stop at one or both on the way to Nazca.
Machu Picchu
On SightsaleMany people go on from Nazca to Cusco by overnight bus (about 14 hours) or via Arequipa, then to Machu Picchu. Buy your Machu Picchu entry first; it sells out long before the Nazca flights.
Questions people ask about visiting Nazca Lines
How much does a Nazca Lines flight cost?
In October 2026 a 30–35 minute flight from Nazca cost about $90–120 (US) per person, plus S/ 30 airport tax and the S/ 47 Nasca tourist ticket paid in cash at the aerodrome. Flights from Pisco cost about $330–350 (US) plus the S/ 47 ticket and a Pisco airport tax on which sources differ (about $6 (US) or about S/ 70). Platforms such as GetYourGuide and Viator showed prices from about €91 to €111 for the Nazca flight.
Are Nazca Lines flights safe?
Overflights are run by private airlines certified by Peru's civil aviation authority (DGAC, part of the Ministry of Transport, MTC). There have been fatal accidents: in October 2010 (six dead), on 4 February 2022 (a Cessna 207 crashed just after take-off from Nazca, seven dead) and on 1 August 2026, when an Aerodiana Cessna Grand Caravan from Pisco crashed near Nazca with 13 on board and no survivors. On 2 August 2026 the MTC suspended Aerodiana's operations until investigations verify its compliance; no cause had been published and no lifting of the suspension had been reported as of early October 2026. Ask which airline operates your flight; suspensions are announced by the MTC.
Can you see the Nazca Lines without flying?
Yes, partly. The Ministry of Culture's 13 m tower on the Panamericana Sur, about 20 km north of Nazca, shows the Tree, the Hands and part of the Lizard for S/ 6 (November 2024 tariff; it was closed for works that month, so check locally that it is open). A second tower near Palpa shows the Palpa figures. You see two or three figures, against a dozen or more from the air.
Do I need my passport for the Nazca Lines flight?
Yes. Foreign visitors must show their original passport at check-in and to airport security; a photocopy is not accepted. You are also weighed, and passengers over the airline's limit (90–110 kg depending on the company) pay for an extra seat.
Should I fly from Nazca or from Pisco?
From Nazca if you can: the flight is shorter, about a third of the price, and the inland desert is less prone to fog. Pisco suits people staying in Paracas who do not want to travel on to Nazca by road, but most of the 1 hour 40 minutes is spent getting there and back, and coastal fog delays are more common in June–September.
What is the best time of day for a Nazca Lines flight?
Morning. The air is calmer, so the flight is less bumpy, and there are fewer delays than later in the day. Flights from Nazca run from about 8:00 to 16:00, weather permitting.
How far in advance should I book a Nazca Lines flight?
For flights from Nazca, a day or two is usually enough outside July–August and Peruvian holidays, and you can also book at the airline desks at the aerodrome. Book Pisco flights and peak-season dates earlier, and leave a spare half-day in case weather moves your slot.
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Before you go
The things that apply at every big sight: booking ahead, what skip-the-line really means, and the scams that follow tourists everywhere.