Southern Peru
is steeped in unexplained mysteries, none more-so than
the Nazca Lines - strange outlines carved into the earth
that are best observed by aircraft from the birds-eye
perspective.
What are they, why are they there & who carved them
?
This mystery remains unclear, unanswered, but certainly
not lacking in theories, ranging from archeological explanations
to the suggestion they are signals of an airfield marked
out for space travellers to return & land here.
The Nazca Desert is a high plateau sixty miles long &
some five miles wide, 250 miles south of Lima on the coast.
It was inhabited around 1000 B.C., by a people who developed
advanced farming methods, like irrigation systems for
watering crops, which in turn enabled them to expand the
land they farmed. Over the following 1500 years, they
developed amazing artistry & skill in weaving, pottery
& architecture.
Tragically, come the Spanish in the early 1500's, the
indigenous Indians were wiped out, so the most fascinating
of the cultural achievements & creation of the mysterious
ground 'art'- the Nazca Lines- & the exact purpose for
them remains shrouded in mystery.
In early times, although people traversing the region
noticed the lines at ground level, they posed no pattern
or picture & therefore, had little significance. It
was not until aircraft flew over the area that these indiscriminant
etchings, took on life forms. There are lifelike accurate
drawings of huge birds, spiders, monkeys, fish & a few
unidentified creatures. There are also rectangular shapes
& large numbers of straight lines that run for miles
apparently without purpose, from nowhere to nowhere.
Therein lies the mystery.
It is clearly established the Nazca Lines are indeed 1500
years or more in archeological age, so at a time without
aircraft, why would any indigenous & ancient people
who had no means of viewing these lifelike drawings from
the lofty heights required to see them, bother to etch
them, let alone here in the desert ?
Several scientists theorized that the Lines represented
the 'largest astronomy book on earth' & pointed to certain
planetary alignments. That theory is inconclusive as there
are so many lines & equally, so many thousands of planetary
alignments with an infinite number of mathematical &
astronomical correlations. In the 1960's after a spate
of UFO sightings, some prominent writers turned to history
to find evidence of previous accounts of space visitors.
French best selling authors Louis Pauwels & Jaques
Bergier published 'The Morning of Magicians' in which,
they advance the idea of ancient astronauts.
The Swiss writer, Erich Von Daniken only served to heighten
that theory & he claimed to have evidence that Earth
was visited many times by space beings who played a part
in human understanding of technology & therefore contributed
to advancements in early history. In his book 'Chariots
of the Gods' published in 1968, he speculated that the
Nazca Lines were a giant airfield mapped out for the spacecraft
of those alien beings returning to check up on human advancement
could clearly see the Nazca Lines from space & home
in on them to land.
Scientific critics of Von Daniken scoffed at the very
suggestion on the basis that if was the case, why would
spacecraft require such a lengthy landing strip in soft,
desert terrain ?
Yet, when the fist Space Shuttle landed at Edwards Airforce
base in the Mohave Desert, Southern California, many who
viewed the landing on television - where the perspective
mixed both ground & airborne based cameras relaying
pictures of the Space Shuttles descent - remarked on the
similarity of markings in the Mohave (across which Edwards
main runway is constructed) & the Nazca desert.
This short itinerary will acquaint you with the Nazca
Lines & then you can judge for yourself.
4 days - 3 nights
Day 1 Lima - Nazca - Ica
Travel from Lima by coach to Ica where you will be treated
to a light aircraft flight over the Nazca Lines. From
the air it is very easy to see the monkey, birds, spider
& fish etchings & you will be able to take photos
for latter reference as to what the Lines represent.
Tonight , your hotel accommodation is at the Las Dunas.
Day 2 Nazca - Ballestas Islands - Arequipa
(B) Travel on to Paracas, stopping for a short cruise
to the Ballestas Islands known for their abundance of
marine mammals & birds. Late afternoon return to Ica,
where you will board an overnight coach bound for Arequipa.
Day 3 Arequipa city
An early morning arrival into Arequipa - the 'White City'
- & transfer to your hotel. The remainder of the morning
is at your leisure. This afternoon join a city sightseeing
tour that will take in the main Square, Cathedral, Church
& Cloisters of Jesus, colonial mansions, the Santa Catalina
Convent, San Francisco complex & the Yanahuara Belvedere.
Day 4 Arequipa - Lima
(B) After breakfast transfer to Arequipa airport for your
onward flight.
Included Features:
· Coach travel Lima - Ica - Nazca - Arequipa (
note: Ica- Arequipa bus travel is an overnight service
)
· 2 nights hotel accommodation , rooms with private
facilities
· Flightseeing scenic excursion above & over
the Nazca Lines
· Meals as specified ( B - breakfast )
Note please : From Arequipa it is
possible to extend for two nights & take an excursion
to Colca to visit Cruz Del Condor where you will get spectacular
views of the Canyon & are likely to see Andean Giant
Condors in flight. This extension returns to Arequipa
on the evening of day 5 for an overnight & you will
transfer to Arequipa airport on the morning of day 6.
There are daily scheduled flights from Arequipa to both
Lima & to Cuzco, gateway to Machu Picchu.
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