South coast: Paracas, Huacachina and Nazca
An absolute desert falling into a cold, fish-rich ocean, a palm oasis ringed by giant dunes and undeciphered geoglyphs: the southern Panamericana is the country's easiest — and strangest — road trip.
Suggested stay — 2 to 3 nights
South of Lima, the Panamericana unrolls 450 km of coastal desert where everything links up day by day: first the Paracas reserve, where ochre cliffs plunge into an ink-dark Pacific — the Humboldt current feeds outsized wildlife there, sea lions by the thousand, pelicans, boobies and Humboldt penguins approached by boat at the Ballestas islands, the "poor man's Galápagos" that are poor only in price.
Ica and its Huacachina oasis take over: a lagoon ringed by palms in the hollow of 200 m dunes, temple of the sunset buggy ride and sandboarding — assumed kitsch and unforgettable images. Then Nazca, where the mysteries are contemplated from above: the 30-minute flight reveals the hummingbird, the monkey and the spider traced two thousand years ago on the desert floor. The region is also pisco's cradle: Ica's bodegas welcome visitors, glass in hand.
Don't miss
- The Ballestas islands by boat on the first departure (8 am), calmer sea and raking light
- The Paracas reserve by car: Playa Roja, the Catedral cliffs and the bay's flamingos
- Sunset by buggy and sandboard on the Huacachina dunes
- The Nazca Lines flight (~30 min) and the metal viewing tower for non-flyers
Our tips on the ground
- Pick your Nazca flight operator on safety standards (AeroNasca, Movil Air...), not on price: small planes, tight banking turns — light stomach essential, window seats guaranteed, and fly in the morning before the turbulence.
- The Paracas reserve works beautifully with your own car (entrance ~11 soles): skip the group tours and treat yourself to the deserted coves the buggies ignore.
- Sleep in Paracas or at a bodega near Ica rather than in Huacachina itself: the oasis is noisy at night, magical as a late-afternoon visit.
Our flagship guide — €29
Guide available“Peru on Your Own”, the complete edition, is out
10 chapters: day-by-day itineraries, driving and transport, a costed budget and checklists — the same method as our Namibia guide.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
Before you go
Readers' questions about South coast: Paracas, Huacachina and Nazca
Is the Nazca Lines flight worth the price?
At around €90-110 per person for 30 minutes, it's the only way to grasp the figures as a whole — the roadside tower on the Panamericana shows just three of them, at an angle. If the budget balks or the stomach rebels, the neighbouring Palpa lines, which are older, read better from the ground. Fly in the morning: the air heats and shakes from midday.
Does this coast combine with the Andes by car?
Yes — it's even the classic itinerary: Lima-Paracas-Ica-Nazca by car (the Panamericana is excellent), then the spectacular Nazca-Abancay-Cusco road (2 days, passes at 4,500 m) — or the prudent option: return the car in Nazca and switch to a night bus to Arequipa or Cusco. In the other direction, it makes a gentle descent after the altitude.