Top Attractions in Nasca

Nasca's Absolute Essentials

Explore the archaeological legacy of the Nasca civilization across the arid southern Peruvian coast. This selection features the UNESCO-listed Nasca Lines, best viewed from the Maria Reiche observation tower, and the complex hydraulic engineering of the Cantalloc and Ocongalla aqueducts. The collection also includes the Chauchilla Cemetery, where pre-Inca mummies remain preserved in their original tombs, and the local planetarium, which explores the astronomical theories and mathematical precision behind the desert's massive geoglyphs.

Nasca's Absolute Essentials — Map

Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0

A

Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa

The Nazca Lines are a group of geoglyphs made in the soil of the Nazca Desert in southern Peru.

sumalavefotograf / CC BY-SA 4.0

B

Chauchilla Cemetery

Chauchilla Cemetery is a cemetery that contains prehispanic mummified human remains and archeological artifacts, located 30 kilometres…

C

Acueductos de Cantalloc

A series of subterranean aqueducts built by the Nasca culture around 500 AD. These stone-lined channels feature unique spiral-shaped vents, known as ojos, used for ventilation and cleaning the underground water system.

D

Torre María Reiche

A 12-meter-high metallic observation tower located along the Pan-American Highway. It provides a ground-level vantage point to view three specific geoglyphs: the Hands, the Tree, and the Lizard.

E

Planetarium

Located at the Hotel Nazca Lines, this facility offers nightly presentations regarding the astronomical theories of Maria Reiche. It includes telescope observations and explanations of how the geoglyphs align with celestial bodies.

F

Acueducto de Ocongalla

An ancient subterranean irrigation system constructed with river stones. This archaeological site showcases the open-trench sections of the Nasca hydraulic network used to transport water from the Andes to the desert.

G

centro energético orcona

A pre-Inca archaeological site believed to be an ancient healing center. It consists of stone-walled enclosures used for traditional rituals and is noted for its purported electromagnetic properties.

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