The Nazca Lines and Paracas

Its a place in the desert where the ancient Pre-Incas drew beautiful, specifically designed, giant forms, a work that would be impossible to carry out in current times without sophisticate observation methods.

However, without a doubt, we can guarantee that your visit to Nasca will be unforgettable... Don’t miss this enchanting experience!

Paracas opens up a wealth of possibilities for tourists. You can enjoy them all thanks to the facilities now available.

        Continuing south on the Pan American highway is Pisco, a port city that gave its name to the clear white grape     alcohol used in Peru's national drink,  the pisco sour. The invention of pisco  was actually a mistake by Spaniards trying to introduce grapes and wine production into the dry coastal area of the New World. However, once they tried this potent, yet smooth, beverage they decided it had merit of its own.

       A pisco sour is a cocktail made from pisco, lemon juice, egg white and sugar syrup, whipped and served with a dash of Angostura bitters.

The city, now with 80,000 inhabitants, joined the bandwagon when revolutionary fever overtook the continent in the early 1800s. Half a block from the town's Plaza de Armas is the Club Social Pisco used as the headquartersfor liberation leader General Jose de San Martin while he was fighting the Spaniards.

A statue to this Argentine hero of the independence war is found on the main plaza - the same square where boat trips to the Ballestas Islands can be arranged. Originally, Pisco stood in another spot not far away. But an earthquake in 1687 and subsequent pirate attacks badly darn_ aged the structures in the city, prompting the viceroy, Count de la Monclova, to order it moved. Construction of the opulent baroque cathedral started shortly thereafter, only ending in 1723.

Pisco's small airport serves as the emergency landing strip when heavy fog prevents planes from descending in Lima; passengers are then bused to the Peruvian capital or wait until the weather clears before flying north again. From 1960 to 1970, small propeller planes of the foreign-owned Consorcio Ballenero buzzed the waters offshore in a now defunct project to localize and count groups of whales that regularly ply Peru's coast.

Then, in late 1988, Peruvian scientists, in conjunction with experts from the Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian Institute in the United States, announced the appearance of a new whale species. Named the Mesoplodon Peruvianus, one of these mammals was inadvertently picked up by fishermen working the waters between Pucusana and Pisco. The 4-meter (13foot) long whale is one of the smallest members of the whale family.

Poor man's Galapagos: Some 5 km (9 miles) down the coast from Pisco is the Bay of Paracas, named after the Paracas winds - blustery sand storms that sweep the coast. Transformed into an ecologically-delicate national park, and a popular spot for New Year's Day camping, Paracas is a wildlife reserve boasting a wide variety of sea mammals and exotic birds, among them the red and white flamingos that allegedly inspired hero General San Martin to design the red and white independence flag for Peru.

The beach is lovely, although craggy for swimming and the waters contain jellyfish. A monument marks where San Martin set foot in Peru on September 8, 1820 after liberating Argentina. (A law passed by the National Congress makes September 8 a provincial holiday.)

Not long after the Argentine's arrival, a shipload of British troops under the command of Lord Cochrane dropped anchor in the same bay and headed to shore to help San Martin plan his strategy against the Spanish. The British motivation was to break Spain's monopoly on trade in the region.

The famous Candelabro, a candelabra-shaped drawing scratched on to the highest point of a cliffside overlooking the bay, can be seen from the beach although it is best viewed from a boat. Some scientists link the drawing to the Southern Cross constellation; others say it is actually a stylized drawing of a cactus - a symbol of power from the Chavin culture, which flourished farther north but whose influence has been found great distances from its seat of power. The magic associated with the cactus is related to its hallucinogenic powers and use by high priests in ancient Indian cultures.

On lucky days, a look skyward is rewarded by the sight of a pair of condors soaring above. These majestic birds sweep down on sea lion carcasses, then use the intense coastal winds to wing themselves up to the high altitudes they normally frequent. So well-known was the Andean birds' presence at Paracas that, when the nature reserve was being named, one scientist pushed for the moniker "Parque Nacional de los Condores" (Condor National Park).

During the last century, this region was important for its guano - mineralrich bird droppings used as fertilizers in Europe. Extensive exploration of the peninsula is best done with the help of a guide as paths are not clearly marked and it is easy to become lost. In June and August, Paracas is foggy - a reaction to the heat and extremely sparse precipitation combined with the water-laden ocean winds that caress the coast. A meteorological office here recorded only 36.7 mm (11/2 inches) of precipitation during a 20-year period.