h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Archaeological Tours

Classic Flight Over
the Nazca Lines


Tour description:

Our staff will pick you up from your hotel and then you will be transferred to our hangar at the airport. Once we get there, a video film about the Nasca lines will be shown, so that our customers can get a better idea about the archaeological zone they are about to see from the air. We have small Cessna planes, which got room for three and five passengers, everyone with a window seat, so that visitors may observe the drawings properly.
The airplane flies in circles over each figure, so they will see them one by one following the instructions of our pilot. In addition, a map of the zone is provided so that they are able to recognize each figure. The whole flight lasts about 35 minutes, time in which, visitors will be able to see over 20 figures and hundreds of lines running in all directions.
Among the most impressive figures, you will see a huge monkey (90 meters long), a perfect representation of a hummingbird (50m), an enormous flamingo as long as 3 soccer fields, a spider, a whale, a parrot, a condor, a tree, a dog, a frog and several trapezoids that resemble ancient runways.


Flight duration: 35 minutes.

Includes:

•A briefing about the Nazca Lines.
•Round trip transfer to the airport.
•A video film about the Nazca Lines.
•Airport Taxes.
•Personalized Bilingual Assistance.


Note: In order to make this flight more interesting, we would suggest our clients to attend the lecture about the Nazca Lines that takes place at the little Maria Reiche Planetarium located at the Nazca Lines Hotel. This short conference will give them a better insight into the Nazca Culture and also will help them to get better acquainted with the figures the will see from the air. The show lasts about 45 minutes and also involves sky watching, through sophisticated digital telescopes.

http://www.mysteryperu.com/co_nazca_lines.html



Archaeological Excursion to the
Pre-Inca cemetery of Chauchilla


Tour description:

Chauchilla is located approximately 28 kilometers away from Nazca. It is reachable by bus, following the southern Pan-American Highway for 21 Kms, then a dirt road of 7 kilometers.
For many years this pre Inca place was looted by treasure hunters, who ransacked the place completely, taking away all the treasures the mummies kept in their tombs for centuries.
These grave robbers just left behind the corpses, which can be seen today all over the ground. In addition to skulls and bones, you also can see several tombs centuries’ old, as well as long human hairs, ceramic fragments and others remains scattered on the desert surface.
After touring around we go back to Nazca to visit a ceramic studio, where a craftsman will give us a better insight about the Nazca civilization and the colorful vessels they made hundreds of years ago.
To finish off our tour, we will also visit a local place where men are working hard extracting gold from minerals. Here there will be a miner who kindly will explain the old method they use to get the gold out of the rocks. This tour lasts approximately 3 hours and we take no more than 10 customers.

Tour duration: 3 hours aprox.

Includes:

•Private Transportation
•English speaking guide.
•Entrance fees to the archaeological zone of Chauchilla.
•Visit to the Nazca pottery studio and to the Gold Extraction Center process.


http://www.mysteryperu.com/co_cemetery_of_chauchilla.html
Excursion to the Archaeological
Zone of Cantalloc


Tour description:

This tour can be done at any time during the day. Our driver and guide will pick you up from your hotel at the designated time and afterwards we will drive towards the area of Cantalloc. On the way we will see the Inca ruins of PAREDONES, a Tambo (resting place), built long ago when the Incas expanded their empire. Here we will tour around this Inca citadel and our local guide will provide a good insight about Inca history.
Later on, we will visit a sector known as THE NEEDLES, where it is possible to observe a huge trapezoid from top of a little hill. Here you will learn about the Nazca Lines and will be able to get a closer view of one Nazca figure.
Afterwards, we are going to visit the ancient CHANNEL OF CANTALLOC. On this place you will get a good explanation about ancient engineering, as well as the Nazca culture. Around this channel you can also enjoy a beautiful landscape and if you wish you may go down into the channel using the spiral form access they have and even refresh yourself into it.

Tour duration: 2 hours.



Includes:

•Private Transportation.
•Professional English speaking
•Entrance fees to the archaeological zones

http://www.mysteryperu.com/co_channels_of_cantalloc.html



Excursion to the Archaeological
Complex of Cahuachi


Tour description:

The City of Cahuachi lies at the lowest section of the Nazca valley, it takes about 35 minutes to get there. On the way our guide will give you a proper insight about the Nazca Culture and will make some stops to show you certain spots of interest. Our guide will show you a millenarian tree, known locally as Huarango, a tree that grows naturally in the desert zones and can live for over thousand years.
Eventually we will reach the archaeological city of CAHUACHI where we will walk throughout ancient walls and climb 2000 years-old pyramids. From the top of one of the pyramids, one can easily make up the Pampas of Nazca (where the famous Nazca Lines are located).
Here you will learn about the relation and importance that Cahuachi had in the time of the Nazcas, as well as the different theories that exist about the Nazca Lines. Afterwards we will continue our tour in a sector known as ESTAQUERIA.
This archaeological site shows us a group of wooden stakes, which, according to recent researches were used as columns that held probably the roof of a Nazca temple. Other scholars believe the place was used to mummify the corpses of very important people, as just nearby there is a looted old cemetery where one still can see bones and ceramic fragments all over the place. A visit to all these places will definitely give us a better idea about the way of living of the Lines builders.
For the last 20 years Italian archaeologists have been excavating at Cahuachi, discovering magnificent temples and hundreds of tombs containing human remains, as well as wonderful textiles and ceramics. Nowadays these pieces can be seen at the Museum Antonini in Nazca. Our guide will take us to this museum and will explain about it.

Tour duration: 4 hours aprox.

Includes:

•Private Transportation.
•Professional English speaking
•Entrance fees to the archaeological zones.
•Guided Visit to the Antonini Museum
•Entrance fees at the Museum.


Excursion to the Petroglyphs and
Geoglyphs of the Valley of Palpa


Tour description:

The excursion to the Valley of Palpa starts around 8:00 AM. Our tour guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel and then we will head north of Nazca, towards the Nazca desert, where most of the Nazca Lines are to be found. Along the way we will stop at the Metallic Tower known as EL MIRADOR, from where we will observe 2 of the most famous Nazca figures. Later on we will continue our journey to Palpa, where we visit the village of CHICHICTARA, in which can be found these 4000 years old petroglyphs.
According to the archeologists the Palpa Valley was inhabited by early cultures, which used the flat surface of volcanic rocks to shape their everyday life, as well as their animals, birds, ancient priests and a number of geometrical designs. It has been registered over 300 hundreds petroglyphs. Among the figures here visitors may see dozens of wonderful representations such as: Condors, Andean felines, snakes, Llamas, Andean deer and many others. After touring around Chicchitara, we will move onto the other side of the Valley and will reach the Rio Grande Oasis, where we will visit a primitive desert figure known as EL TUMI, (A ceremonial knife used by ancient Peruvians Priests in bloody human sacrifices). Here we will walk up hill for a few minutes, till a natural lookout point from where we will spot this figure as well as the beautiful oasis of Rio Grande.
The Valley of Palpa is also very well known for its juicy Oranges, which are harvested almost all year long and for the delicious river shrimps that are brought from the upper section of the valley, where the generous Andean waters still run down. To finish off this tour we will stop at one typical outdoor restaurant where visitors will enjoy a wonderful local food.

Tour duration: 5 hours.

Includes:

•Private Transportation.
•Visit the Metallic Tower of the Nazca Lines.
•Guided visit to the Maria Reiche Museum
•Visit to the Petroglyphs of Chicchitara & The Tumi figure.
•Professional English speaking
•Entrance fees to the archaeological zones.

http://www.mysteryperu.com/co_chicchitara_carving_rocks.html


Adventure Tours

Early Sandboarding
on Cerro Blanco
http://www.mysteryperu.com/co_cerro_blanco.html


Tour description:

Early Sandboarding is an adventure tour that combines trekking, wonderful scenery and a lot of fun. In order to do this trip easy and cool, it is necessary to leave early in the morning; an advisable time is around 6:30 am. Starting out at this time we will avoid the searing heat of the sun, and will truly enjoy our trek.
Our driver and tour guide will pick you up from your hotel at the designated time and afterwards we will drive up towards the Andean slopes. After 30 minutes or so, we will reach a point from where we start the trek. We will follow a trail that makes the conquest of this huge dune much easier.
The hike is gentle at the beginning, and it gets a little tough once we reach the sandy slopes. It takes about 3 hours to get to the top. On the way we will be able to see unique sceneries of the Andes as well as whimsical dune formations all over the place.
Once we have conquered the summit of Cerro Blanco we will take a good break, have breakfast and talk about this dune formation and other important aspects. Afterwards we will learn some safety techniques so that you can enjoy your ride safely. We will start to practice on the many little dunes that are at the top, so once we have practiced enough, we will jump off. The length of this slope is about 1 kilometer, so a lot of fun should be expected.
Once we have landed at the shore of Cerro Blanco, we will have to walk downhill for about 30 minutes, until a point, where our transfer back to town will pick us up.

Tour duration: 6 hours aprox.

Includes:

•Private Transportation to Km, 22.
•Professional English speaking + 02 Assistances.
•Sandboard Equipment. (Including mobile phones for emergencies).
•Snacks & Bottles of water.


http://www.mysteryperu.com/co_cerro_blanco.html


Sandboarding
Camping on the highest Dune of the World

Tour description:

Our team leaves at 2:00 pm. We will drive you up towards the western slopes of the Andes for about 25 minutes. Eventually our bus will drop us off in a point where we will start the trek. We will follow a trail that makes the conquest of this huge dune much easier. The hike is gentle at the beginning, and it gets a little rough once we reach the sandy slopes. It takes about 3 hours to get to the top in total.
On the way we will be able to see unique sceneries of the Andes as well as whimsical dune formations all over the place. After some group photos, our staff will pitch the tents and we will sit right on the top to observe the sunset.
A talk about Andean Worshiping will be given by our local guide, followed by a sky watching, as the sky at that altitude used to be very clear. (If tourists wish to talk about the Nasca Lines, we might also give a lecture about it). Eventually we camp under a wonderful starry night.
The next day, early in the morning we will grab our boards and will start to sand-board this enormous dune. Previously, we will learn some safety techniques so that you can enjoy your ride safely. We will start to practice on the many little dunes that are at the top, so once we have practiced enough, we will jump off the last slope of Cerro Blanco, a steep wall of sand with more than 1 kilometer, so a lot of fun should be expected.
Once we have landed at the shore of Cerro Blanco, we will have to walk downhill for about 30 minutes, until a point, where our vehicle will be waiting for us to take you back to Nazca.


Tour duration: 02 days /01 night

Includes:

•Private Transportation to Km, 22.
•Professional English speaking Guide + 01 Assistant.
•Sandboard Equipment. (including mobile phones for emergencies).
•Personal tents: 2 persons in each 4-people-capacity tent, to allow higher comfort.
•01 mattress per person.
•Snacks & Bottles of water.



Biking Tour on the Steepest
Andean Road of Peru
From 4200 down to 600m

This adventure tour starts early in the morning. Our customers are picked up from their hotels at the designated time and afterwards we will drive up hill for about 2 hours. After 90 kms of road, we will have arrived to the Vicuña National Park of Pampas Galeras, a wonderful place located at 4200 meters above sea level. Here we will visit the local Andean Museum of Animals, where we will see all the fauna that exist in this National Park. Afterwards we will go with our bikes around the national park and then we will start to descend towards the coast. Along the way we will make various stops and our guide will explain about important aspects of Andean communities and also to look for Condors. At about 3000 m, we will stop, in order to make a nice trek in search of Guanacos (a direct descend of the Paleo-llama, a big animal in danger of extinction that is found very easily at this altitude). Later on, we will get on our bikes again and go down hill enjoying wonderful Andean landscape. Around 1:00 pm, we will stop at a nice spot, where we will have lunch outdoor. Afterwards we will continue descending till Nazca making various stops for pictures and explain things of interest.

Tour duration: Full day

Includes:

•Private Transportation to the National Park of Pampas Galeras.
•Professional English speaking + 01 Assistance.
•Biking Equipment. (including mobile phones for emergencies).
•Box Lunch and drinks.

Ecological Tours

Excursion to the Marine
Reserve of San Fernando


Description:

Our excursion to the Marine Reserve of San Fernando begins around 8:00 am. Our clients are collected from their hotels by our staff in charged of the excursion. Our staff is composed by a bilingual tour guide, expert on this marine field and a professional driver, who will conduct our 4x4 wheel machine. After we have introduced ourselves to each other properly, we will drive to the south of Nazca, following the Pan-American Highway, until we reach the detour to San Fernando, a dirt road that will take us deep into the desert. From this point we will have to drive down hill towards the Pacific Ocean, following a sandy road, throughout one of the driest desert on earth. Along the way, we will see dunes formations and with a little luck, it is very likely that we find the Guanacos (South American member of the camel family), roaming the desert in search of a tiny cactus Prickle pear. Eventually we will start to see the blue Pacific in the distance, and little by little will descend till its virgin shores. At the reserve our guide will take you for a nice walk to the place known as “The Condor Platform”, from where it is very easy to see the Condors flying over in search of carcasses. In addition to this enormous bird, we will also spot pelicans, seagulls, Peruvian boobies, Inca terns, among others, and many sea lions resting on the shores.
Later on we will visit a nice beach, where we will have lunch and also swim in the waters of the Pacific. By the afternoon, we will explore some other beaches and around 4:00 pm, we will drive back to Nazca.

Tour duration: Full day

Includes:

•Private Transportation to the Marine Reserve of San Fernando.
•Professional English speaking guide & Driver.
•Box Lunch and drinks.

http://www.mysteryperu.com/co_san_fernando.html

Vicuña National Park of Pampas Galeras

Tour description:

The Vicuña National Park is located about 90 km away from Nasca, following a steep/winding road that leads high into the Andes. This area is home of the four American camels (Vicuña, Alpaca, Llama and Guanaco), which can be seen running freely through the fields. In addition to these animals one also can see the famous Andean rodent known by the locals as Viscacha, as well as eagles, ducks and Condors.
This tour starts usually early in the morning. Our staff will pick you up from your hotel and then we will drive uphill towards the majestic Andean lands. On the way you will enjoy a wonderful landscape that combines different ecological levels, ranging from dry coastal hills with little vegetation, to high Andean plateau full of grass.
We will drive uphill for about 2 hours till reach an elevation of 4200, zone in which we will start to spot these graceful animals. At this place we will first visit a little museum that shows all the fauna (stuffed animals) that exist in the area. Afterwards we will walk through the fields and will learn about the great fauna of the National Park.


Tour duration: 6 Hours.

Includes:

•Private Transportation to the Vicuña Reserve.
•Professional English speaking guide & Driver.
•Box Lunch and drinks.


http://www.mysteryperu.com/co_pampa_galeras.html

Boat Excursion to the Ballestas Islands & Paracas National Reserve

Tour description:

Customers are picked up early in the morning (around 7:30 am) and then are transferred to the harbor where we will board our speedboat. The excursion lasts 2 hours, time in which passengers will enjoy and
see many attractions. Among them, stands out a huge design etched on the slope of hill, known by the local people as The Candelabra. This is an enormous figure that can be seen clearly from the sea. Our local guide will explain the most important theories concerning this drawing.
Afterwards, we will continue our excursion around the Ballestas Islands, where you will see hundreds of birds flying (Peruvian Bobbies, Inca terms, Pelicans, Cormorants and others) above the Islands, as well as dozens of sea lions on the shore of the beaches, and if you are lucky you also can see the famous Humboldt Penguins and dolphins swimming nearby. It is not allowed to land on the Island, which means you will spend all the tour on the boat. The whole tour on the boat lasts about 2 hours.

Later on we continue our tour in the Paracas National Park, which combines archaeology wonderful, desert and ocean landscape. This is perhaps the best chance visitors have to really experience our coastal lands. Our trip starts usually at 10:30 am. After you have finished the boat tour on the Ballestas Islands, we start our tour by visiting the Interpretation Center of Paracas, a place where you will be able to learn about all the species that live in this reserve as well as the geographical characteristics of the zone.
Afterwards we will visit the Julio C. Tello Museum, an interesting building that has on display the remains of the Paracas Culture, which developed on the region about 3000 years ago. Among the most interesting things, you will see mummy bundles, textiles, bizarre head deformations and old cranial operations.
Following our itinerary, we will drive for about 20 minutes across the desert in order to reach the famous rock formation of the zone, The Cathedral. In addition to this marvelous natural formation, you may also enjoy an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean and explore some beaches by foot with your local guide.
Afterwards we will visit a fishing village known as Lagunillas. Here we will finish the tour, having lunch on one of the many fish restaurants that overlook the ocean. (Lunch is not included).

End of the service.

Tour duration: Full day.

Includes:

•Boat Transportation to the Ballestas Islands.
•Professional English speaking guide & Driver.
•Private Land tour to the Paracas National Park.
•Entrance fees.
•Transfers.

Note: Notice that our excursion on the Paracas National Park is with a private car and not on a pool service.

http://www.mysteryperu.com/co_paracas.html


Ask for Enrique Lévano Alarcón.



MYSTERY PERU
Adventure Tour Operator
Street: Ignacio Morsesky 126
Telephone: 0051-56-52-23-79
Mobile: 0051-56-969-11-55
Fax: 0051-56-52-23-79
E-mail: [email protected]
www.mysteryperu.com
NAZCA – PERU

* In emergency situation ONLY, Mystery Peru can be reached after business hours by dialing 056- 969-11-55 or at our 24 hours assistance center: 056- 52-23-79