Tracing Ancient Lines from the Sky

July 22nd. Leaving the chaos of Huacachina behind, we continued south toward Nazca. It was another long & boring 150 km stretch through desert, dust, and little else. Along the way, we stopped at a couple of the roadside viewing towers to catch a glimpse of some of the Nazca geoglyphs—but we kept it brief. We didn’t want to spoil the surprise from the air.

We were keeping a promise. Our dear friend Lennox back home had flown over the lines 30 years ago with his kids & loved it. In his Christmas card, was a generous $200 USD, insisting we use it to have the same experience. His excitement was contagious, and we were happy to honour his gift.

We arrived in Nazca and drove straight to the small local airport to book our scenic flight for the following morning. As we pulled into the lot, a man in a high-vis vest rushed over, waving his arms as if directing traffic. I rolled down the window, assuming he worked at the airport—until he barked at me to get out of the truck and follow him. Turned out he was just a pushy salesman. Needless to say, we booked with his competition standing one foot away.

carpark camping

That night, we camped in the airport car park—just 5 soles, quiet and flat, and with bathrooms nearby. All planes were on the ground by 6pm, soon after the airport was deserted and all went quiet. I prepared a quick pasta meal, after the sun dipped we streamed a documentary on the Nazca Lines, learning about their mysterious origins and the woman who spent her life trying to understand them: Maria Reiche.

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waiting on the weather

July 23rd. Even though we were scheduled for the first flight of the day, we made sure to hang around the small airport office. Good thing we did. One by one, buses arrived, and the waiting room filled with excited passengers. But nothing would fly until the cloud layer lifted.

At 9:30am, we got the signal. We paid for our tickets $85 USD p/p then the departure and cultural taxes $30 USD (77 soles per person), showed our passports, passed through security, and were directed toward a neat line of Cessna aircraft gleaming in the sun.  We were assigned seats by weight, then folded ourselves into the narrow cabin for safety checks. Soon, we were taxiing down the runway.

1st flight

Takeoff was smooth, but once in the air, the bumps began. A bit of turbulence made our stomachs lurch, and Jaxon started to feel it. We saw the Whale, flew over massive trapezoids, and then the Astronaut, carved into a hillside. The pilot dipped the wings dramatically left and right so everyone could see—but it felt more like a rollercoaster than a sightseeing flight.

The clouds hadn’t fully cleared, and by the time we reached the Monkey and Dog, the view was only partial. The pilot called it, and we returned to the airport, with the promise of resuming later.

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2nd flight

Not feeling the best, Jaxon declined the second flight—he’d seen enough and was feeling queasy. The rest of us waited, and around 11:30am, we were cleared to fly again. This time: smooth skies, full visibility.

Following the same flight path for safety, we started again at the Whale, cruised past the trapezoids and Astronaut, then onward to the Monkey, Dog, and the breathtaking Condor—its wingspan stretching across the desert floor. The Hummingbird was delicate and graceful, while the Spider was smaller than I had imagined, but just as intricate.

The plane dipped and banked at each figure, giving everyone a perfect view. We continued over the Tree and the Hands, then the long Pelican, and the sprawling Parrot, carved out with mathematical precision. The final highlight was the Puquios—a series of ancient, spiral-shaped aqueducts still functioning to this day. Their corkscrew design was stunning from the air, and proof of the Nazca people’s impressive engineering.

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The Mystery of the Lines

As we all know, the Nazca Lines are a series of geoglyphs etched into the desert floor sometime between 500 BC and 500 AD by the Nazca people. What I didn’t know is that there are more than 800 straight lines, 300 geometric shapes, and 70 animal and plant figures stretch across 500 square km’s of the plateau.

Most of the lines were made by removing the dark, oxidized stones from the surface to reveal the lighter earth beneath. Recent discoveries has revealed that lines were walked upon many many times. Because of the stable, windless climate, they’ve remained largely intact for over a thousand years.

For decades, the world speculated wildly about their purpose—religious rituals, astronomical calendars, even alien messages. But much of our current understanding is thanks to Maria Reiche, a German-born mathematician and archaeologist who dedicated her life to studying and preserving the lines. She mapped them meticulously, argued for their protection, and lived much of her life in Nazca, advocating for their recognition as a cultural treasure.

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Back on the Ground

Back on solid ground, we were thrilled with our experience—two flights for the price of one, and a history lesson we’ll never forget. Jaxon, feeling much better, was just as happy from the ground.

We didn’t linger long in Nazca town itself—it doesn’t hold much charm—so we hit the road once more, heading South down another long stretch of coastal desert, still buzzing from the morning’s flight and the mystery of those ancient lines.