Peru » Lima | 🏛 Nazca Lines Tours

Lima to Nazca Lines, Ballestas Islands & Huacachina Oasis Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.60 (85 reviews) 76% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/27

Duration14h–19h

GroupUp to 16

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

See wildlife, ancient geoglyphs and desert oasis in one day

You’ll leave Lima before sunrise and find yourself boating among sea lions on Ballestas Islands, flying over the mysterious Nazca Lines, and relaxing at Huacachina Oasis with a Pisco Sour in hand. With a local guide handling all logistics—including pickup and your scenic flight—you’ll get to focus on moments you’ll actually remember.

14h–19h

Step-by-step itinerary

Depart Lima early morning
Travel 300 km to Paracas Bay
Boat tour to Ballestas Islands
Flight over Nazca Lines
Visit Huacachina Oasis
Optional sandboarding or relax
Return to Lima

The Experience

“Did you see that one?” Our guide, Marisol, pointed as a fat sea lion flopped onto the rocks near the boat—honestly I thought he’d roll right back into the water. The Ballestas Islands were louder than I expected: pelicans everywhere, sharp wind carrying that fishy ocean smell. Dolphins zipped past us for a second (I almost missed them, looking at all those weirdly serious penguins). It’s not even 9am and we’re already out here off Paracas Bay, just hours after leaving Lima—felt like we’d entered another world.

The drive south along the Pan-American Highway was kind of a blur—sand, then more sand, then suddenly this tiny airport where they weighed us (awkwardly—I’d eaten too much pan con chicharrón at breakfast). The Nazca Lines flight is wild. You bank hard left and right so everyone gets a view; I nearly lost my hat out the window. Seeing those massive shapes—the monkey, the hummingbird—etched into endless desert below… it’s hard to explain. I kept thinking: who made these? And why? The pilot pointed out each figure in Spanish and English—my stomach did flips but I didn’t care. That feeling sticks with you.

Afterwards we ended up at Huacachina Oasis—a real oasis, palm trees around this little green lagoon surrounded by sand dunes that looked fake until you touch them. Some people went sandboarding (I chickened out after seeing how fast they flew down), but honestly just sitting there with a cold Pisco Sour watching the sun bounce off the dunes was enough for me. Marisol told us her cousin used to swim in that lagoon as a kid—she laughed when I asked if there were fish (“just tourists now!”). We lingered longer than planned; nobody seemed to mind.

What’s included

Your day includes transportation from Lima by SUV or van, a guided boat ride around Ballestas Islands to spot wildlife, your scenic flight over the Nazca Lines (from Pisco or Nazca airport depending on schedule), free time at Huacachina Oasis for lunch or sandboarding if you want (lunch not included), plus an English/Spanish-speaking local guide handling all logistics until you return in the evening.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

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