2-Day Lima to Nazca Lines Tour: Flight, Dunes & Ballestas Islands

Fly over ancient geoglyphs, ride dunes at sunset, and cruise past sea lions in two days

This 2-day guided tour from Lima combines four major Peruvian attractions (a scenic flight over the Nazca Lines, a speedboat tour of the Ballestas Islands, dune buggy and sandboarding in Huacachina, and a pisco vineyard tasting in Ica) with hotel pickup, bilingual guides, and air-conditioned transport. The itinerary runs back-to-back with early departures and evening returns, so you see each site without gaps or planning.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Lima to Paracas and Huacachina

• Depart Lima early morning
• Travel to Paracas by bus
• Boat tour to Ballestas Islands
• Visit Ica vineyard and distillery
• Arrive at Huacachina Oasis
• Dune buggy ride and sandboarding

Day 2: Huacachina to Nazca and Lima

• Depart Huacachina early morning
• Arrive in Nazca
• Flight over Nazca Lines
• Optional visit to Cantalloc Aqueducts
• Return to Huacachina
• Bus trip back to Lima

The Experience

You start at 6:00 AM with hotel pickup in Lima and ride south along the Pacific coast in an air-conditioned bus with onboard Wi-Fi. By 10:00 AM you're in Paracas, where a speedboat takes you out to the Ballestas Islands. A wildlife reserve where you'll see sea lions, Humboldt penguins, and seabirds in their natural habitat, plus the Candelabra geoglyph etched into the desert cliffside. The boat ride is about two hours round-trip, and the guide explains what you're looking at as you move through the water.

After returning to shore, the bus heads inland to a traditional vineyard in the Ica region, where you walk through the distillery and taste several artisanal piscos while learning how Peru's iconic spirit moves from grape to glass. By 3:00 PM you arrive at Huacachina Oasis (a surreal lagoon ringed by massive sand dunes), and have free time to explore or photograph it before the adrenaline part: a dune buggy ride over the largest sand dunes in South America, followed by sandboarding down them. The buggy driver handles the steering. You hold on and take in the views. Sandboarding is first-come-first-served, so if you've never done it, the guide and the dunes teach you as you go. You finish with a sunset toast overlooking the oasis.

Day two starts at 7:00 AM with a private shuttle to Nazca, arriving around 11:00 AM. You board a small aircraft for a flight over the Nazca Lines (giant geoglyphs of monkeys, hummingbirds and other figures carved into the desert floor) with a guaranteed window seat so you see them clearly from the air. You'll need your original passport at the airport for check-in. After landing, an optional visit to the Cantalloc Aqueducts (1,500-year-old spiral stone structures still channeling underground water) is available if you want to stay longer in Nazca. The bus departs at 7:00 PM for the final leg back to Lima, arriving around 11:30 PM to midnight, depending on your hotel location.

Options for this experience

2 options

Guide in English or Spanish05:30

Guide in English or Spanish05:30

You pick the guide language when booking. Options with the same name differ in details you'll see when you pick a date.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

What’s included

• Scenic flight over the Nazca Lines with a guaranteed window seat.
• 2-hour speedboat tour of the Ballestas Islands.
• guided pisco vineyard tasting in Ica.
• dune buggy ride and sandboarding session in Huacachina with sunset toast.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Lima.
• bilingual guide.
• air-conditioned Peru Hop bus with onboard Wi-Fi and restroom.
• private ground transfer to and from Nazca.

Days and timesDaily · 05:30

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Peru Hop

Is this one for you?Choose this if you have two days and want to see Ballestas Islands, Nazca Lines, and Huacachina in one trip: the back-to-back schedule and included pickups let you move through all three without gaps between sites.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What exactly happens on the Ballestas Islands boat tour?

The Ballestas Islands speedboat tour lasts about two hours round-trip from Paracas. You'll see sea lions, Humboldt penguins, and seabird colonies in their natural habitat, and the guide points out the Candelabra geoglyph on the way: a large figure etched into the desert cliffside visible from the water.

Do I need any documents for the Nazca Lines flight?

Yes, you must present your original passport at the Nazca airport for check-in before the flight. Passengers weighing over 95 kg need to pay an extra seat fee of $80 USD directly to the operator.

Is the dune buggy and sandboarding suitable for first-timers?

The dune buggy ride is suitable for all fitness levels. You sit in the vehicle while the driver navigates the dunes. Sandboarding is also open to first-timers. The minimum age is 7 years old. The activity happens at sunset in Huacachina, and you'll have instruction and support from the guide.

What's included in the pisco tasting at the vineyard?

The vineyard visit includes a guided tour through the distillery where you learn how pisco is made from grape to glass, plus a tasting of several artisanal piscos. The guide walks you through the production process and shares the history of Peru's iconic spirit.

What time do I return to Lima, and where does the bus drop me?

The bus departs Nazca at 7:00 PM and arrives back in Lima around 11:30 PM to midnight. Drop-off is at your hotel in Miraflores or Lima downtown. Exact timing depends on your location and traffic.

What's the difference between the Standard and PLUS options?

Both options include the Nazca Lines flight, Ballestas Islands cruise, dune buggy and sandboarding, pisco tasting, and all transport. The PLUS option adds the Cantalloc Aqueducts tour in Nazca and covers the airport tax there. The Standard option makes the aqueducts visit optional and charges the airport tax separately.