Nazca Lines overflight and ceramics class from Ica

Throw clay in a Nazca workshop, then fly over the geoglyphs that inspired it

A full-day tour from Ica that combines a 30-minute overflight of the Nazca Lines with a hands-on ceramics class where you learn to make pottery in the style of the ancient Nazca culture. The day includes the María Reiche Museum, the Cantalloc Aqueducts, the Paredones ruins, and a metal viewpoint for ground-level views of the geoglyphs. Hotel pickup in Ica is included, and a flight certificate is given after the overflight. Flights may be delayed by fog, but the operator guarantees the flight will happen once conditions clear.

Step-by-step itinerary

Nasca Lines tour and overflight

• Pick up passengers in Ica
• Visit María Reiche Museum
• View Nasca Lines from metal viewpoint
• Check in at Maria Reiche Aerodrome
• Fly over Nasca Lines
• Receive flight certificate
• Attend Nasca ceramics workshop
• Visit Paredones Inca ceremonial center
• Walk Cantalloc Aqueducts
• Lunch at Nasca tourist restaurant
• Return to Ica and drop off passengers

The experience

Nazca sits three hours south of Ica across open desert, and this tour moves through the archaeology and the mystery together. You start at the María Reiche Museum, where a German researcher spent more than 50 years mapping and protecting the Lines. The museum holds her room, her records, and a mummy still bearing its original tattoos. From there you climb to a metal viewpoint high enough to see three of the geoglyphs at once (the Tree, the Toad with hands, and the Lizard) before heading to the airfield for the overflight itself.

The 30-minute flight is the centerpiece, but the ceramics workshop is where the day becomes tactile. After landing, you move to a working pottery studio and learn to hand-throw clay in the techniques the Nazca potters used a thousand years ago: the same culture whose geoglyphs you just saw from the air. It is a small shift in perspective: from reading the Lines as a mystery from above to understanding the hands that made the culture that drew them.

The rest of the day fills in the hydraulic engineering that kept Nazca alive in the desert. You walk the Cantalloc Aqueducts, a network of underground stone channels built to move water across miles of sand, and visit the Paredones ruins, a ceremonial center of adobe and history. Lunch at a local restaurant breaks the day before the drive back to Ica. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. The flight certificate arrives at the end.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and round-trip group transfer between Ica and Nazca.
• entry to the María Reiche Museum and her preserved room.
• a metal viewpoint stop to see three geoglyphs from the ground.
• a 30-minute overflight of the Nazca Lines with a flight certificate.
• a hands-on ceramics class where you learn to throw Nazca-style pottery.
• a panoramic visit to the Paredones Inca ruins.
• a walk through the Cantalloc Aqueducts.
• and lunch at a restaurant in Nazca.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 06:30

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (18 to 75 years) · Child (6 to 17 years) · Infant (3 to 5 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupUp to 10

Live guideSpanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 14 pickup points.

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

Paid on siteUS$ 30

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Sam Travel Experiences

Is this one for you?The full day runs 10 to 11 hours, which is what makes it possible to combine the overflight, the ceramics workshop, and the archaeological sites without rushing any of them, but it leaves little room for other activities the same day.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 17 years); Infant (3 to 5 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

What is the María Reiche Museum and why does it matter to the Nazca Lines?

María Reiche was a German mathematician and archaeologist who devoted more than 50 years to studying and protecting the Nazca Lines. The museum in Nazca preserves her room, her research, and artifacts including a well-preserved mummy with visible tattoos, telling the story of her solitary work to document and conserve the geoglyphs.

Can I see the Nazca Lines from the ground, or only from the air?

You see them both ways. The metal viewpoint gives you a ground-level vantage high enough to see three of the main figures (the Tree, the Toad with hands, and the Lizard) before the overflight takes you over the full array of geoglyphs at altitude.

What happens if fog delays the flight?

Fog sometimes closes the airfield in Nazca, and flights may be delayed until conditions clear. The operator guarantees the flight will happen. You may wait at the aerodrome facilities, where you can walk around, browse souvenirs, or buy coffee while the weather lifts.

Do I need to bring anything specific to fly over the Nazca Lines?

A valid physical passport is mandatory to board the aircraft at the Nazca airfield. Avoid heavy meals before the flight to prevent dizziness, and wear comfortable clothing for the ceramics workshop and the 30-minute walk through the Cantalloc Aqueducts.

What are the Cantalloc Aqueducts and what will I do there?

The Cantalloc Aqueducts are underground water channels built from river stone by the Nazca civilization to move water across the desert. You walk for approximately 30 minutes through the site to learn how they were constructed and how they sustained the culture that also created the geoglyphs.