Is there a way to reach Nazca in relative comfort, as I have two little kids?
The road to Nazca seems very long (again, having two kids). On the other hand, chartering a flight from Lima is extremely expensive.
Is there any airline flying to Pisco, so as to avoid the long road?
And all in all, is it worth the effort? It seems a lot of time and money to spend only half an hour flying on the lines.
Thank you for the help
Y
Bus travel in Peru, and generally in whole of South America, is time consuming and the distances are long. A twelve hour bus trip is nothing unusual, more like the average. Better get used to it, as you won't be able to take flights to most of the places, at least not without backtracking via the capital.
Actually, Lima-Pisco and Pisco-Nazca are among the shorter distances along the gringo trail.
Busses are very comfortable though, and you'll have a few bus classes the choose from - with super cama/ejecutivo being the best class, with reclining seats.
Agree with the poster above, cheapest way around South America is to take bus, but Oltasura and Cruz del Sur are actually pretty comfortable, so maybe consider doing an overnight bus to maximise your time.
I did Lima > Huacachina (ica) > Nazca > Arequipa, so you could consider Huacachina if you wanted to break up your trip a little for desert dune bashing and sand boarding, might be fun for your kids.
I was pretty in awe of the Nazca lines, best birthday present I gave myself so I'll say it's worth it, but it really depends on yourself. The advice I got was to go up in the morning because it tends to be clearer, gets pretty hazy/dusty in the afternoon. There's also a tower that you can go to see the lines as well, but of course the best view is from the sky.
True about travel length in South America, but with one very small child I wouldn't mind spending a bit more for air travel, even backtracking to Lima when needed.
But I understand now that no Lima-Pisco flight exist, so it seems that I will either have to organize a land transportation or, possibly, giving up on Nazca altogether.
Thank you
Only you can decide if it is worth it. We were in Peru for 30 days and did not go to Nazca. If you are going it is indeed a good idea to break up the trip. I really liked Paracas (Ballestas Islands and Paracas Reserve) and I also enjoyed Huacachina.
Thanks to all.
Did you ever consider driving? It seems much cheaper than taking a tour, especially if overnight, to try to fly early in the morning. And it gives the possibility to stop and stretch, which would be great with kids...
The way most people travel to Nazca is by bus. It is not the longest bus ride you can have in Peru but rather a medium length. They have really good, comfortable buses.
How old are your kids ? If they are under 6 years old it isn't really worth doing the trip as they will not remember anything, later in their lives.- The only one who will remember it will be you, because of the effort and hardships involved.
My parents took me to Peru when I was 6 years old and word is that I didn't annoy them too much because I was looking out the window all the time and discovering this incredible country.
Thank you: It does deem that buses are comfortable enough, but I am more worried by the restlessness of the younger kid (that is why I am actually considering renting a car: we could stop, stretch, etc...)
True also about the age: I expect that my 10yr old would love the experience (she is already pretty excited); my 3 year old could not care less, of course, but it is 'carry on baggage'. I have to travel with her, as we are with no family support in South America.
Hi, I have taken the bus from Lima to Ica/Nazca several times and seen kids going crazy, it gets really boring :(
Renting a car would be a good idea, and the highways are in good shape, plus you get to stop in the way to explore a bit. Do get a GPS, just in case the stopovers turn into a detour.
Best,
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