Inca Trail, Machu Picchu Tours, Peru Tours

Ica City Tourist Attractions

Cathedral, city of Ica Main Square. Visiting hours: Mon. - Sun. during mass times The original construction dates from the eighteenth century, but it was remodeled in 1814. The outside of the church is of neoclassical style, and inside the Baroque style prevails as seen in the pulpit and altars.

Adolfo Bermudez Jenkins Regional Museum
Avenida Ayabaca, block 8. Telephone: (056) 23-4383 / 23-2881. Visiting Hours: Mon. – Fri. 8:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M. Sat. and holidays 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 1:30 P.M.
It featured a collection of pieces from the Paracas, Nasca, Huari, Ica, and Inca cultures. There are also Colonial canvases and furniture and some Republican objects.

Vista Alegre Bodega
3 km / 2 miles northeast of Ica (10 minutes). Telephone: (056) 23-2929 / 23-8735. Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 9:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M., Sat. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. A traditional bodega dedicated to the elaboration of wine and pisco, it still maintains characteristics of Colonial practices of grape processing.

Tacama Vineyard
7 km / 4 miles northeast of Ica (45 minutes). Telephone: (056) 22-8395 7 22-8394. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
It is dedicated to the elaboration of wine and pisco. It was owned by the Jesuits during Colonial times, and the mansion and the old stables of the epoch still remain.

Ocucaje Bodega
Avenida Principa. 34 km / 21 miles southwest of Ica (45 minutes). Telephone: (056) 40-8011 / 40-8012. Fax: (056) 40-8018. Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and 2:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Sat. 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
The bodega demonstrates long used traditional techniques of the department for the production of pisco and wine.

Traditional Wine Producing Bodegas
In these bodegas, they elaborate pisco in the traditional way using distillers made during the Colonial time. In the Ica Valley, there are more than 85 traditional bodegas, the most famous being Lazo, Catador, Sotelo, Alvarez, Mendoza, and Acuache.

Huacachina Lake
5 km / 3 miles southwest of Ica (5 minutes) It is a traditional relaxation spot for the people of Ica. The lake looks like an oasis in the middle of a desert, forming a splendid landscape of dunes, palm trees, and acacias. Some people believe the water to have medicinal properties.

Pisco – Paracas Tourist Attractions

The desert and the sea come together in spectacular fashion in Paracas, in the department of Ica, just a few hours south from the city of Lima. The cliffs that fringe the beaches are teeming with life: millions of birds that live here year-round, and thousands of others that fly from the Northern Hemisphere and from further south, ranging from guano birds to Humboldt penguins.

Boats set out from the port to tour the Ballestas Islands, giving visitors a chance to gaze at the sea lion colonies. By car, one can reach the port of Punta Pejerrey, from where one can look out across the hillside at the candlestick-like figure of the Candelabro, carved into the sand with a similar technique to the Nazca Lines, although possibly of a different origin: theories range from pirates marking a treasure hiding place to soldiers fighting for Latin American independence from Spain.

Back on the traditional circuit, the road leads to the on-site museum and the ruins of the burial grounds of the Paracas culture (700 BC), whose weaving skills have been admired the world over. A trail leads down to a protected bay, the natural habitat of flamingoes, the scarlet-and-white birds that inspired the colors of the Peruvian flag. They are not to be disturbed. Further south lie the striking natural rock formations of the Cathedral and Mendieta. At sunset, the Paracas coast spins through a range of colors, the signal for nostalgic visitors to return to the city.
Tambo Colorado Archaeological Remains Kilometer marker 45 of the Libertadores Highway It is a very well preserved Inca urban center, possibly built during the time of the Inca Pachacutec as a lodge for soldiers and high-level authorities.

Paracas National Reserve

250 km / 155 miles south of Lima (3 hours by car) The reserve’s 335.000 hectares is a refuge for fur seals, Humboldt penguins, flamingos (parihuanas), and many other birds. You can visit many different natural and archeological attractions in the reserve. One of them is the El Candelabro (The Candelabra), a geoglyph of more than 120 meters / 394 feet long, better appreciated from the ocean.

Ballestas Islands
They are located outside the reserve area. They constitute the habitat of a great variety of birds and sea lions, which you can approach by motor boat. This excursion is one of the most regular ones from Paracas.

Nazca Tourist Attractions

Antonini Didactic Museum
Avenida La Cultura 600. Telephone (056) 52-3444, Fax (056) 52-3100. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M. A collection of archaeological pieces of the different stages of the Nasca culture as well as trophy heads, musical instruments like pan flutes, textiles, mummies, etc. are exhibited in this museum. These discoveries are the result of the excavations done in “Cahuachi”, the largest mud maid ceremonial center in the world. The museum also provides the chance to see the Bisambra canal, which shows the magnificent hydraulic engineering work of the Nascas.

Nazca Lines
Pampas of San Jose. 25 km / 16 miles from Nasca (15 minutes). Kilometer marker 149 of the Pan-American Highway South It is a vast network of lines and drawings of animals and plants credited to the Nasca culture covering an area of approximately 350 km2 / 135 miles2. Some of the best drawn figures are the hummingbird, the dog, the monkey, and the long-tailed mockingbird. The German, Maria Reiche, devoted 50 years of her life to studying and researching the area and came to the conclusion that it was an astronomical calendar. From a 12 meter / 39 feet lookout, you can partially observe the shapes of the hand and the tree. However, in order to appreciate the drawings fully, it is recommended to fly over the area in a small airplane. The Nasca Lines were placed on the World Cultural Heritage List in 1994.

Paredones
Kilometer marker 1 of the Nasca-Puquio Highway (5 minutes from Nasca) It is an archaeological site that probably was an Inca administrative center. Formed by numerous rooms, terraces, and patios, its buildings have stone foundations and adobe walls.

Cantalloc Aqueduct
4 km / 2 miles from Nasca (15 minutes) It is an aqueduct built by the Nasca culture which still works today. Flagstones and acacia trunks were used to build it and they have resisted the march of time.
Cahuachi Ceremonial Center
30 km / 19 miles western of Nasca (30 minutes) This complex of truncated adobe pyramids built by the Nascas features a patio and a wide terrace with covered rooms. On top of the main temples, huge rooms with dozens of columns were found. The majority of these pyramids were abandoned during the fifth and sixth centuries A.D.