Extra-terrestrial runways at Nazca Desert – Part 3

The most damaging theory about the Nazca lines came seven years earlier, when Erik Von Daniken published Chariots of the Gods, in which he proposed that the pampa was part of an extra-terrestrial landing strip – an idea that Reiche discarded impatiently. Von Daniken’s book drew thousands of visitors to the lines, but newcomers in search of the drawings set out across the pampa on motorcycles, four-wheel-drive vehicles and even horses, leaving inerasable marks of their visits. Now it is illegal to drive or even walk on the pampa – Reiche used the profits from her book – Mystery on the Desert to pay four guards to keep a constant watch on the plain.

There is a metal ladder at the side of the Pan American highway if you want to view the pampa from ground level, although there is not much to see from so low. The best way to capture the impact of the lines is to fly over them. AeroCondor offers flights from Lima, Ica and the small airport in Nazca and flights can be booked at the Alegria, Montecarlo, Nazca and Turistas hotels. Flights last up to 45 minutes and can be bumpy – skip breakfast unless you have an iron stomach. Lunch and a stop at the archeological museum in downtown Nazca also has 45 minute flights over the lines. If you wan to make the flight more economical, some of the pilots at the Nazca airstrip may be open to offers.

Go for Nazca tours, from the ground, the Nazca pampa is hot, dry and dusty, but from the air it is a puzzle that will thrill you as you try to decipher the lines and figures.