Hostels in NAZCA, PERU

City Nazca - Witness the Famous Nazca Lines and Culture

Nazca, also named Nasca a number of times, is a huge town located on the Southern Coast of Peru. The place is famous for its Nazca Lines and a number of other tourist attractions. Colourful ceramics that led to the discovery of Nazca culture are other attractions of the town.

Accommodation Options and Languages Spoken:
Nazca has a number of budget hotels and youth hostels to provide good accommodation facilities to the tourists. However, you need to be very careful to avoid the offers made by strangers on arrival to the town. Spanish is the official language and you can also find people conversing in Quechua. 

History:
According to the various discoveries, it was between 500 BC and 600 AD that the Nazca culture flourished in the region. The Ceremonial City of Cahuachi to the southwest of modern Nazca is considered to be the ancient capital of the culture. Abundance of water facilitated irrigation and thus, the Nazca people choose this area to settle.

It was around 400 AD that people belonging to the culture abandoned Cahuachi and went to settle down at the present day location of Nazca town. It was long after this in the 18th century that Nazca culture was discovered by a German archaeologist Max Uhle. A number of colourful ceramics were discovered displayed the information about life, style of living, Gods and other aspects related to the Nazca people. Since then, the place gained attention as an interesting tourist destination.

Popular Places:
Museo Arqueologico Antonini is the famous museum located in the town that provides information about archaeological sites. Chauchilla Cemetery is known for preserving mummies and a number of ancient artefacts. Chicchitara Carving Rocks and Aqueducts of Cantalloc are other great places to explore the life of ancient Nazca people.

Of course, the most important tourist attraction of the place exists in the form of the Nazca Lines. They consist of giant geometrical figures, human and animal figures and other types of lines drawn on the desert surface.

Getting Around:
Air tours are organized to view the Nazca Lines in the city. Buses and taxis are also available. However, you can easily explore many of the places on foot. Avoid hiring a guide at the bus stops, as they are known to have bad intentions. Ask your hotel for the same.

Places of Entertainment:
Sand boarding and mountain biking are among the famous adventurous activities available at this place. One can enjoy food at street stalls as well as fast food cafes and a number of bars can also be found in the town.

Currency:
Nuevo sol (PEN) is the official currency of the town. One sol equals 100 cents. Notes can be found in the form of 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10 Nuevo soles and coins as 1, 2 and 5 Nuevo soles and 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents. Refer to the online news for exact currency exchange rates.

Group accommodation in Nazca | Budget hotels & cheap hostels