Sandboarding, Nazca Lines and the Peruvian desert

It was time to really get into the action part of our tour, so we set off down the coast of Peru for Huacachina. What amazed me most was the vast desert scenery of Peru. I had never seen anything like it. I’m surprised that people can live in the middle of the desert as the Peruvians do, particularly amongst the sand dunes of Huacachina. A few of group went wine tasting, but most of us were eager for the opportunity to try sandboarding.

Now, as I’m a bit of a snowboarder, I figured I would be a pro at this; however it is totally different riding on the sand. To start with, it’s not in the least bit slippery, so my vision of carving up the sand dunes while the rest of the group stared in awe didn’t really eventuate. In the end, like the rest of my group, I found the fastest and best way down the slopes was head-first, face-down in the sand, holding on for dear life. Between the boarding and racing in our dune buggies, it was a great day.

Moving further south through the desert, we drove to the town of Nazca. This is where the mysterious Nazca lines are located, which are various figures and shapes whose origin is a subject of many theories. The lines are best viewed by light plane from above. The view was amazing, and I was even the designated co-pilot, but I think the most entertaining part of the flight was actually for the pilot, who watched me lose my lunch in the provided plastic bag.

Continuing down the coast, we headed for the beach at Puerto Inca, stopping along the way to check out some pottery and gold making demonstrations. We also visited the Chauchilla cemetery. Now I’m not great with blood and guts and that type of thing, and this place was pretty graphic. The cemetery was right in the middle of the desert, and there are numerous displays that you can almost touch (not that you would want to!) of well-preserved mummies just sitting there looking at you. It was one of those, "I don’t want to look, but I can’t look away" kind of situations for me. Apparently, grave-robbing is still going on in these parts.
On arrival in Puerto Inca, we had some free time to explore and wander the cliff-top Inca ruins. Beautiful views, a great place for a beer, and a nice change from the hectic traffic of the busier cities.

Yesterday was our biggest driving day yet - 7 hours, but the scenery was gorgeous along the coast. We made it to the old colonial town of Arequipa, which has a great feel to it. We have some free time here which is fantastic. I visited the Santa Catalina convent this morning and I’m hoping to check out Juanita, the ice mummy, this afternoon.

Tomorrow we set off at 6am for the Colca Canyon and head higher into the Andes.

Hasta luego,
Leonie