Highlights of the Southern Coast

By Amanda Massello

*See diverse species of aquatic birds and marine life such as sea lions, red boobies, and Humboldt penguins on a boat tour of the Islas Ballestas, nicknamed the poor man’s Galápagos, just off the southern coast of Peru near Pisco. Ubiquitous white droppings left by the colony of red bobbies have also earned the islands the name of Islas Guaneras. Muse over a giant sandstone carving on the face of one of the islands, the Candelabra de Los Andes, whose mysterious image and creation has caused just as much controversy as the Nazca lines.

*Ponder centuries-old carvings in the desert sand near Nazca, Peru.  The Nasca Lines are not just images and figures cut into the rock. Archaeologists believe they may be representations of a lost culture. The very shapes one finds there support the idea that their authors were traders, nomads, or even men from outer space, as the whale and the monkey are not species indigenous to this region of Peru. Dating the Nasca lines has proved a difficult science, adding to the enigma of their creation.

*Sandboarding in Ica - Surf down sand dunes in Ica from a height of 2, 000 meters (the highest on the continent). Or sandboard alongside the nearby desert oasis Huacachina. Pair mystery with adventure—the Nasca lines are only 8 km away.

*Find out what makes the sweet in the Pisco sour by taking a tour of a brandy bodega in Ica. Assume the Peruvian nationality for a day by paying tribute to the drink on February 8^th, the National Pisco Sour Day.