There is a lot of mystery surrounding the Nazca Lines of Peru. Rumor has it, aliens built them – you can clearly see spacecraft landing strips as well as an outline of an alien waving from the side of a mountain. If you don’t believe the alien theory, then you can stick with the more lackluster (and more widely accepted) idea that the Nazca people built the shapes as part of religious ceremonies over the course of a couple hundred years. Whatever you chose to believe, there is no denying that the Nazca Lines are an impressive part of Peruvian history and a major draw for tourists.

Is this an alien or an astronaut?!

Having learned about the formations from an Ancient Aliens episode many years ago, Jon was eager to see them for himself. After learning that the best way to view the lines was from a small airplane ride, I quickly jumped on board. We arrived in Nazca mid-day and scheduled our flight for the next morning, since it is typically smoother and a more comfortable ride earlier in the day before the winds pick up.

The airline picked us up and drove us out to the small airport, where the terminal was basically one large room around which the different airlines had their booths set up. We had to give our passports and get weighed (the number is much lower in kilograms than in pounds so I can easily “forget” the conversion rate!). Since the planes are all small, each passenger is weighed so that they can be assigned seats based on the best weight distribution for the aircraft. As it turned out, Jon and I had to split up and go on two different flights, which was a bummer as I wish we could have shared the experience together, especially one that we were so excited about.

They have a film running in the terminal about the history of the Nazca people and the geoglyphs that we were about to see. It was a nice way to both keep us occupied and give us a little history lesson before our flight. We were both eager to get to our planes and begin the flight, so unfortunately I don’t remember a whole lot about the movie!

The condor

As soon as I sat down in the plane, I was immediately taken back to when I was growing up and would go on plane rides with my dad. He is a pilot and used to take us for flights around in a small 4-seater plane, where I would sit in the co-pilot seat and he would let me steer on occasion. While I didn’t get to sit in the co-pilot seat for this flight, Jon and I were both placed in the seat directly behind the pilot on each of our flights. For those who are interested, we were both flying in a Cessna 207 (a 7-seater plane with the wings on the top of the plane).

We could see for a long way from the plane, all across the desert and city of Nasca.

We took off from the Nazca airport and flew for a few minutes before spotting our first geoglyph. Before the flight, we had each received a map of the route we would fly and the shapes we would see. As we approached each shape, the co-pilot would alert us over the headset to let us know which shape it was and which side would see it first. The pilot would bank hard to the right and then, in a figure-eight, bank hard to the left, so that everyone in the plane could get a good view out of their window. It was dizzying to be constantly rotating from side to side, but well worth it as we few over the 12 shapes.

We each received a small map of the route we would be flying with the shapes we would see.

Our flight took us over 12 shapes, as well as seeing numerous straight lines (remember those alien runways I mentioned?) and spiral circles. In no particular order, we saw a monkey, dog, hummingbird, whale, parrot, lizard, tree, set of hands, astronaut person (or alien, depending on what you believe!), spider, condor, and heron. Some were easier to make out than others – with clearer outlines and nothing else nearby. The co-pilot was helpful in pointing out landmarks and tips for those that were harder to see so that we could still make them out from the air.

The heron bird was a long and zigzag shape.

Being a couple thousand feet in the air, the geoglyphs were all visible and varied in size, some larger than others. However back on land, they are impossible to see when standing on the ground – you could walk next to one and have no clue it was there. It is only when you elevate yourself (either in a plane or from a viewing tower) can you begin to make out the shapes and grasp the size of the structures.

The highway cuts into the middle of the lizard, on the left. You can also see the tree (center) and a pair of hands (right).

The flight over the 12 shapes went quickly and before I knew it, we had turned around and were heading back toward the airport. Only about 25 total minutes in the air, but a memory that I will carry with me forever. I couldn’t stop smiling when we landed and walked back into the airport; I was grinning when Jon joined me 10 minutes later after finishing his flight.

While the Nazca Lines are amazing to see and a wonder unto themselves, I was just as enamored with the plane ride we had taken. Being on a small plane reminded me of the flights I would take with my dad when I was young and also made me think of my grandpa who was a pilot his entire life as well. I felt connected to my family in a place so far away and different than where any of us had grown up. In addition, I love flying in small planes; it’s nothing like flying on a commercial airline. It’s much more personal and intimate and, for me, more comfortable and safer. I told Jon that if it were not for the expense, I would have taken another flight right away just to fly again, not even for the Nazca Lines!

I’m not sure if you can tell how excited I was to be flying! I was smiling the entire time!

After our flight and lunch back in the city of Nazca, Jon and I both took naps. I think we were a bit tired from the morning – the excitement and adrenaline caught up to us and we slept for a couple hours each during the afternoon. As I reflect on the flight now, almost a month afterwards, I can still remember the thrill of the flight and the amazement of seeing the Nazca Lines in person. I’m happy that we spent the money to see the geoglyphs from the air and enjoyed my time in the plane. I would recommend visiting Nazca and taking a flight over the lines to anyone heading to Peru – it’s a place that will satisfy both the historian and thrill-seeker alike.