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Inhabitants: about 160,000
How to get there
By bus: several connections daily to/from Lima (4,5 h), Nazca (2
h), Pisco (1 bis 1,5 h), Arequipa (10 h).
Best time to travel
The whole year through the climate in Ica is comfortably sunny.
Due to the desert climate you will be able to enjoy almost 365 sunny
days per year! In summer from December till March temperatures rise
to an average of 30° C during the day, but the night is slightly cooler.
Activities
The area around Ica, Pisco and Paracas is called Sur chico and
is famous for the national drink Pisco. Bodegas are a popular destination
to visit and watch the production of the traditional grape-schnapps.
The region is also famous for sandboarding on the humongous dunes
that surround the city and out into the wide desert. They can
also be explored with a buggy that can be rented at several agencies.
Also several valleys in the locality offer nice possibilities for biking
and those willing to to be a little more adventurous can rise
high into the sky with a paraglide. The coast can also be explored
with water skies.
Festivals
La Fiesta del Señor de Luren is celebrated in October when
people make a pilgramage to the church Iglesia del Señor del Luren
which was built in 1558. The origin of this festival reaches back
several hundred years. The party lasts from dusk till dawn while
the picture of Señor de Luren is carried through the city.
This spectacular event is with no doubt one of the most important
in the region.
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Museo Regional
The museum hosts an extensive collection of ceramics, weaving, textiles,
skulls, shrunken heads and mummies of the Nazca and Paracas culture. Also of interest are the Khipu, which were knoted strings, used by the Inca for communication accross the empire.
Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays 8 am-7 pm, Saturdays and Sundays
9 am-6 pm.
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Paracas is a small fishing town and the most important starting
point for many excursions in this area. The nearest big city is Pisco.
How to get there
By bus: Paracas is located 235 km south of Lima, about 3 hours drive
by bus (daily).
Best time to travel
The climate of Paracas is very warm and dry the whole year long.
The average temperature is about 24°C.
Activities
Paracas is well known for its beautiful beaches, islands and the
natural conservation reserve, where a huge amount of birds, common
seals, penguins and other species live. For this reason this particular
region is one of the most valuable eco systems of Peru.
Paracas also has a lot to offer in historical terms. In
1927 the Peruvian archeologist Julio C. Tello found a huge burial field, which was excavated, one find being a mummy wrapped in fine textiles (mantos). Also
every day objects, weapons, jewelry and even food were found. The
experts are still amazed by the burial scarf: its fabric is very
fine and the colours are still enormously bright. Not far away from
these mass graves, a city of dead was discovered. There the dead
were entombed in baskets in the graves. These findings
and other samples of the Paracas culture can be seen at the Archeological
Museum Julio C. Tello.
Opening hours: 9 am-5 pm.
Accommodation
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National Reserve Paracas
The peninsula Paracas is located nearly 300 km South of Lima. In
1975 the area was declared a nature reserve. A guided tour through
the reserve is certainly worth a journey. About 700-200 BC the highly
developed Paracas culture settled there. During excavations, starting
in the year 1920 - fine textiles (up to 100 threads per cm
cloth) were found. Mummies that have been perfectly preserved by
the dry desert air provide testament to the ancient cultures knowledge of brain surgery. Whether for medical or religious
reasons is not yet clear but the fact that implanted golden
plates grew together with the skullbone indicates that many patients
lived on for a remarkable amount of time after the operation. A
small museum gives an overview of the local finds.
The landscape is intriguing with its bizarre rock formations such as
the "cathedral". With some luck you can also watch dolphins
on the coast.
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Islas Ballestas
You should not miss the opportunity to see one of the most marvelous spectacles of the natural world.
Starting on the port a 2 hour tour lead towards the cliffy Ballestas
Islands. Thousands of birds, Humboldt-penguins and sealions live
here in untouched nature. It is not allowed to walk on the islands
but the tourboats come close enough to be able to watch the sealions
and their kind play while flocking birds scrimmage through the sky.
The way leads past the "Candelabro", a huge trident that
is glistening in the sun and most likely belongs to the lines of
Nazca which are only 1 1/2 hours away by car.
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