South of Lima the Panamericana crosses a coastal desert that runs all the way to the sea. It is a three- or four-day route combining archaeology, marine wildlife and dunes, and it is easily done by bus.
Paracas and the Ballestas
Paracas is the departure point for the Ballestas islands, a rocky archipelago with enormous colonies of sea lions, Humboldt penguins, pelicans and guanay cormorants. The trip is by launch, lasts about two hours and does not land. On the way you pass the Candelabro, a 180-metre geoglyph cut into the hillside whose origin is still argued over.
On land, the Paracas National Reserve protects a desert that falls in reddish cliffs into the Pacific. You can tour it by car or bicycle, and at Playa Roja and La Catedral the contrast between sand and water is striking.
The Nazca lines
The Nazca geoglyphs — hummingbird, monkey, spider, astronaut — were traced between the second century BC and the sixth century AD by removing the dark surface stone. They only make sense from the air. The flight lasts about thirty minutes in a light aircraft from Nazca aerodrome or from Pisco, with continuous banking turns over each figure: if you are prone to motion sickness, take precautions and book the first slot of the morning, when there is less turbulence. Anyone who would rather not fly can climb the roadside tower, from which three figures are partly visible.
Ica and Huacachina
Around Ica are the bodegas where pisco is distilled. Several historic haciendas offer tours and tastings and explain the difference between pisco puro, acholado and mosto verde.
A few minutes away is Huacachina, a lagoon ringed by palms in the middle of dunes over a hundred metres high. At dusk the buggies head out, running up and down the crests at speed and stopping for sandboarding. It is touristy and noisy, and the sunset from the top of a dune still justifies the stop.
A detour almost nobody makes
Between Nazca and Ica, the Chauchilla cemetery holds open tombs with funerary bundles, textiles and hair preserved by the extreme dryness of the desert.
Fitting the route together
From Lima, Paracas is about three and a half hours down the Panamericana Sur, Ica four and a half and Nazca seven. Hop-on tourist buses cover the route and let you break the journey at each point, which is convenient if you are not renting a car.