The South

From vineyards to arid coastal desert, surf beaches to rolling sand dunes, the area south of Lima is wild, contradictory, and fascinating. Jump a bus on the Pan-American Highway, which cuts a black ribbon of concrete south all the way to Chile and you'll see mile after mile of nothing but sand, cactus, and wind-torn brush clinging to the stark, rocky earth.

It seems arid and inhospitable, yet keep traveling and you'll begin to discover the reasons why this region has been home to some of the world's most amazing ancient civilizations. Lush desert oases hide among the sweeping dunes, fertile river valleys tuck swatches of green into the gray folds of the mountains, and amazing wildlife lounges offshore on rocky islands.

This region was home to the Nazca, a pre-Colombian civilization that created the enigmatic Nazca Lines. Hundreds of giant diagrams depicting animals, humans, and perfectly drawn geometric shapes are etched into the desert floor over areas so vast that they can only be seen properly from the air. The mystery of how, why, and who they were created for is unexplained, although theories range from irrigation systems to launch pads for alien spacecraft.

This is also where the Paracas culture arrived as early as 1300 BC and over the next thousand years established a line of fishing villages that exist today. The Paracas are long gone, and the Inca Empire conquered the region in the 16th century, yet the Paracas left behind some of Peru's most advanced weavings, ceramics, stone carvings, metal jewelry, and thousands of eerie cemeteries in the desert.

Yet it's not all ancient civilizations, pottery, and mysterious drawings. With a sunny climate, great wines, and charming fishing villages, this region has been a favorite holiday destination for generations of Limeñans anxious to escape the big city. It's also been a commercial hub. For years during the mid-19th century the region was the center of Peru's riches, which took the rather odorous form of guano—bird droppings (found in vast quantities on the islands off the coast of Paracas) that are a rich source of natural fertilizer. Shipped to America and Europe from the deep-water port of Pisco, the trade proved so lucrative that there was even a war over it—the Guano War of 1865-66 where Spain battled Peru for possession of the nearby Chincha Islands.

Today the region capitalizes on its natural beauty, abundant wildlife and enigmatic archaeological sites to draw tourists from all parts of the world. When the earthquake struck the coast of Pisco on August 15, 2007, it was a double calamity for the region. Settled above the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, southern Peru is no stranger to earthquakes and Pisco town has been destroyed several times over the course of its history. Tsunamis, some 7 meters (23 feet) high, often accompany the quakes and can splash in as much as 1 km (½ mi) from the coast. The 2007 quake that leveled much of Pisco and left the fishing industry in tatters due to boat damage also severely affected the region's tourism. As people struggled in the aftermath to rebuild houses, churches, hospitals, and roads, reduced tourist numbers have further strained the precarious economy.

With wines and piscos to taste in Ica, dunes to board down in Huacachina, mysterious Lines to puzzle over in Nazca, and tranquil fishing villages to relax in in Pucusana and Cerro Azul, this part of Peru will seduce and charm you. Forget the whistle-stop tour and hire a car or take a bus along the Panamericana, stopping whenever and wherever you feel the urge. From Lima the road leads to Pisco, where you can choose side trips southwest to Paracas National Reserve, the Islas Ballestas, or east to Ayacucho. Continuing south, you'll pass through the desert towns of Ica and Nazca, take-off point for flights over the Nazca Lines as well as trips east to Cusco and Machu Picchu. Farther south is the lovely colonial town of Arequipa, the largest settlement in the region, as well as the gateway to some of the world's deepest canyons and Lake Titicaca. From Arequipa, it's a long, parched desert drive to Tacna at the Chilean border. The "gringo trail" it may be, but just because the path is well-beaten doesn't mean there's not always something new to discover.

Less »