Ballestas, Paracas, Pisco Route & Nazca Lines

Description Tour in Ica and the Pisco Route

With the tour in Ica and Pisco Route or the Tour to the Ballestas Islands, Paracas, Pisco Route & Nazca Lines tour”, you will get to know Ica from the Ballestas Islands and the Paracas Reserve with its unique flora and fauna, as well as its valleys, crops, vineyards and wineries. A tour for nature lovers, the observation of animals that do not exist in other latitudes, for lovers of good wine and distilled brand Peru: we will visit the cellars of Pisco in Ica and for those who love history and are not afraid of heights to observe with attention and amazement the overflight of the Nazca Lines.

THE TOUR IN ICA, treasures many secrets in the desert. In the valley, good grapes abound to make pisco and wine and it is there where the first vineyards in South America were harvested, brought by the Spaniards from the other side of the Atlantic. Ica stands out for its extensive agriculture and agro-export, located in the middle of the Pacific Desert. Important are the cultivation of grapes, asparagus, date palms, pecan nuts, cotton, mangoes, avocados, among many other products, many of which make the valley one of the most successful cases of agro-export.

WINE is a beverage obtained from grapes through the alcoholic fermentation of its must or juice, and PISCO is a liquor obtained by distilling fermented Pisco grapes brought by the Spanish conquistadors to fertile lands in South America.

It was made from grapes that were not used for wine production. Peruvian pisco is made only from selected grape varieties grown in certain regions of coastal Peru. The varieties of Pisco grapes that are used to make Peruvian Pisco are non-aromatic, among them; Quebranta, Mollar and Negra común and aromatic such as; Moscatel, Albilla, Italia and Torontel.

Here we will learn about winemaking: Harvest, destemming, vatting and cold maceration, alcoholic fermentation and devatting. Harvest: It is the first step in the production of Pisco. Destemming: It is the process by which the rachis or stick is removed from the bunches of grapes. Maceration: the crushed grapes, with pulp, skin and seeds or pips are left for a few days so that the juice or must that contains them and with the fermentation already started, acquires the typical characteristics of each type of Pisco grape, especially that which is in the grape skins.

Pressing, the grapes are pressed or the solids are drained from the macerating grapes, leaving the liquid or must, free of solids so that it can finish its fermentation and fermentation: The must, now 100% liquid, continues fermentation, which is a natural process carried out by the yeasts contained in the grapes. This process lasts approximately 14 days and at the end of this period the sweet juice of the grape becomes a must or wine (alcoholized).

Distillation: It is one of the most important stages in the elaboration of Pisco, this is only done in stills or falcas. Distillation is the action of eliminating the undesirable components of the must or wine by boiling it, thus separating and purifying the components. Resting: Pisco must rest for at least 3 months or more. The resting is done in innocuous tanks to reach an optimal level and enhance its organoleptic characteristics before being bottled, only in glass or ceramic containers, the Pisco is filtered to eliminate any natural residue it may have, all this is part of the Tour in Ica and Pisco Route.

THE NAZCA LINES are ancient geoglyphs1 found in the pampas of Jumana, in the Nazca desert, between the towns of Nazca and Palpa, in the department of Ica. They were traced by the Nazca culture and are composed of several hundred figures ranging from designs as simple as lines to complex zoomorphic, phytomorphic and geometric figures traced on the earth’s surface.

Technically, the Nazca lines have a small deviation. Probably, the Nazcas used ropes to avoid deviations in the tracing of the nearly 1,000 straight lines, some of them several kilometers long, and drew the nearly 800 animal figures by translating scale models to large grids made with stakes and cords. Then, the exceptional climate of the region where it practically does not rain rewarded the ingenuity of those humans preserving their work.

Enjoy the Ica Tour and Pisco Route

MAIN POINTS OF VISIT

• Lima (30 masl)
• Paracas (7 masl)
• Ica (406 masl)
• Nazca (520 masl)

Day 1: Lima – Paracas – Ica

• Beginning of the Paracas National Reserve Tour: 03.45 hrs We will depart from Lima to Paracas by CRUZ DEL SUR (Av. Javier Prado).
• 07.15 hrs Arrival at Paracas Bay, we will have assistance at the terminal and transfer to the pier El Chaco.
• Ballestas Islands Tour: 08.00 hrs BALLESTAS ISLANDS: At the pier we will board the boat, we will appreciate the Candelabro, a large geoglyph that serves as a lighthouse for sailors. The Ballestas Islands of Pisco are composed of rocky formations where you can find an important marine fauna with guano birds, you can also see Peruvian penguins, varieties of sea lions (sea lions and sea lions) and other mammals. The entire visit will last approximately 2 hours.
• 10.30 hrs Return to El Chaco pier.
• 11.00 hrs PARACAS NATIONAL RESERVE: we will visit the Interpretation Center, where we will be given detailed and didactic information about the fauna and flora of the area, then we will go to La Catedral this impressive rock formation is 28 to 40 million years old and resembled a giant cathedral; we will also stop at the viewpoint Supay Beach to appreciate a landscape of cliffs, and move on to the beautiful beach of Yumaque, we will explore this beach of clear sands.
• 13.00 hrs We will be transported to live an adventure in the desert of Ica, where we will find a great variety of dunes. With the buggies or sand carts we will go up and down these sand hills and we will be able to observe the desert landscapes.
• Adventure Tour: We will have more adrenaline with the adventure of Sandboarding, unforgettable experience with the board in the sand, this adventure sport will be under the guidance of our instructor.
• Free time for lunch.
• Tour through the Pisco Routes: Afterwards, we will go to a wine cellar to learn about the process and the tasting of Peruvian wines and piscos. WINE is a beverage obtained from the grape through the alcoholic fermentation of its must or juice and PISCO is a spirit obtained by distillation of fermented pisco grapes brought by the Spanish conquistadors to fertile lands of South America.
• It was made from grapes that were not used for wine production. Peruvian pisco is made only from selected grape varieties grown in certain regions of coastal Peru. The first vineyards were planted in the valley of Ica, around 1550. The wine industry was prosperous until the 17th century, when the Spanish crown prohibited the importation of Peruvian wines, as they competed with those from the peninsula.
• What the national wineries did was to turn to the production of the distilled grape liquor known as pisco. Today, this area concentrates a large number of wineries, and 85 of them still use the same artisanal techniques for the production of our flagship liquor.
• The varieties of Pisco grapes that are used to make Peruvian Pisco are non-aromatic, such as Quebranta, Mollar and Negra común and aromatic such as Moscatel, Albilla, Italia and Torontel.
• 17.00 hrs we will transfer you to the hotel so you can rest. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Lodging: HOTEL CURASI HUACACHINA

BREAKFAST, LUNCH and DINNER – PASSENGER

Day 2: Nazca Lines – Lima

• 07.00 hrs Breakfast at the hotel.
• 09.00 hrs We will go to the airport, we must pay the use of the airfield, we will board the plane.
• Start of the Nazca Lines Overflight: 10.00 hrs we start the Nazca Lines overflight with a clear sky for the best visibility. The Nazca Lines can only be truly appreciated from the sky, however, they come from a time when there were no aerial flights.   The Nazca Lines vary from simple lines and geometric shapes to complex figures, which is why they are so mysterious.
• 12.00 hrs Departure from the airfield and return to Lima, stopping for lunch on the way.
• 20.00 hrs Arrival to the city of Lima, we will drop you off at the hotel.

BREAKFAST, LUNCH and DINNER – PASSENGER