Day 6 15th November 2006 Bird Poo and Sand - Pisco to Nasca 207km

On route from Pisco to Nasca we stopped of at the Ballestros Islands, a large sea bird and sea lion colony. The islands were previously farmed for large quantities of guno (bird poo) which is used as a fertiliser. The sheer quantity of birds was amazing and before climate change reduced the population drastically a 1.5 meter layer of guano was farmed form the island each year.

As we travelled towards Nasca the landscape started to change with huge sand dunes looming in the disctance, some of which higher than the mountains, the largest being Cerro Blanco which at 2,078m is the highest sand dune in the world. There is almost zero rainfall here which is one of the reasons for the preservation of the Nasca lines.

Before arriving in Nasca we spent the afternoon on dune buggies and sand boarding, well sledging. Highlights: Sand buggies and sand boarding