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Author: Nazca Lines Tour Editorial Team
Quick Summary: Chauchilla Cemetery is an open-air Nazca-culture burial ground about 28–30 km south of Nazca, where mummies still sit in their tombs with hair, skin and textiles preserved by the dry desert. It’s an easy half-day add-on — around a 25–30 minute drive each way, with a small entry fee — and pairs naturally with a Nazca Lines flight. Go with a guide or informed taxi, bring strong sun protection, and avoid the hottest, windiest midday hours if you can.
Most people come to Nazca for the Lines and leave the same day. That’s a shame, because a short drive into the desert takes you to one of the most striking archaeological sites in Peru: the Chauchilla Cemetery, where the dead of the Nazca culture still sit in their open tombs, faces turned outward, more than a thousand years later. It’s eerie, fascinating and genuinely worth the detour.
Here’s a practical, honest guide to visiting Chauchilla in 2026 — what it is, how to get there, what it costs, and how to fit it around a Nazca Lines flight. For the wider list of Nazca sites, see our guide to what to do in Nazca.
Chauchilla (Spanish: Cementerio de Chauchilla) is a pre-Columbian necropolis of the Nazca culture, the same civilization that created the famous geoglyphs. A few facts to set the scene:
What makes Chauchilla unusual is that you see the mummies where they were found, in their sunken tombs under simple shelters — not behind glass in a museum. As one visitor put it on its TripAdvisor page, it’s a genuinely “crazy” and worthwhile place to see.
Chauchilla sits roughly 28–30 km (about 18 miles) south of Nazca. In practice that’s a 25–30 minute drive, with the last stretch on an unpaved desert track. You leave town on the Panamericana Sur, then turn off onto the road signposted for Chauchilla and follow it to the end, where there’s a parking area with basic restrooms and attendants.
There are no public buses to the cemetery — it’s genuinely in the desert — so you’ll need a tour, a taxi, or your own vehicle.
You have a few sensible options. Here’s who each suits:
| Option | What it’s like | Best for | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guided tour from Nazca | Hotel pick-up, driver-guide, explanation at the tombs; often ~2–3 hours | First-timers who want context and no logistics | Tour price + entry |
| Combined with a Nazca Lines flight | Cemetery bundled with your overflight day | Travelers short on time who want both in one day | Package price |
| Taxi + informed driver | Cheaper, flexible; some drivers explain, many don’t | Budget travelers comfortable arranging locally | ~S/50 car + entry |
| Self-drive | Full control; you handle the desert track and navigation | Confident drivers with a vehicle | Fuel + entry |
A few practical notes:
If you’d rather not stitch the day together yourself, booking through a Nazca specialist like Nazca Lines Tour lets you combine the flight and the cemetery with the timing and transport handled.
The site is a series of shallow, roofed pits containing seated mummies, surrounded by open desert. You walk a marked path between the tombs. Expect:
It’s respectful to remember these are real human remains: stay on the paths, don’t touch, and follow your guide’s lead.
Chauchilla pairs well with Nazca’s other desert attractions if you have a bit more time. Many travelers link it with the Cantalloc Aqueducts, the Cahuachi pyramids, or the roadside viewing tower. If you’re deciding how much to squeeze in, our comparison of the 1-day vs 2-day Nazca tour helps you plan, and our overview of things to do in Nazca in one day shows what realistically fits.
Getting to Nazca in the first place is an overland trip — there are no commercial flights to Nazca, so most travelers arrive by road from Lima, Paracas, Huacachina or Ica. If you’re still planning that leg, our Lima to Nazca guide covers buses, passes and transfers.
Chauchilla draws consistently strong reactions on its TripAdvisor page.
Reviewers repeatedly describe how astonishing it is to see mummies with skin and hair still intact in their original tombs rather than in a display case. One detailed review notes that the last stretch is on dirt road and that a guide helped explain which mummies were likely royalty by their long hair and intact teeth, while a separate review calls the location genuinely astounding and confirms that guides are on hand to point out the key details. The most common practical tips echo ours: hire or read up before you go so the site has context, and prepare for brutal desert sun. A minority of visitors find a bare field of tombs underwhelming without a guide — which is exactly why the guided context matters here.
Is Chauchilla Cemetery worth visiting?
For most travelers with even half a day to spare in Nazca, yes. It’s one of very few places where you can see pre-Columbian mummies in their original open tombs, preserved with hair, skin and textiles, rather than behind museum glass. It adds real depth to understanding the Nazca culture behind the famous Lines. If you’re squeamish about human remains or racing a tight same-day schedule, you might skip it — but paired with a Nazca Lines flight it’s an easy and memorable addition.
How much does it cost to visit Chauchilla Cemetery?
The site entry fee has been around 8 soles per person (roughly US$2) in recent years, paid in cash on arrival. On top of that you’ll pay for transport: a taxi from Nazca has run around 50 soles for the car, while guided tours and flight-plus-cemetery packages cost more but include pick-up, a guide and the explanation that makes the visit worthwhile. Fees change, so confirm the current entry price and transport cost before you go.
How do I get to Chauchilla Cemetery from Nazca?
It’s about 28–30 km south of Nazca, roughly a 25–30 minute drive, with the final section on an unpaved desert track. There’s no public bus, so you’ll take a guided tour, a taxi, or drive yourself. Most travelers join a tour that includes hotel pick-up, or add the cemetery to their Nazca Lines flight day so transport and timing are handled together.
Can I visit Chauchilla and do the Nazca Lines flight on the same day?
Yes, and many people do — the two pair naturally. The scenic flight is short (30–35 minutes) and best early when winds are calm, so a common plan is to fly in the morning and visit Chauchilla afterward, or vice versa. Because flights are weather-dependent and can shift, keep some flexibility in your day and don’t schedule a tight onward connection immediately after.
Entry fees, tour prices and taxi rates change and are best confirmed locally before you visit; carry small cash, as card payment isn’t reliable at the site. The access road includes an unpaved desert stretch that can be affected by weather. Opening hours and on-site facilities can vary, and midday heat, wind and dust in the Nazca desert are intense — plan sun protection and water accordingly. Nazca Lines flights that many travelers pair with the cemetery depend on weather and can be delayed or rescheduled, so build in buffer time.