Ica

Parade at the central plaza

Ica is a colonial city with 150,000 inhabitants and the capital of the department of Ica. It is a pleasant city where you can walk around in a quiet atmosphere. It is situated in the coastal desert at 420 m above sealevel, about 300 km south of Lima. Because of its altitude the weather is always dry and sunny, it rises above the coastal garua (sea mist) where many other coastal cities suffer from. It is close to Pisco and Nazca, both in the same department. The desert outside Ica has some fantastic sand dunes, and the nearby little town Huacachina, in the middle of an oasis with a nice lake, is absolutely worth a visit.

Street near the Plaza Mayor. Image © Govert-Jan Mennen

Although Ica lies in the middle of one of the driest deserts on earth, it is irrigated by the river Ica. There is a highly cultivated wine and Pisco (liquor derived from local wines) industry. The wines are of excellent quality, yet unknown and underestimated; they can easily compete with many European wines. The same goes for the Pisco. Many wineries and distilleries can be visited.

Ica's cathedral