Palpa, Perú

2024/04/19

Palpa, Perú, has a population of around 9,000. The city was established in 1963 though it goes back much further. Most of the houses are probably more than a hundred years old, not that that makes them interesting. This town is definitely on the downhill-side of its life. Everything is deteriorating. There are few new buildings, and only a couple of new construction/renovations that I saw. So, what does this town have to offer the visitor? The town itself - nothing.

Outside of Palpa are archiolgical sites, petroglyph sites, the Palpa Lines, which are an extension of the Nazca Lines. There is an ancient Inca city complex, Ciudad Perdida De Huayuri, that can be visited. Though getting there without your own transportation might be a bit of a chore. I didn't feel like paying for a tour guide (who didn't speak English) or for a taxi driver to sit and wait for me while I explored for however long that would have been, so I didn't go out to it. If you do go and you need a place to stay there are a few to choose here in Palpa, but don't get your hopes up. I did find a decent enough place, "El Hotel Palpeño". It has decent rooms, wifi, flatscreen TVs, two swimming pools (I don't care about that), an events area, and a indoor soccer area. From the looks of it, I would guess it's the best place in town. The prices are little higher than typical but still economical. Otherwise, use Nazca or Ica as you base and then get tours from either of those towns. I think it's obvious I think visiting this town would be a waste of your time other than a stop for something to eat. Nazca and Ica are fantastic places and both are within a couple of hours drive from Palpa, and you can get proper tours of all the areas from those two towns.