ICA Tours

An attractive old but busy city with around 170,000 inhabitants, Ica is famous throughout Peru for its wine and pisco production. Its very foundation (in 1563) went hand-in-hand with the introduction of grapevines to South America, and for most Peruvian visitors it is the bodegas or wineries that are the town's biggest draw.

A further attraction is the Museo Regional, whose superb collections of pre-Colombian ceramics and Paracas, Ica and Nazca cultural artifacts, would by themselves make the city worth an excursion. Ica's streets and plazas are crowded with hundreds of little tico taxis, all beeping their horns to catch potential passengers' attention and which make crossing the streets a dangerous affair. Aside from the traffic and the occasional pickpocket - particularly around the market area - Ica is a pleasant but busy place with plenty to do, though after a day or two, most visitors are ready to head for the relaxing desert oasis resort of Huacachina, a few kilometers to the southwest.

On the edge of town is the rather ramshackle suburb of Cachiche, known throughout Peru as a traditional sanctuary for white witches.