Previously, if one wanted to visit Peru’s lovely Paracas National Reserve or the Islas Ballestas, it required a 4-hour bus ride down the coast from Lima. Then, to see the mysterious Nazca Lines, travelers took another bumpy land-route 3 hours further to the town of Nazca.

Those wishing to continue their Peru vacation onto Cusco had to return to Lima for their internal flight, or submit to a long and arduous bus trip across the Andes.

Thankfully, the new flight paths eliminate these inconveniences.

Travelers can now take a 30-minute flight from Lima to Pisco. From Pisco they can enjoy the nearby Paracas Bay and its famously rich marine wildlife. Many choose to book a boat tour to the Ballestas Islands (sometimes referred to as Peru’s Galapagos) to admire the resident Humboldt penguins along with one of the largest sea lion colonies in the world.

Also, short-distance flights that skim over the Nazca Lines now operate out of Pisco itself. This is a slightly more expensive but much more convenient option than traveling all the way to the town of Nazca, which has little to offer other than its airport.

An aerial view is the best way to experience the legendary Nazca Lines, which are massive geoglyphs of animals, humans, and geometric shapes constructed by the Nazca civilization sometime between 400 BC and 700 AD. Despite being studied by modern-day experts, no one knows why these massive designs were constructed.

For more suggestions or information on a Paracas and Nazca Tour contact a Peru For Less travel advisor.

Reaching Lima, the capital of Peru as well as many other popular destinations in South America just keeps on getting easier. A number of international airlines offer direct routes and the choice has got wider as LAN airlines has announced a new set or routes direct from the US, along with a number of promotional fares.

LAN, who is partnered with American Airlines, is now the only airline offering direct flights from San Francisco. The new route starts on the 1 July 2010 and will offer four flights per week. Along with other direct flights available from New York, Miami and Los Angeles – getting to South America just keeps getting easier.

For travelers hoping to see as much as South America in short space of time, LAN has also announced a direct flight from Cusco to Iguazu in Argentina to compliment its other regional routes; allowing you to make the most out of your time in this stunning continent and see more of the world famous sites that are located here.

If travelling from Europe, a number of national airlines have direct flights to the South America including KLM and British Airways. Major cities in the region such as Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Bogota, Santiago and Lima operate as airport hubs, offering easy direct onward connections to other airports in the region.

See a previous blog article on advice as to how to get the cheapest fares.

For further information on the new flights, see the LAN Peru website: www.lan.com.

There will be a new flight connecting Cusco with Iguazu, making Peru travel connections to the breathtaking waterfalls even easier. With this new direct access visitors will be able to see two of South America’s most important travel destinations in less than a week (Machu Picchu and Iguazu Falls). Iguazu Falls is one of the most exciting natural sites in the world, with 275 falls along a 1.6 mile section of the Iguazu River. It was named an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

The second addition to Lan Peru will be a few flights a week between Easter Island and Lima. This will eliminate the need for travelers to go to Santiago before flying to Easter Island. Lan is clearly expanding its Lima hub, with even more plans in the future for new connections and additional frequencies to popular business destinations.

The new flights to Easter Island will be launched sometime in the second half of 2010. Beginning with a few flights a week, they will be matching the demands of the consumers. Lan says Easter Island and Iguazu are only a part of what they are planning for the coming years. Several expansion options are being considered such as a flight to the Galapagos, teaming up with TAME carrier. Flights to the Galapagos are very restricted so Lan would be unable to operate any new services to the island chain’s two airports.

With Lan’s expansions focusing especially on southern destinations, Latin America travelers can benefit from the efficiency of more routes. Travelers have more flexibility on how they want to plan their vacation. For further information on the new flights, see the LAN Peru website: www.lan.com or to book a Latin America vacation package, contact a Latin America For Less travel advisor on travel@latinamericaforless.com.