By road, Arequipa and Paracas are about 482 miles (775 km) apart, or roughly 11 h 24 min of driving.
Full advisory: Peru. Advisory issued: Peru September 04, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Peru: “Due to road safety risks, U.S. government employees working in Peru are prohibited from nighttime driving.”
| Distance | 482 mi (775 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 11 h 24 min |
| Main roads, in order | PE-34A → PE-1S → PE-28 |
| Regions on the route | Arequipa, Ica |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 19.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
On the road from Arequipa to Paracas
PE-1S (443 mi) and PE-34A (22 mi) carry about 96% of the 482 miles. It runs through 2 regions: Arequipa, Ica. Of the 9 stops listed below, 6 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Arequipa to Paracas
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | Arequipa |
| PE-34A | 4–26 | 22 | Arequipa |
| PE-1S | 26–384 | 358 | Arequipa, Ica |
| local roads | 384–388 | 4 | Ica |
| PE-1S | 388–473 | 85 | Ica |
| PE-28 | 473–481 | 8 | Ica |
| local roads | 481–482 | 1 | Ica |
- Mile 320 of this route: Arequipa → Ica (region line)
Where to stop on the way to Paracas
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Paleontológico de Sacaco (mile 290), Museo Arqueológico Antonini (mile 350), Nazca lines (mile 367), Museo Maria Reiche (mile 367), Regional Museum of Ica "Adolfo Bermúdez Jenkins" (mile 437), St. Jerome Cathedral, Ica (mile 438)
- Museums and history: Museo Paleontológico de Sacaco (mile 290), Cantalloc Aqueducts (mile 350), Museo Arqueológico Antonini (mile 350), Museo Maria Reiche (mile 367), Pernil Alto (mile 384), Huayuri (mile 390), Regional Museum of Ica "Adolfo Bermúdez Jenkins" (mile 437), St. Jerome Cathedral, Ica (mile 438)
Museo Paleontológico de Sacaco
Part of San Marcos University's museums, the Museo Paleontológico de Sacaco is a site museum of paleontology in the Bella Unión district of Caravelí, Arequipa.
Cantalloc Aqueducts
About 3 km east of Nazca, the Cantalloc Aqueducts are part of a system of more than 40 aqueducts built by the Nazca culture and used year-round.
Museo Arqueológico Antonini
On Avenida de la Cultura in Nazca, the Museo Arqueológico Antonini holds many of the finds recovered by the Italian archaeological mission Proyecto Nasca (1982–2011).
Nazca lines
Scratched into the Nazca Desert of southern Peru between 500 BC and 500 AD, the Nazca lines are geoglyphs made by removing surface pebbles to expose different-colored ground.
Museo Maria Reiche
Opened in 1994, Museo Maria Reiche (Casa Museo Maria Reiche) is a house museum at kilometer 421.3 of the Pan-American Highway South in El Ingenio district, about 27.5 km from Nasca and 21.3 km from Palpa.
Pernil Alto
At Pernil Alto, in the Río Grande District of Palpa province, archaeologists have traced how the site's inhabitants took up agriculture between about 3800 and 3000 BCE.
Huayuri
Sometimes called the Lost City of Huayuri, this large pre-Columbian site in the coastal desert of the Ica Region flourished from 1150 to 1450 CE, during the Late Intermediate Period.
Regional Museum of Ica "Adolfo Bermúdez Jenkins"
Ica's regional archaeological museum, named for Adolfo Bermúdez Jenkins, focuses on the different Indigenous cultures that lived in Peru.
St. Jerome Cathedral, Ica
Also called Ica Cathedral, St. Jerome Cathedral is a Catholic church in the city of Ica, Peru.
When you get to Paracas
Paracas Candelabra
Carved into the northern face of the Paracas Peninsula on Pisco Bay, the Paracas Candelabra is a prehistoric geoglyph; nearby pottery dates to about 200 BCE.
Museo de Sitio Julio C. Tello
Inside the Paracas National Reserve, the Museo de Sitio Julio C. Tello opened in 1964 and is named for the archaeologist who studied the Paracas culture.
More drives to Paracas
- Lima to Paracas
- Huaral to Paracas
- Huancayo to Paracas
- Huancavelica to Paracas
- Jauja to Paracas
- Barranca to Paracas
From Arequipa to other places in Peru
- Arequipa to Chucuito
- Arequipa to Desaguadero
- Arequipa to Cusco
- Arequipa to Písac
- Arequipa to Chinchero
- Arequipa to Yucay
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Arequipa to Paracas?
About 11 h 24 min of driving without stops, over 482 miles.
What is the driving distance from Arequipa to Paracas?
About 482 miles (775 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
What does the U.S. travel advisory say about the Arequipa to Paracas drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Peru Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Arequipa to Paracas use?
In order: PE-34A, PE-1S and PE-28. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Arequipa and Paracas?
Closest to the road: Museo Maria Reiche (museum, mile 367, 0.1 mi from the route); Regional Museum of Ica "Adolfo Bermúdez Jenkins" (anthropology museum, mile 437, 0.4 mi from the route); St. Jerome Cathedral, Ica (cathedral, mile 438, 0.7 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.