Ica Department · Peru
Ica travel guide
Ica is a city in Ica Department, Peru, home to about 282,000 people.
- Best months
- all year
- Nearest airport
- NZC121 km · Maria Reiche Neuman Airport
- Currency
- PENNuevo sol
- Time zone
- America/Lima
- Language
- Aymara, Quechua, Spanish
About
About Ica
Ica is a city and the capital of the Department of Ica in southern Peru. While the area was long inhabited by varying cultures of indigenous peoples, the Spanish conquistador Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera claimed its founding in 1563.
Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Ica
See
In Ica visitors may visit the Huacachina Lagoon, the only oasis in South America, surrounded by huge sand dunes where you can practice sandboarding.
- Museo de Piedras Grabadas, (Engraved Stones Museum) in Ica.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Ica
1 hotel within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel “Mossone” | 3.9 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Ica
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Ica are all year. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 27 °C; March is the wettest, with about 1 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Ica: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Maria Reiche Neuman Airport (NZC), about 121 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
Ica is about 4-5 hours by bus from Lima, connections are frequent. To Nazca is only 2-3 hours (S/13 in May 2023). Since 2022 the Palpa bridge has been under construction causing very often more than 1-hr delay on the road connection with Nazca.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
NZC · Maria Reiche Neuman Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Ica
Stay safe
At night the streets of Ica can be dangerous. Take taxis to get around or just stay at your hotel room.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Ica: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Ica?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Ica are all year. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 27 °C; March is the wettest, with about 1 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Ica?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Maria Reiche Neuman Airport (NZC), about 121 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Ica?
Nuevo sol (PEN).
Nearby
Destinations near Ica
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.