♪♪♪ [ Camera shutter clicks ] [ "Tumbala" by Novalima playing ] ♪♪♪ Edgar: Here on the west coast of Peru lies a landscape of striking beauty marked by mysterious messages from the past.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] Strange geoglyphs that speak to the heavens and ancient ruins of lost civilizations can be found alongside fertile vineyards and upscale resorts that buzz with the beats of modern life.

The Ica region has begun to reveal its mysteries and charms to the world.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] It's here into this area rich with history, natural beauty, and diverse culture that our voyage continues.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Peru's Ica region, located just south of the city of Lima, is one of the country's hotspots in more ways than one.

Today, it's a popular destination for people seeking both relaxation and adventure on the area's beaches and dunes.

And thanks to its vast fields of grape vines, it's the main source for Peru's national libation, as well as some of the country's most alluring and rhythmic music.

My name is Jacob Edgar.

I'm an ethnomusicologist, and I follow the planet's musical heartbeat to reveal the soul and spirit of our world.

I'm traveling across Peru with my friend Alvaro Fernandez, a musician and entrepreneur who invited me to explore his fascinating country.

Alvaro is the drummer for one of Lima's most popular rock bands, Campo de Almas.

With his connections to some of Peru's top trendsetters and his knowledge of unique, off-the-beaten-path destinations, Alvaro has promised me a journey I'll never forget.

It's always good to start an adventure with a stiff drink, so we begin our journey in the Ica region with a stop in the town of Pisco.

It's here that Peru's most iconic beverage has been produced for over 300 years.

Pisco is a alcoholic beverage that's made in Peru.

It's derived from grapes like wine, but unlike wine, it is distilled.

So in some ways, it's like a Peruvian version of brandy.

About 200 kilometers south of Lima, wine makers have long cultivated extensive vineyards in this mild desert environment.

Alvaro: Pisco is the national drink of Peru.

We are very proud of this drink.

We love it.

And Pisco is a denomination of origin.

It comes from Pisco.

Edgar: We stop at the Tabernero Winery where we see how the vintners bring the grapes from the fields into the distillery.

It's a process that hasn't changed much over the centuries.

Alvaro: You have all these kinds of grapes and you have different ways of doing it.

You have a pure pisco made of one grape, then you have a blend of grapes.

Pisco shows up in a lot of different Peruvian cocktails.

You can also drink Pisco straight.

It's a really delicious beverage and it has a lot of body to it, a lot of depth.

The vineyards of Pisco have cultivated more than just grapes.

They also provided an environment for new rhythms and melodies to develop, mostly in secrecy from the winemakers.

There's a direct connection between Pisco and Afro-Peruvian music.

African slaves were brought to Peru to work in agriculture, and that includes the fields of the Pisco vineyards.

Now, when Africans were brought to Peru, they weren't allowed to play their traditional African instruments, so they made music out of whatever they could find, and that included shipping boxes and crates.

Eventually, that shipping box percussion developed into the modern day cajón.

The cajón is one of the most popular musical instruments from Peru.

Finding inspiration in the heritage and traditions of the past has worked well for one musical group.

Novalima blends the deep and soulful sounds of Afro Peru with electronic beats and a hip, modern attitude.

Their efforts have made them one of the most popular and respected bands in Peru today.

Actually, it's a rare project because we were living abroad in different cities in the world, and each of us that started the project put up a studio at our home together and started experimenting, mixing traditional Peruvian music with electronic and other styles.

One of the things we work a lot during rehearsals is trying to make spaces in the songs for each instrument.

[ "Coba Guarango" by Novalima playing ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Edgar: Novalima's music video for their song "Coba Guarango" was filmed in the small village of El Carmen, not far from Pisco, and this region remains one of the strongholds of African culture in Peru.

Basically, what they've done is taken this rootsy, traditional form and updated it for a new generation, and the sound they create is just really accessible, really funky, really soulful, but also very cool.

[ Singing in Spanish ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Edgar: Buzzing on great liquor and music, we leave the vineyards behind and continue south toward the barren landscape of the Peruvian coastal desert.

Thousands of years before the cultivation of grapes and the development of Afro-Peruvian culture, the indigenous peoples of Peru literally made their mark on this region, most notably with the mysterious and magical Nazca Lines.

♪♪♪ The best way to see the Nazca Lines is from the air.

♪♪♪ Researchers believe the lines were created between 2500 to 1500 years ago.

The Nazca people dug shallow trenches into the red desert floor, revealing a white layer that gives the lines the contrast needed to see them.

They drew elegant, elaborate figures.

♪♪♪ The Nazca Lines are one of the great archeological sites of the world.

They rival the pyramids, they rival the Colosseum and these other ancient structures that were built by human beings.

And knowing how many thousands of years ago they were created, it's impressive just to think that the people who made them knew that the only way to see them was from the air, so who were they making these lines for?

This is a mystery that nobody really knows the answer to.

One thing's for sure, when you're flying over these lines and you see these beautiful drawings that are created out of stone in the natural landscape, it really generates a huge amount of awe and respect for the ancient people of this region.

While the Nazca Lines are Peru's most famous geoglyphs, Alvaro tells me of another one worth checking out in the nearby resort town of Paracas.

The town gets its name from the Quechua word for "sand falling like rain," a reference to the area's many sandstorms and high winds.

Protected by a natural bay, Paracas offers an oasis within the desert of southern Peru.

It is a place where the desert meets the sea.

So you have this really unique environment of dry, barren sand dunes, barely a tree in sight, and this incredibly beautiful bay.

Alvaro takes me to the luxurious Hotel Paracas Resort, where we meet Chef Rafael Piqueras.

Piqueras is one of Peru's top chefs, and his dishes rely on simple local ingredients prepared beautifully.

Alvaro: He's one of the best chefs in Lima, and he's very attached with the sea.

He's very close to Paracas and he loves seafood.

Edgar: Peru has become renowned for its unique and diverse cuisine, and Chef Piqueras earns high praise from his peers.

Schiaffino: Rafael is a gentleman, one of the most honest cooks that we have, I think.

He is the elegance of Peruvian cuisine.

Man: He does a very pure and clean work with his cuisine.

But I guess for me -- is the best place to buy a fish.

Any chef can get inspired in Paracas.

To cook with that quality of ingredients, it's very difficult to do it bad.

You have to do it the less ingredients you can.

Edgar: And there's nothing that gets Chef Piqeras more excited than ceviche.

Ceviche is considered an essential part of Peru's national identity, and Chef Piqueras makes some of the best in the country.

The best ceviche for me is the one that is done with the the catch of the day.

That's the way we cook in Paracas.

One of his great passions is seafood, which is why he offered to show us around this part of Peru.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Alvaro: Paracas has this amazing landscape with these rock formations and this wildlife, so the best way to experience this is by boat.

♪♪♪ And our first stop was this place called Candelabra.

♪♪♪ Rafael: This is the Candelabra.

It's been about here 2,500 years.

That's incredible.

So definitely a sign it doesn't rain much around here that it's lasted that long.

So "candelabra," that means the candelabra.

Candelabra, yes.

Which is this really impressive, ancient, indigenous design carved into the side of a mountain.

This ancient geoglyph is over 600 feet tall, and researchers still have not determined its purpose.

It's been there for a hell of a long time, and it's still very, very striking.

Just west of Paracas are the Islas Ballestas, an amazing series of islands that rise out of the Pacific Ocean.

♪♪♪ As we approach, we realize this island is teeming with life.

Thousands of sea lions lie in the shore.

Many of the females have recently given birth to pups.

Alvaro: You could see all these babies around and the big males protecting them.

And it was funny to see how they were so curious about us.

They were coming right up to our boat, check us out just like we were checking them out.

We were able to get very close and just kind of watch how they interacted with each other.

You see the male sea lions marking their territory, fighting each other.

You see all of these cute little baby, newborn sea lions because this is where they come to breed.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ [ Sea lions calling ] ♪♪♪ They sound so human sometimes.

[ Group chuckles ] There goes one right now, just like death-defying scream.

Just beautiful to see nature and with so much vibrancy, you know?

To see so many animals in one place was really special because you never really get to see that, you know?

You see animals one at a time or in kind of protected settings.

This was nature in its -- in its natural setting, you know?

Untouched by humans.

It was really beautiful.

♪♪♪ The Islas Ballestas have been called a mini-Galapagos, and I can see why.

Here life is abundant.

High atop one of the islands, we're even able to spot a few Humboldt penguins.

Here we are in Peru, not that far from the equator, and I never knew penguins came this far north, so it was the first time I'd ever seen penguins in real life, and they're as cute in real life as you'd think they would be.

And what's especially impressive about these Humboldt penguins is that they have to climb the rocks in order to get to their nesting area, so you see these penguins way up.

Just the striking nature of the landscape, the rocks, and the arches and everything about it is incredibly impressive.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ It's finally lunch time and Chef Piqueras offers to prepare scallop ceviche.

We met a local scallop farmer named Anaís who showed us how to harvest these scallops.

Some of Peru's best scallops come from Paracas Bay.

Alvaro: I'm a huge fan of scallops.

I love scallops.

So for me, going to a scallops farm was something really good.

♪♪♪ So this is an actual farm for scallops?

Yes, exactly.

And the scallop here at the south of Peru is much, er -- the flavor and the -- it's like a little bit sweet.

Oh, really?

Very, very nice.

Yes.

♪♪♪ Whoo-hoo!

Oh, wow, they're alive!

[ Chuckles ] They move!

[ Speaks Spanish ] [ Chuckles ] They're alive.

Alvaro: So it was amazing to have Rafael Piqueras there with us.

And so he made this quick ceviche with the scallops that we all get to eat.

Salt, lemon.

♪♪♪ [ Chuckles ] Mm.

Edgar: So you had these beautiful, fresh scallops, Rafael's incredible ceviche spices in this beautiful setting.

It doesn't get better than that.

Cheers.

Salud.

Salud.

♪♪♪ Mm.

Paracas is known for its life on and below the water, but it's also known for one of nature's fiercest elements.

We experienced the wind firsthand at the Paracas National Reserve, where we were to meet up with Rafael D'Angelo Cassabon, a world-class kite surfer.

Besides Paracas, there is the National Reserve, and this is a place where I like to go.

There's good conditions for kite surfing on waves.

So as the crew and I are driving out to the kite surfing spot, we head off the road and into the sands to get to the beach.

And unfortunately, our driver got a little confused and he ended up getting stuck in the sand very, very deep in the sand.

I was really worried, of course, because, I mean, we were stuck and we were behind schedule and the wind and I mean, there was a lot of things that could happen as a consequence of getting stuck.

Edgar: Nobody else in sight.

No cell service.

No way to call for help.

This is like being lost in the Sahara Desert.

Pretty soon, we're going to be dying of thirst.

We have to get this van out of the -- out of the sand, so we get to unload the whole van to make it lighter.

Edgar: Dig out the tires.

Sand is getting everywhere, in our teeth and our eyes.

It's blowing into all of our gear.

Just another day in paradise.

With the sun, was going to take us more than what we expected.

[ "Bomba" by Novalima playing ] ♪♪♪ [ "Africa Landó" by Novalima playing ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Cassabon: "Paracas" means "sandstorm."

Here, the winds can blow to 30, 40 knots.

♪♪♪ I have been a surfer from since I was very young and also a sailor.

And when kite surfing appeared, it was a perfect match.

Kite surfing gives me a lot of peace, actually.

It's strange, but since you have so much concentration with the board, with the sail, the mind will not think about anything else, so it's almost a meditation.

[ "Tumbala (Da Lata Remix)" by Novalima playing ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Edgar: This guy has serious cojones.

Yeah, you have to be a little crazy for sure.

It's a sport for adrenaline, it's a sport for practice, practice, practice until you develop the skills to do tricks and maneuvers.

I kept thinking, "Man, that wind is going to rip his arms off."

I don't know how he holds on to this kite, but he does some amazing stuff with that kite.

The guy's -- he's crazy.

Cassabon: Well, the wind can blow you straight out of your socks.

It never stops until you put the kite down.

♪♪♪ Edgar: Evening arrives, and Alvaro and I head into the Huacachina dunes, mountains of sand blown inland by the powerful Paracas winds.

An incredible day in Paracas continued when we hopped into these 4x4 vehicles at our hotel, thinking that we were just off to a desert picnic.

That's what we were told.

We were going to have a picnic in the desert.

I really didn't know what to expect.

Nobody knew what to expect.

Next thing you know, we're off-roading in the dunes of this desert in Paracas, and it turns out that our driver is an insane person... because we turn off whatever trail was there and we're driving up these dunes that look like no car could ever possibly get up these dunes, we're swerving, we're bouncing around, jumping out of our seats, wondering, "What?

Wait, where are we going?

Is this really how you get to the desert picnic?"

I was just having fun.

I was seeing these -- all these faces of surprise.

People were like, "Man, what's going on here?"

And they were, like, looking at me like, "Alvaro, what's going on?"

You know?

I mean, it was -- it was not in the plan.

And the best part is he pulls up, he goes up this dune.

It's like a mountain, this dune.

It's the biggest dune I've ever seen in my life.

Suddenly, he pulls over the edge of this dune and it's like a 45-degree drop.

♪♪♪ And he parks the car, puts on the emergency brake, and has the car hanging over basically a cliff.

Up until that point, it was all fun and games, like, "Oh, this is fun."

[ Chuckles ] "Oh, wow, we're driving through the dunes.

This is crazy.

What a nutcase."

And then we get to this cliff and it's like, "Oh, no, this is real, buddy.

This is real."

No, I'm not going down this cliff.

I mean, literally, we were -- we were terrified for our lives.

Eventually, our driver, whose name it turned out was El Diablo, which means "the devil," fittingly in this case, convinced us this is what you do on these dunes, so we all got back in the car, turned off the parking brake, and down that hill we went.

[ Indistinct chatter ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ And it was so fun, so scary, but probably one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life.

♪♪♪ As the sun dips below the horizon, the warm colors of the desert transform to reveal beautiful hues of purple and blue across the sky and sand.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] ♪♪♪ We pull into this valley in the desert and off in the distance, you see a tent.

♪♪♪ The tent is lit with candlelight and there are carpets under the tent and pillows and there's a crew with a bar serving drinks.

Alvaro: We had an amazing food Rafael cooked for us.

We had shrimp, we had meat, we had chicken bruschettas, which were amazing, we had some drinks, and we had an amazing time.

Edgar: The stars were so beautiful.

We were far away from any light pollution.

You could see the Milky Way, the earth kind of spinning above us.

It was really, really magical.

And now we find ourselves under the stars, amidst the dunes... [ "Tumbala" by Novalima playing ] ...with the beats of Afro-Peruvian music bringing the desert to life.

♪♪♪ And there, giving a heartbeat to the rhythm is the cajón, the instrument created long ago by the descendants of Africans in Peru.

Here in the Huacachina sand dunes, the music helps us celebrate an unbelievable journey.

We went from the sea to incredible wildlife to unbelievable dining to the desert dunes to Afro-Peruvian music and dance.

It was a pretty spectacular day.

The Ica region of Peru offers a glimpse into the past, into a time steeped in mystery and magic.

On the surface, a desert may seem desolate and barren, but we've discovered that if you dig a bit into the sand, it overflows with color, flavor, rhythm and the vibrant expressions of life.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪