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Pisco Formation — Ocucaje Desert
Best windows in the next two weeks, plus a packing list calibrated for spoil pile hunting.
Top 5 windows · next 14 days
1
Saturday, May 30
Spoil-pile site - tides don't apply.
75
Great
2
Sunday, May 31
Spoil-pile site - tides don't apply.
75
Great
3
Monday, June 1
Spoil-pile site - tides don't apply.
75
Great
4
Tuesday, June 2
Spoil-pile site - tides don't apply.
75
Great
5
Wednesday, June 3
Spoil-pile site - tides don't apply.
75
Great
Packing checklist
Essentials
- ☐Water (more than you think)
- ☐Hat + polarized sunglasses
- ☐Reef-safe sunscreen
- ☐Phone with offline copy of this dossier
- ☐Snack / electrolytes
- ☐Trash bag — leave it cleaner than you found it
Spoil-pile tools
- ☐Heavy-duty 1/4″ sifter
- ☐Trowel + small folding shovel
- ☐Knee pads
- ☐Garden gloves
- ☐Bucket for hauling material to water
Find care
- ☐Soft toothbrush
- ☐Padded box for any 2″+ tooth
- ☐Cotton or tissue layers between teeth
- ☐Notebook (or open the Toothhound logbook)
Permits
- ☐Have your fee/permit on you
- ☐Check museum hours and rules
Tactic refresher
All scientific work is conducted with Peruvian Ministry of Culture permits, typically in collaboration with Lima museums. Casual visitors can tour the desert with licensed guides from Ica or Nazca to view exposed fossils in situ — but cannot collect.
Don't forget
Peru's cultural heritage law (Ley General del Patrimonio Cultural) prohibits collecting vertebrate fossils without a Ministry of Culture permit. Export of fossils is strictly regulated.