Sandboarding at Sunsets at Huacachina Oasis in Ica, Peru

Several miles outside of the city of Ica in southwestern Peru sits Huacachina Oasis, a little desert town of just 115 people, a town which can be basically described as a lake surrounded by palm trees, themselves surrounded by giant sand dunes. It is a popular stop for travelers en route from Ica to Nazca, mainly because it provides the opportunity to enjoy hair-raising dune buggy rides and sandboarding.

You can reach Huacachina Oasis from Ica by taxi, at a cost of 8 to 12 Peruvian soles depending on the hour of day. Or, you can opt for a package tour, which begins and ends at your hotel in Ica.

 

 

 

 

 

For a daytrip to Huacachina, you’ll want to bring a water bottle as well as a hat and some sunblock. You’ll want to wear light clothing, both in weight and color, in order to keep cool and to protect your skin from the sun. During the December through March summer months, daily temperature in the desert is around 35 degrees Celsius on average. You’ll want a jacket as well, as temperatures plummet quickly in the early evening.

Huacachina tours actually begin with a visit to a traditional winery in Ica city proper, which produces some of the wines and Pisco brandy which the Ica region is known for. After a look at the process and a tasting, visitors continue to the Regional Museum of Ica to appreciate its large collection of relics from the Paracas and Nazca cultures. Finally, it’s then time to head to photogenic Huacachina. After a look around the tiny town, which can be walked end to end in a matter of minutes, travelers receive a lesson in sandboarding and trek up the imposing dunes to try the regional sport for themselves. Sandboarding or sandbuggying are high-adrenaline past-times, but a visit to Huacachina Oasis always ends on a tranquil note: the sun setting over the dunes.