Huacachina was somewhere I’d never heard of or even imagined before visiting South America. Our original plans had not left enough time in Peru to visit this oasis. Based on a friend’s recommendation, we changed our flights at the last minute to allow for more time and could not have been happier with this decision. If anything, I wish we had more time to have stayed overnight rather than completing as a day trip.
The day trip booked through Peru hop cost $130 USD per person. This included all activities for the day and travel. The additional cost of food was each traveller’s individual responsibility.
Pick up from a hostel in Lima was arranged for 5:40 am and was prompt and timely. The bus was comfortable and allowed us to catch up on some sleep. The tour guides spoke excellent English and were extremely knowledgeable about the area and all the activities we participated in. The first driving portion took 3 hours from Lima to Paracas.
Paracas is a small fishing village south of Lima on the Peruvian coastline. It’s home to an incredible variety of wildlife. Upon arrival, we had time to grab a coffee and some breakfast snacks before heading out on a boat ride. The boat tour took us to an island off the coast. The sea was teeming with playful seals. Birdlife was everywhere, and it was fascinating to learn about the fertiliser industry based on harvesting bird droppings. I never would have imagined Peru would be a place to see penguins! There was plenty of wildlife to spot, and the ocean was beautiful.
We then drove on to the town of Huacachina. Huacachina is an oasis nestled amongst the sand hills of the desert. It’s incredibly beautiful and jarring juxtaposition between the oasis and the dunes. Free time was provided to explore the town and eat lunch. The town is quant with a few market stalls, paddle boats on the lake and multiple cafes/bars. I’d recommend drinking a pisco sour, this region of Peru Specifically Ica is known for making the best pisco.
After lunch, we took off in the dune buggies. It felt like something out of the Mad Max movies. The drivers were wild, getting their kicks from scaring their passengers with their exceptional driving skills. The adrenaline rush was incredible. Once we reached the top of the dunes, we unloaded sandboards and began flying down the massive sand slopes. It was truly an unforgettable experience. The best part was that we didn’t have to trek back up the dunes; the buggies picked us up at the bottom of each dune and drove us to the next one.
For those more skilled, skis were offered as an alternative to the sandboards. Unless you’re an extremely experienced skier, the sandboards are a better option to have the most fun in a short time. My biggest tip for this would be to wear a buff! Sand gets EVERYWHERE, and the buff makes everything so much more comfortable. After all the fun, it was perfectly timed to catch the sunset over the oasis from the top of a sand dune.
Dinner was pre-ordered before the sand dune experience ready for collection when we returned to the town. The bus trip home bought us back to Lima arriving around 11:30 pm.
I could not recommend getting out there and seeing this incredible place enough. The whole experience was incredible, and Peru hop was excellent and well organised tour.
