Peru has many arqueological sites to visit and it has become in the last decades a great spot for culinary tours as well, but the country also offers some unique places where you can relax and have fun, such as Huacachina, a tiny town in central Peru. This is a unique oasis in the middle of Peruvian desert, located in the province of Ica. You can reach Huacachina with a 5-hour bus ride from Lima capital city to Ica and then a short 10-minute bus or taxi ride from Ica to Huacachina. The desert oasis is located south of Lima and is considered a paradisiac place with palms and a blue-green lagoon where you can engaged in multiple activities and also relax. This testify the variety of landscapes you can find in Peru. The town is very small, so you can just easily walk from a side to the other, with no traffic stress. It is a very relaxing place!
Huacachina developed around a little blue-green lagoon, whose water are considered very powerful to heel medical problems such as asma. Around the lagoon several resorts, low-budget hostels and restaurants have popped up since 15 years. Everything is sorrounded by huge sand dunes, ideal for sport activities, such as buggies and sand boarding.
Here a list of things you can do once in Huacachina:
Sand-Boarding tour: The huge sand dunes are the main attraction of the oasis, especially for people who love to engage in active holidays. You can just rent a board in the street of you have previous experience or you are a surf or snowboarding fan or you can take a tour with a professional instructor that will explain how to surf the dunes and you also have the possibility to choose the right sand board for you. It is very common to see tourists riding the sandboarding on their stomach or like a sled, since it is not very easy to do it on your feet. But we can ensure that it’s a lot of fun, especially if you go with your family or a group of friends.
Buggies: Another tour option is to rent four-wheel-drive dune buggies and go up and down the dunes with a professional driver. This tour is offered by the majority of hotels and hostels in Huacachina. We suggest you to take the afternoon tour, since the sun is not so strong as in the morning and the risk of sunburn is definitely lower. Also it is a great way to stop on the dunes and enjoy the beautiful sunset on the desert.
Winery Tour: As I said before Huacachina is only a short bus or taxi ride from Ica, a town very famous for its wineyards. So do not miss the opportunity to do a winery tour before heading back to Lima or visiting another Peru’s destination. In Ica you will find many wine “bodegas” that produce a sweet red wine and also the famous national Peruvian spirit: Pisco. There are traditional linerie that use old production methods and more industrial wineries in the area which use more modern machinery to process their wine and Pisco. During the tour you will learn about the production process and have the chance to taste several types of wine and Pisco varities. Among the most famous wine and Pisco “bodegas” that you can visit in Ica there are Tacama (https://www.tacama.com/), Vista Alegre (https://www.vistaalegre.com.pe/), Ocucaje (http://ocucaje.com) and El Catador (https://www.elcatador.pe/). Obviously you will also have the opportunity to buy wines and Piscos directly in the “bodega” if you want to do so.
Paddle in the lagoon: another activity you can do is to rent paddle boat and go around the little lagoon or swim in the lagoon, but take in account that the water is not particulary clean, so we actually suggest to avoid swimming in there.
Sunset on the desert: this activity is perfect if you love travel photography and you want to take amazing snapshots of the sun descending on the sand dunes. So just have a late afternoon walk and be prepared with your camara equipment to take amazing pic of the sunset.
Regional Museum of Ica: if you are into a more cultural kind of holiday you can visit the Regional Museum of Ica where you will find a collection of pre-hispanic pottery, mummies, textiles, wooden instruments and soft metals from the Paracas and Nazca civilizations.
Just Relax: almost every resort and hostel in Huacachina has private pools, so if you want to relax in the pool and enjoy the sunlight during the day, Huacachina is the perfect spot for you.
For more information on the best Peruvian destinations and the best travel tips just stay tuned!
Credits: T News
Huaca Pucllana: this is a stone complex located in the heart of Peru’s capital city, in the vibrant district of Miraflores. This was an administrative and ceremonial center for the Lima culture. Not many tourists opt for a visit to the Huaca Pucllana, but we always suggest to spend a couple of hours there, preferebly in the morning, so that you have time to visit the museum and have a lunch at the beautiful restaurant overlooking the archeological site as wel. What is really fashinating about this archeological site is that is now merged among contemporary architecture buildings, it is worth a visiti if you happen to stay in Lima for a couple of days.
Credits: Viator
Credits: Apuntes de Historia
Credits: Ministerio de Cultura
Credits: Wikipedia
Credits: Cultura
Credits: Andina
This article aims to give you a sample itinerary that you can do in one or two days, this is up to you and you should see how it can fit into the itinerary you planned. You can come back to Lima late at night on the same day or if you prefer you can spend the night in Ica.
Let’s start then! You have to take the bus to Paracas from Lima very early in the morning, around 4:00 am, just check the timetable of the bus company of your preference. I would suggest you to choose Cruz del Sur, which is a very reliable company and it is also considered one of the safest bus lines in the country. The buses are clean and very comfortable! You can actually take advantage of the comfy seats to have a nap during the 3-hour and half trip from Lima to Paracas. Believe this nap is worth it! Just try to rest before your excursion starts, this is going to be a long day.
Once in Paracas, your tour of the reserve will start from “El Chaco” pier, where you board your boat. So first of all you will have a nice and relaxing tour of the reserve by boat during which you could see the famous ”El Candelabro”, a large prehistoric petroglyph of unknown origin spanning over 150 meters high and 50 meters wide, which is considered a mysterious symbol. There are tons of theories on it, one of them states that perhapsthe symbols was used as guide for sailors many years ago. As we approach the islands, you will see the rock formations from every angle as well as the different species of animals and birds that habitat the island, like sea lions, Peruvian booby, cormorans, penguins and much more. There are more of 400 species of flora and fauna in the area, so if you are into nature and wild animals, this is the place to visit!
Once you finish this tour you will have to go back to Paracas bus station to start your bus trip to Ica. Once again I suggest you to go with Cruz el Sur. There’s nothing better to relax a bit after the boat ride during the 1 hour and half bus ride from Paracas to Ica. Before starting your Ica city tour I would advise you to grab some lunch, food and wine are delicious in Ica region, so you have plenty of choices. A very good spot to have lunch is the Las Dunas Hotel, just that you know. During the Ica city tour you will have the chance to visit downtown Ica and the places nearby, then I suggest to make a stop at the Regional Museum, where you can see archeological artifacts from prehistorical to colonial eras, as potteries, textils, mummies, among others. They are all objects from the ancient civilizations who occupied the area: Paracas, Nasca, Wari, Ica – Chincha and Inca.
After the visit to the city main spots you can also drop by one of the vineyards located in the area. Do not forget that Ica region is where the majority of Peruvian wines and Piscos are produced. You will have the chance to learn how the Peruvian national spirit, Pisco, is produced, learn about the different types of Pisco and of course you will be able to taste them, as well as the wine produced in the area. The virieties depends on the different kinds of grape used in the elaboration process.
At the end of the day you will visit The Huacachina Lagoon, also called “El Oasis de America”, there you will enjoy a beautiful view and a sunny landscapes, which are very hard to forget. Take a good camara, since during this long day you will have the opportunity to take some great shots. The oasis is surrounded by sand dunes, palms, huarango trees and beautiful houses. In the oasis you can choose to simply relax and enjoy the sun and the stunning landscape or if you are into active holidays you can try the dune buggies activity and the sandboarding. Before jumping on the buggy make sure that you are with a professional driver. You will basically go up and down the dunes with the buggy and it is a lot of fun. If you are traveling with kids, Huacachina is the place to go, they will enjoy themselves a lot there. You can also try sandboard, which is a very common activity in the area. It is like the snowboarding but it is done on the sand, so if you fall down, i twill be on the sand … how amazing!
At the end of this long day, you can just overnight in Huacachina and enjoy an additional half day there, which is highly reccommended, especially if you are traveling with kids, but if you prefer you can also take the night bus back to Lima. Another possibility is that you take the bus to Nazca, sleep there so that you can fly over the Nazca lines very early the next morning. These are options that I can suggest you if you are planning to spend 4-5 days in Lima, this is a great plan for a day or a two-day trip to escape Lima’s caos.