Overview:
Huacachina Brief Summary:
- Huacachina is located 4 hours south of Lima, very close to the city of Ica.
- Huacachina is South America’s ONLY natural desert Oasis.
- Home to the largest sand dunes in South America.
- Home to the best Dune Buggy and Sandboarding Tours in South America.
History:
Information:
How to get to Huacachina:
- Take a public bus to Ica and then a taxi to Huacachina
- Escape From Lima bus directly to Huacachina.
Escape From Lima is the ONLY direct bus to Huacachina!
If travelling by public bus, take the bus from Lima to Ica or Cusco to Ica. Once in Ica, you will need to find a local taxi to then take you to the oasis of Huacachina. To leave Huacachina, you will need to do the same. Lonely Planet currently states that this is the only way to get directly to Huacachina but, Escape From Lima buses have the necessary license to directly enter the oasis. This way, you can avoid the hassle of taking any taxis to and from Ica.
Must do in Huacachina:
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-CHANGE TO ESCAPE FROM LIMA LINKS
- Sandboarding and Dune Buggying in Huacachina.
- Pisco vineyard tour. (Free Escape From Lima tour)
- Stroll around the city of Ica.
This small village is home to less than 1,000 of the local people. But, every day, new groups of backpackers arrive to do one of THE must-do activities in Peru. Sandboarding down the famous Huacachina sand dunes! Local guides take backpackers and travellers on a tour of these dunes on incredibly powerful (and safe!) dune buggies, flying over big hills in the never-ending desert of sand. This alone is not only awesome, but it gets even better as you have the option to sandboard down some of these huge dunes! This can be nerve wrecking and exciting as often you end up with a face full of sand, but nothing that a quick shower won´t fix! Snowboarding is world famous, but sandboarding is harder, faster and much much cheaper! An absolute must do for anybody who visits Huacachina.
Ica is also famous for its Pisco and wine vineyards. The national drink of Peru is Pisco and Ica is often referred to as the home of Pisco. With Escape From Lima, we take you on a Pisco vineyard tour where you will discover the history of this national drink to see how it is made, as well as getting to try samples of this deliciously refreshing drink. Peruvians are extremely proud of Pisco and you simply cannot come to Ica without trying a few glasses of Pisco!
Must see in Huacachina:
- Go up to the dunes in the late evening so as to see the incredible view of the sunset from the sand dunes. It is one you should not miss if you get to make it to Huacachina. Climb up the dunes on foot or catch the sunset at the end of a dune buggy tour.
Huacachina safety tips:
- If you take a public bus and get off in Ica, be VERY careful about what taxi you take to Huacachina. Many taxis in Ica have been known to take people to hotels that they have deals with, or try to scam tourists in other ways, so take extra care if you do have to take a taxi from Ica to Huacachina.
- Huacachina is very small, try to bring cash with you as there are NO ATM outlets.
- Beware of pickpockets and never carry your passport/credit card unless 100% necessary.
- Bring sunscreen, it is nearly always sunny and hot.
