1 year ago

Best Things to do in Huacachina, Peru

Surrounded by golden sand dunes and bathed in perpetual sunshine, the tiny town of Huacachina is quickly becoming a favourite destination for visitors to Peru’s Pacific Coast. From sandboarding and dune buggy rides to paragliding over the desert, there’s no shortage of adventures to be had but the relaxed beauty of South America’s only oasis is just as sure to blow you away! Most travellers spend 1-2 days exploring Huacachina, so here’s absolutely everything you need to know to make the most of your visit, including what to do, how to get here, where to stay, and more.

What to do in Huacachina?

Go and Do Sandboarding in the beautiful Dunas.

The indisputable highlight of any visit to Huacachina is the adjacent desert, best enjoyed by hopping on a board and soaring over the golden waves.

“I was initially dubious about the idea of flinging myself off the top of a dune at breakneck speed, but almost everyone cruises down these slopes on their belly (the dunes are massive), which means even uncoordinated individuals can get involved. And honestly, it was insanely fun”

Dozens of tour operators in town run essentially identical trips out to the dunes, which cost about S/50 to 70 soles and last for 2-2.5hrs, and also include a wild dune buggy ride. You’d have absolutely no trouble booking something last minute when you arrive in Huacachina, but if you are really keen on reserving in advance, try with SAM Corporations.

Watch the Sunset over the Desert

Everyone in town offers sandboarding and dune buggy trips in the morning and the afternoon, typically departing around 4/5pm. I’d highly recommend the afternoon option, as the end of the tour coincides perfectly with both golden hour and sunset, making for some phenomenal photo ops out in the desert.

In case you haven’t joined a sandboarding tour or you want to catch some additional sunsets on your own, a quick hike up to the top of the dunes will afford equally spectacular views of the fading sun. Just be sure to pack a light jumper or a long sleeve shirt, as things get chilly when you lose the light!

Climb up the Dunes

Even if you’ve already explored the desert on a sandboarding tour, I’d still highly recommend climbing up the dunes by yourself to get the best vantage point over Huacachina and the oasis. From town, walk towards the water tower (where all the dune buggies are parked) and then climb the large dune on your right. It takes less than 15min to get all the way to the top, but expect to be doing a little huffing and puffing for every two steps up, you’ll slide at least one back down in the loose sand.

When you do get to the top, though, all the effort will have been worth it! On a clear morning, I’m sure sunrise would be spectacular, but it’s pretty common for low-hanging fog to obscure the view until around 8am when the sun starts to burn it off.

Walk around the Oasis of Huacachina

Huacachina town is little more than a few blocks wrapped around a green oasis, so it doesn’t take long to walk around the shoreline and admire the view from all angles. I wouldn’t recommend going for a dip, but a great way to enjoy a sunny afternoon in Huacachina is to hire a boat for S/12 per hour and paddle (or pedal) your way across the water.

Lounge by the pool

There’s a reason most of the tours and activities around Huacachina only operate in the morning and the late afternoon the middle of the day is absolutely sizzling in the desert! Escape the heat by lounging around your hostel pool for a few hours (bonus points if you’ve got a cocktail in your hand).

Go Paragliding

For even more spectacular views of the oasis, book a tandem paraglide departing directly from the dunes. Flights cost $70-90USD depending on the duration (anywhere from 5-20min) and typically operate in the mornings around 7-8am. A few operators have online booking systems, but this is also something you can organise whenever you arrive in Huacachina for a better price.

Best Things to do in Huacachina with SAM Corporations

7.-Tour a Pisco vineyard

Amazingly, one of Peru’s main wine-producing regions lies only a short taxi ride away from Huacachina, making Ica an extremely popular half-day destination for those looking to sample some local alcohol. Ica’s desert heat creates impossibly sweet wines (even their “dry wine” is like syrup) and strong brandy (pisco), both of which you can taste at any of a dozen or so wineries. If not for fear of broken glass in my backpack, I easily could have hauled several bottles away with me!

Tastings are typically free, so you just need to organise transport out to one of the wineries in a taxi or with a tourism agency. If you’re travelling with Spider Travel , though, you’ll actually get an awesome free pisco tour included with your pass!

8.-Check out the Nazca Lines

More than 300 enormous geoglyphs, primarily animals and plants whose origins continue to inspire wild theories of alien invasion and paranormal activity, were carved into the desert sands of southern Peru by the ancient Nazca civilisation.

See the detailed itinerary for explore the Nazca Lines from Lima here!

9.- Take a day trip to Paracas

If you haven’t already spent time exploring Paracas on your way down the coast to Huacachina (but if your itinerary allows, that’s definitely my first recommendation), it’s still possible to take a day trip with one of the tour operators in town. Most tours include a visit to the stunning Paracas Nature Reserve and the Islas Ballestas (“poor man’s Galapagos”), both of which are super worthwhile and full of great photo opportunities.