Oasis in the Desert - Huacachina

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Little lake, BIG beach, is how we summed up Huacachina. This little oasis, which is pictured on the back on the 50 sol bill, was once a vacation destination for Peru’s elite, it is now a hangout for backpackers looking for a place to kick back and relax. Located 5 minutes outside of Ica there is not much to do but relax, but this picturesque little lagoon is the perfect place to do it, as the weather is beautiful and warm, most of the hostels have pools you can spend the day lounging around, and there are a couple good restaurants.

However if you are looking for a little excitement you have also found the right place as the other main activity, is riding around in dune buggies and sand boarding on the giant sand dunes surrounding the oasis. It seems that everyone in town offers dune buggy tours of the sand dunes, that include sand boarding "lessons", and a ride to the top of a couple of really big dunes that you can sand board down. At a cost of around $10 to $12 per person it is well worth it. The dune buggy drivers are crazy, which I think you have to be to drive a dune buggy which makes the ride itself a lot of fun, but the highlight is defiantly the sand boarding. For those of you who are wondering what sand boarding is, it is the same as snowboarding only on sand, however if you are like us have no idea how to snowboard then sandboarding is a lot like tobogganing. Personally I think that those of us who admitted we had no skill and opted to lie on the snow boards and head straight down the sand dune head first had a lot more fun than those who went down snowboard style anyway!

Looking for a little challenge then try hiking up one of the giant dunes surrounding the oasis, it's a lot harder that is looks as you end up walking twice as far as you actually move since the sand keeps slipping out from under you. But the view is worth it, who knew piles of sand could be so beautiful. (running down the dune afterwards is pretty fun too!

Cheers!
Tim and Meagan

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Photos

Our Hostel
hostel Salvetierra

Comments

[Naa]

Thanks...I just decided my next destination
I´m in Lima now and was at a loss as to where to go. Sliding down a Dune sounds great! nb