Ica - Sand Dunes and Sea Lions

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After 12 hours on the majestic Cruz del Sur we arrived in Ica. In a reckless display of organisational prowess we booked our bus to Arequipa allowing one afternoon and one full day and night in Ica. This was the first time that we had been even remotely organised and bitter irony ensured that it was a massive error. We had an exceptional time in Ica and definitely would have stayed for longer. In these two days it rose up the table with ease to claim the number one spot of our Peruvian destinations to date.

We stayed at Ica Wasi Hospedaje, a fairly new hostel with the incredibly friendly and over exuberant owner Giancarlo. His enthusiasm was such that he was bordering on the maniacal at times but we loved him regardless. On the first evening he personally took us on a tour of the local vineyards where we saw Pisco (the national spirit) and wine being made. They vineyards still employ traditional methods and equipment of stomping on the grapes and pressing with large stone circles operated by hand. A slight question over the hygiene standards was raised after we noted the locals’ apathy at their dog leaping into a vat of the Pisco to cool off. Nonetheless, we visited three vineyards and tried much Pisco and wine encompassing the entire spectrum from appalling to delicious.

The gem was at the final vineyard where it transpired that owners were descendants of Simon Bolivar, the revolutionary military and political leader responsible for the independence of Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Ecuador from the Spanish. In a backroom of their bar they had his collection of artefacts dating back to Inca times. This included mummy heads, Inca relics, weapons from the war, Simon Bolivars sword, original portraits and a number of impressive taxidermy items including a crocodile all set amongst dozens of wine vats. I could hear the voice of Indiana Jones creeping into the back of my mind “it belongs in a museum…” but I chose to ignore this and enjoy the fact that unlike in a museum we could handle all these amazing items, some of which were nearly 2,000 years old.

As if the first day was unimpressive, we rose at 5:45 to have a quick breakfast before heading to the Paracas to catch a speedboat to the Ballestas Islands. The first wildlife we spotted were Humboldt Penguins, followed quickly by Guanay Guano Birds, Sea Lions and Seals all in the wild. The highlight was watching hundreds of Sea Lions fighting for space on the shore to protect their new-borns.

That afternoon Giancarlo accompanied us to Huacachina, a small village built around an Oasis in the desert close to Ica. Racing terrified over the sand dunes in a 14 seater sand buggy capped off two amazing days in Ica. Our driver seemed to be pushing the boundaries of his skill and he performed handbrake turns at the top of the dunes before hurtling back down at a seemingly vertical incline. Sandboarding was also fun, but disappointingly we didn’t see anyone bail and snowball perilously down the slopes.

Just before leaping back on the Cruzero Suite to Arequipa we ate at El Otro Penoncito where the food was spectacular, but the real charm of the restaurant was the owner who sat with us for at least half an hour patiently guiding us through conversation in Spanish. The stuffed chicken with spinach in a pican-pisco sauce was perfect and left me disappointed to leave Ica.

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