sandboarding in Huacachina

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We took the local blus, Flores, an hour south to Ica. We then took a 10 minute cab ride to Huacachina, a desert lagoon oasis. This used to be a destination for elite Peruvians but has since been taken over by backpackers (and consequently the maintance of the town has decreased a bit).
The town is centered around a lagoon and takes about 10 minutes to walk around. We checked into Hotel El Huachinero - which is a hotel, but they have one 10 bed dorm room for backpackers. This was great because we got all the amenities of the hotel for 30 soles a night (around $10).
In the morning we decided to hike up the sand dune just out the back gate of the hotel. Man, did I underestimate how difficult this would be. Luckily we found a path that had some foot stability, but still difficult. We decided that we earned some time relaxing at the pool (oh hotel life). After some paddleboating it was time for sandboarding. They take you up at 4pm so at the end of the tour you get to watch the sunset on the sand dunes. The dunebuggy was terrifying! It was like a rollercoaster ride, all 10 of us screaming our heads off!
Sandboarding was a bit scary at first too. Its not like snowboarding, you cant whip the board around and carve. So basically I just fell alot. Then I went down on my stomach, like sledding, which was a blast because you go so much faster.
I wish we were visiting this place a little later in our trip; I would definitely spend a few days relaxing here. But we are powering through - catching a night bus down to Arequipa.

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Comments

[Jon Dano]

Soooo Jealous
I am so jealous of your adventure right now its killing me! lol. What an amazing experience! Have fun