Madler
Huacachina is a strange place, in a good way. Around a hundred people live there. It's half backpacker party town and half a really beautiful natural spot, and you can walk the whole village in fifteen minutes. I stayed one night on the way from Lima down the coast, and that was the right amount.
The buggy and sandboarding tour
This is why you go. The dune buggy and sandboarding tour heads out about an hour before sunset, and it's as good as it looks. The drivers go a lot harder than you'd expect.
- Book it through your hostel when you get there, not online beforehand. Everyone runs the same tour at the same time.
- It costs around 60 to 80 soles, including the park entry fee.
- Take the 4pm departure so you're up on the dunes for sunset.
- Ask for a board with bindings so you can ride standing up like a snowboard, instead of the foam boards you lie down on.
Empty your pockets before you sandboard. Phones come back out of the sand less often than you'd like.
Getting there from Lima
Buses from Lima go to Ica, not Huacachina, and take 4 to 5 hours. From the Ica bus terminal it's a five-minute taxi to Huacachina for about 15 soles. Cruz del Sur is the comfortable option. Peru Hop costs more but drops you at your hostel.
How long to stay
One night is enough. Get in around midday, do the 4pm tour, and leave the next morning. The whole village is walkable, so book somewhere on the lagoon.
What to bring
Bring a scarf or a buff. The buggies kick up a lot of sand, and it gets into everything.
The lagoon isn't what it used to be
Groundwater pumping has dropped the water level, and the lagoon gets topped up artificially now. It still looks great from the top of the dunes, which is where you'll be looking at it from anyway.
Where to go next
Paracas is an hour and a half from Ica by bus. Do the Ballestas Islands boat in the morning for sea lions and Humboldt penguins, then spend the afternoon in the Paracas National Reserve. Take the minibus tour to the reserve, not a bike. It's 15km of exposed desert road with a headwind on the way back.
Doing the coast first is the decision that shapes my whole Peru route. Lima, Huacachina and Paracas are all at or near sea level, so by the time you fly up to Cusco at 3,400m you've had over a week to take it easy first.
