Huacachina Oasis: Dune buggy and sandboarding
The desert oasis has served to experience one of the most popular adventure tours in South America
At the end of the XIX century, Huacachina was practically uninhabited, until the Italian Angela Perotti rediscovered the medical properties of water and sand of the lagoon, especially for the cure of skin and rheumatism illnesses.
Now, it has become the ideal place for chilling or for the best desert adventures. For the past 12 years, the desert oasis of Huacachina has served as the site of one of the most popular adventure tours in South America: the dune buggy and sand boarding tour.
People of all ages, including kids, teenagers, and adults visit Huacachina. All of them climb IGNORE INTO a 4-wheel-drive dune buggy driven by a professional driver.
Half the tour is riding in the dune buggy at fast speeds. The other half of the tour is a chance to try the adventure sport of “sand boarding”. This is just like snowboarding, but instead of snow you will be boarding on the fine-grained sand of the desert.
If you aren’t athletically talented, no problem! Just lie on your stomach on the board, and go “sand sledding”. This is faster, lots of fun, and doesn’t require any patience or ability.
What do you need to practice it?
- Wear sun scream to avoid sun burning.
- Bring sunglasses, a hat or cap to protect you from the sun.
- Bring a camera, plenty of film, and spare batteries to record the experience
- Apply mosquito repellent
- Wear light clothes such as shorts, fresh pants, T-shirts, and a small jacket, since it gets cold and windy from 5:30pm.
If you are not looking for excitement or adrenalin, but you want to experience the beauty of the dunes, some agencies offer a slow and relaxing dune buggy tour. Instead of racing up and down the dunes, on this private tour they will take you on a relaxing exploration of the desert at a moderate pace.
You will have multiple opportunities to take photographs and you will be able to watch the amazing sunset over the dunes. This tour is romantic and relaxing, and you are welcome to bring your own bottle of champagne or wine with you.
The prices for this package with “Peru adventure tours” go from 65 to 100 dollars and they include:
- A professional English-speaking instructor
- To pick you up from the bus station, hotel in Ica, or La Huacachina
- Boards for each participants
- A shower after the sandboard tour.
However, it is important to notice that alcoholic drinks, a hotel in Ica, transfer from La Huacachina to your hotel, meals, and tips are not included. Thus, you should carry some extra money with you in order to enjoy your experience.
LatinAmerican Post | Luisa Fernanda Báez
Copy edited by Marcela Peñaloza