If you have a couple extra days in Peru, Huacachina is an excellent sidetrip.  With a variety of lodging options everyone should be able to find a place within their budget.  It would be a quick stop on your way to/from Cuzco or provide a weekend escape from Lima.

Huacachina wasn’t originally part of our plan.  My brother-in-law, Nathan, and I had some time to fill before starting the Santa Cruz Trek.  The pictures of the area certainly stood out but I was unsure what it had to offer.  Peru is a relatively large country but for anyone passing through Lima a trip to Huacachina is a possibility.  To get there you’ll have a couple of options.  If you choose to take a public bus, you’ll travel through nearby Ica and take a 15 minute taxi ride from there.  To travel directly to Huacachina, you’ll have to book through Peru Hop.  This will be more of an all inclusive option and allow for a quicker trip if you are pressed for time.

Upon arriving, you’ll discover that the town is very small clustered around a lagoon.  There is little here that is not related to the tourism industry.  If you’re expecting an authentic Peruvian town, you’ll likely be disappointed.  Generally, I avoid these types of destinations but sometimes it’s ok to fully embrace being a tourist.  A stay in Casa de Arenas was included in our tour.  If you’re traveling independently, there are plenty of options in town at a range of prices.  You can expect everything here to be slightly more expensive than the surrounding areas but still quite affordable in general.

“It’s difficult to explain the experience in writing but it was somewhat similar to a rollercoaster.  Everyone in our buggy was loving it.”

It will quickly become clear that Huacachina has a party town vibe.  There are numerous restaurants, many of them quite good.  They all prominently advertise their drink specials.  If you need a quiet night’s sleep, be sure to check reviews prior to booking a hotel.  The parties can go far into the night (morning).  As such, if you venture out prior to noon, you’ll likely feel as if you have the place to yourself.  Walking around the lagoon, you’ll have a great view of the unique location.  Huge sand dunes surround the town on three sides.  The lagoon was orginally a natural phenomenon but is now fed by irrigation water from nearby farms.  Anyway, grab a bite to eat and then prepare to get a view from above.

You can venture up the dunes anywhere but the best place to start is at the west end of the lagoon.  Head towards the short water tower at the top of the sand dune.  From there, following the ridge to the top of the large dune will make the walk a little easier.  If it’s midday, make sure to wear shoes as the sand can get very hot.  At the top, you’ll be able to see how far the desert extends.  The view of Huacachina and the surrounding cities makes the hike well worth the effort.  Wait around for the sunset if it’s late in the afternoon.

Before you leave town, a dune buggy ride is a must.  Booking will be easy and can be done throughout town.  Again, this was included with our Peru Hop tour.  The safety standards where better than I had expected.  All the dune buggies I saw were equiped with roll cages and had 5 point harnesses for each passenger.  Don’t let that give you the impression that the ride wasn’t wild.  Our driver drove quite fast but it was impressive how well he knew all the dunes.  At the top of each blind hill, he would know what speed was safe and which direction to go.  It’s difficult to explain the experience in writing but it was somewhat similar to a rollercoaster.  Everyone in our buggy was loving it.  But there’s more.  The buggys congregate in the middle of the desert and you’ll have the opportunity to walk around on the remote dunes.  You can take pictures of the neat textures in the sand, selfies on the buggy, etc.  After this, you’ll head to the top of a big dune where you can snowboard down.  Basic snowboards are included for you to lay on and slide down the dune.  If you want to actually snowboard down, you’ll need to rent your own as the basic ones don’t have bindings.  I can’t imagine this would cost much.  Our tour left around 4 PM and lasted an hour and a half.  Our driver stopped to let us watch the sunset before returning back into town.

We spent about a day and a half in Huacachina and never had any problem finding things to do.  I think two days should be plenty for most.  The location, cost and unique experiences make this an easy recommendation to any traveler that will be passing nearby.  It was definitely a highlight of our time in Peru.