The Huacachina Lagoon, located only 20 minutes from the city of Ica, is a unique geographical phenomenon and an essential stop for those looking to explore Peru beyond the Andes.
It is recognized worldwide as the Oasis of America, a natural body of water surrounded by dense vegetation and flanked by immense sand dunes that characterize the Peruvian coastal desert.
Huacachina has established itself as a destination for adventure and fun. The landscape that combines the oasis with the gigantic dunes is the perfect setting for practicing extreme sports like sandboarding and buggy tours. Its great scenic beauty has earned international recognition, being listed by The Telegraph as one of the most impressive destinations.
This oasis offers a wide range of hotels and tourist services. This guide is designed to explore Huacachina, detailing the location, the available adventure activities, and the necessary logistics to enjoy this natural refuge in the middle of the Ica desert.
The stories about the origin of this oasis tell that a beautiful Inca princess known as Huacca China spent her days in this quiet place. This woman had the gift of making whoever crossed her path fall in love with the special sound of her beautiful voice.
On one occasion, when the princess was out for a walk, a man watched her and was dazzled by her beauty, in such a way that she decided to approach her. The princess decided to run away from him. On the way, the lady's suit began to tear in the undergrowth until she finally fell off and became a sheet of sand. She also dropped the mirror that she always carried with her and, when it broke, she was transformed into a lagoon where she submerged and became a mermaid.
Another legend tells that this lagoon was born from the tears of the same princess who cried the death of her lover. From this story originates the name of Huacachina which means "woman who cries" in Quechua.
Huacachina is located in the Ica desert, 350 km south of Lima. It is a charming town built around a natural oasis. It is made up of a collection of resorts and restaurants around an emerald lake, surrounded by huge sand dunes.
According to tradition, its waters had healing properties; for this reason, in 1940, Huacachina in Peru became a popular spa. Today, although its population is around 100 people, it is a tourist destination of great interest for national and international tourists. In the town you will also find some small souvenir shops and local products, many hotels and hostels with various prices, as well as various places to eat.
Although the oasis is beautiful, with its lagoon surrounded by palm trees and restaurants, the main tourist attraction of the Huacachina Peru are the sand dunes that can be lowered in a buggy or on a sandboard.
Around the lagoon, you will find dozens of small agencies that offer buggy tours. I advise you to choose a tour that leaves around 4pm to be able to admire the sunset from the dunes.
For those looking for a relaxing activity at the Huacachina Oasis, the lagoon offers the option of renting small boats for a quiet ride.
This activity allows you to appreciate the oasis and its surrounding vegetation from a different point of view.
Ica is the region of wine and pisco in Peru!
There are several wineries that you can visit on your own or take a day tour.
On their own
With a guided tour
When you return to Ica from Laguna Huacachina Peru, I recommend that you make a few stops:
Just 7 minutes from Ica is also Cachiche, nicknamed the "Town of the Witches". There is a statue “Bruja de Cachiche” in honor of Julia Hernández, the most famous witch in Cachiche, and the “Palmera de Siete Cabezas”, a huge tree with a very special appearance.
The Paracas National Reserve is one of the best destinations in Peru!
Here are the Ballestas Islands that are home to some 4000 sea lions, as well as a multitude of birds, fish and dolphins.
They are visited with a boat trip from Paracas, which also allows us to see El Candelabro, a 150 m long geoglyph traced on the ground.
You can also go to the Beach Paracas such as Playa Roja (a good place to take photos!), El Raspón or La Mina, and eat seafood in one of the small restaurants in the Bay of Lagunillas.
The Nazca lines, a UNESCO World Heritage site, represent one of the most important extra excursions from Huacachina. These vast geoglyphs were drawn by the Nazca civilization across 750 km² in the desert plain.
Observation Logistics
Moron Lagoon, located near the city of Pisco, is an oasis that serves as a less developed and crowded alternative to the Huacachina Oasis. Although it has gained popularity in recent years, particularly among domestic tourism, it maintains a quieter and less commercialized atmosphere.
Morón is a small body of water surrounded by vegetation and dunes. It offers visitors the chance to do direct recreational activities:
How to get to the Oasis of Morón from Lima
How to get there from Paracas
From Lima to Ica, the bus trip takes between 4 to 5 hours and the ticket costs approximately 40 soles. Once in Ica, the journey to Huacachina takes 10 minutes by taxi. Drivers at the bus terminal will charge you around 10 soles.
You will not need more mobility once you have arrived. The city of Huacachina is small and visitors can walk from one end to the other in a few minutes.
Huacachina is a perfect destination at any time of the year. The weather is always very sunny and warm during the day, with an average of 25 degrees. February and March are the hottest months. You will only feel the difference in weather at night: during winter, the night temperature can drop as much as 14 degrees.
There are many restaurants around the city and one of the best options is Desert Nights Youth, located on Huacachina boulevard. This is a hostel but it also has a restaurant where they serve great food and drinks that you can enjoy with an amazing view of the lagoon.
La Casa de Avinoam, the restaurant located in Hostal Carola del Sur, has delicious thin-crust pizzas. Prices range from 20 soles for a personal pizza to 50 soles for a large family-size pizza.
For those looking for tasty foreign food, head to La Casa de Bamboo, located on a small lot between Carola del Sur and Hosteria Suiza. They serve tasty Thai curry, exquisite falafel (popular with Arab and Israeli travelers), as well as other foreign and Peruvian dishes.
Most of the larger hotels have their own bars, including Casa de Arena and El Huacachinero. One of the only bars that is not associated with a hotel is Da Silva House, located next to Casa de Arena. Cocktails there cost between 10 and 15 soles, and the owner prepares many types of mixed drinks and cocktails.
Many are the routes that take you to Machu Picchu, but none is like the Inca Trail Tours, the most famous pedestrian path in the Americas. After flying from the capital of Perú, Lima, you will arrive in Cusco to walk for four days along a path through forests and dense fog, millenary stone steps and discovering the ruins of ancient fortifications and Inca cities, and all the time enjoying majestic views.
+51 84 226 547
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Av Tupac Amaru PP-10B, Santiago, Cusco, Peru 
info@salkantaytrekmachu.com
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