The 14 Best Things To Do In Huacachina, Peru

Last Updated: February 17 2024

Huacachina in Southwestern Peru is a large desert oasis that attracts thousands of tourists every year. It’s always been on our bucket list so we just had to visit during our trip to Peru!

In fact, after Machu Picchu and the Amazon Rainforest, Huacachiuna was probably the main place we wanted to visit. Surrounded by lush palm trees and towering sand dunes, the oasis was far superior than we could ever have hoped!

If it isn’t already, this incredible destination needs to be on your Peru itinerary. In this post, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know, including the best things to do in Huacachina!

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The Best Things to Do in Huacachina, Peru

1. Hike up the sand dunes

By far one of the best things to do in Huacachina is hike up the sand dunes around the oasis! Of course, you’ll want to explore the oasis during your visit, but the sand dunes offer the best views, so make sure you check them out.

The oasis is surrounded on every side so you’re spoilt for choice. Some sand dunes are extremely steep, while others are relatively flat and small. For the best views, you’ll want to battle the heat and steepness and climb to the top of some of the bigger dunes!

From the top of the dunes, you can see the oasis in all its glory and the city of Ica in the distance. If you look away from Huacachina, you can also see the vast Peruvian desert.

We enjoyed sitting on the dunes and simply watching the world go by!

2. Relax in the pool at Banana’s Adventure

Banana’s Adventure is a lively hostel that sits just behind a row of cafes and restaurants alongside the oasis. This quirky hostel is a great place to visit and stay if you want to relax and cool off in the middle of the day.

Banana’s Adventure has two rooftop terraces, a tiki bar, and a swimming pool, and it’s set in a lush environment surrounded by flowers, banana trees, and hammocks. If you want to use the pool, you’ll have to stay at the hostel, but you can grab something to eat and drink from the on-site restaurant.

We didn’t have the chance to stay in Huacachina, so we didn’t get to go in the swimming pool, but it was very much needed. The heat in Huacachina can get very intense, so it would have been nice to have somewhere to refresh ourselves!

3. Explore the dunes on a buggy

One of the most popular things to do in Huacachina is to go on a dune buggy ride. Dune buggy tours operate all day and take tourists on an epic ride through the desert.

We were surprised by just how vast the desert surrounding the oasis was. You can expect a fun-filled adventure involving large drops and big jumps!

A Dune buggy tour of the Huacachina desert is a great way to experience the area and a fantastic way to keep children entertained. Children over the age of 9 can take part and tours are usually carried out in groups. However, you can book a private tour too.

This Huacachina dune buggy sunset tour allows you to explore the area in the evening. You’ll also have the chance to turn your hand to sandboarding. We’ll talk more about sandboarding shortly!

4. Rent a pedalboat on the oasis

If you want to take part in a more relaxed activity in Huacachina, we recommend renting a pedal boat. The lagoon is what brought life to the area so it only makes sense to enjoy it in its entirety.

Besides, there’s something quite magical about pedalling a small boat across an oasis. You can rent a pedal boat from the shoreline and head out onto the water for up to two hours.

Personally, we think one hour is enough because the lagoon isn’t very big, but the choice is yours. However, we certainly wouldn’t be bored after two hours, so maybe give it a try and see what you think.

The pedal boats can vary in price but they don’t tend to cost more than £8 per hour. That’s approximately 37 Peruvian soles. It’s also possible to hire a paddleboard at Huacachina if you want to!

5. Enjoy a drink at a rooftop bar

Sometimes it’s just nice to take a step back and watch the world go by and in our opinion, Huacachina is one of the best places in Peru to do just that. The Huacachina oasis is super peaceful and incredibly picturesque.

If you want to truly enjoy your time at the oasis, be sure to grab a refreshing drink at one of the bars in the area. To take things to the next level, choose one of the bars with a rooftop terrace because they offer the best view!

When we visited Huacachina, we decided to have a drink at Moskito Bar. We sat on the rooftop terrace here for about an hour, took in the views, rested our legs, and had a refreshing drink.

We just had a beer and an enormous Oreo milkshake, but you can order food too, which looked delicious!

6. Head out on a Pisco Vineyards Tour

If you want to explore more of the region around the oasis, why don’t you head out on a Pisco vineyard tour? Ica’s wine region is widely regarded as the most important wine region in Peru so it would be rude not to visit at least one vineyard.

This Pisco vineyard tour takes things a step further by taking you to two in one day. Leaving from Ica and Huacachina, you’ll visit the oldest vineyard in the country and get to sample local wine.

However, the main highlight of the tour is trying the famous Pisco. For those that haven’t tried it before, Pisco is a strong spirit that has a white and yellowish colour.

The two vineyards you’ll visit are Tacama Vineyard and El Catador. Tacama was established in the 16th century so you can expect to learn a lot about the wine region’s history!

7. Try out sandboarding in Huacachina

One of the most enjoyable things to do in Huacachina is sandboarding so if you’re feeling adventurous, give it a go. As you would expect, the vast desert around the oasis offers plenty of epic places to hit the slopes!

There are relatively small sand dunes perfect for those of you who want to ease yourself in, and huge dunes perfect for racing your friends to the bottom.

The best way to try sandboarding is to book a tour. Most tour companies in the area offer dune buggy and sandboarding tours that include all the equipment you need. More often than not, you’ll head out at sunset too, so you’ll be able to experience the epic Peruvian sky at night.

The sandboarding tours here are suitable for all skill levels and your tour driver will show you exactly what to do.

8. Party the night away thanks to Huacachinas nightlife

Speaking of sunsets, Huacachina comes to life at night, so be sure to visit one of the many bars if you want an entertaining evening. If we’re being totally honest, most of the bars near the oasis are great so you can pick any of them, however, some are better than others.

In our opinion, the best nightlife can be found at Arenas, Moskito Bar, and Banana’s Adventure. All three of these locations have lively bars that offer cocktails, beers, wines, and non-alcoholic drinks. Banana’s Adventure and Arenas both have a pool too!

For us, the perfect night would consist of having a bite to eat and some drinks at Moskito Bar before heading to either Banana’s Adventure or Arenas for the rest of the night. Having said that, you could easily visit all three.

If you want to find the best traveller vibes, head to Banana’s Adventure!

9. Take a day trip to Paracas and the Ballestas Islands

The Ballestas Islands, otherwise known as Islas Ballestas are well worth a visit if you have some spare time in your Peru itinerary. Found in the coastal town of Paracas, approximately 1.5 hours away from Ica, these islands are home to a spectacular array of marine life.

On the Ballestas Islands, you’ll find Humboldt Penguins, sea lions, fur seals, pelicans, and more. The only way to get to the islands is by boat, so you will have to book a tour!

This Ballestas Islands boat trip tour will take you around the islands for about an hour. This will give you an incredible opportunity to spot some of the best wildlife in Peru.

This tour will also take you to Paracas Reserve, where you can see more wildlife and an example of the famous Nazca Lines. To get to Paracas from Huacachina, we recommend booking a bus through Busbud, which is what we did.

There are plenty of other awesome things to do in Paracas too, so don’t miss out on this place!

10. Learn about the legends of Huacachina

During your time in Peru, you should spend some time learning more about the legends of Huacachina. The oasis has a rich history of intriguing stories, most of which concern how it was formed.

One famous legend tells the story of how an Incan princess created the oasis with her tears. Legend says the princess was mourning the loss of her lover and that the tears formed the lagoon.

Other Legends tell stories about how the lake was formed by a mermaid princess in an effort to escape a hunter. Many locals still believe that the mermaid lives in the lake today. In fact, they hold the mermaid responsible for protecting the town!

If you keep your eyes peeled as you walk around the lake, you might just find a mermaid statue. We won’t say much more because part of the fun is finding out for yourself as you explore Huacachina.

11. Walk around some of the local markets

One of the things that surprised us most about Peru was just how many markets the country has. Every place we visited, no matter how small, had a wide range of awesome markets to check out. Huacachina is no different.

It’s fair to say, we came home with a lot of souvenirs and we’re sure you will too. The market stalls in Huacachina are jam-packed with unique handcrafts, artwork, jewellery, clothes, and so on.

We didn’t actually buy too much from the markets here because we didn’t have room in our bags but we picked up a few things for our family back home!

One super convenient thing about the markets in Peru is that a lot of them take cards, so you don’t even have to worry about using your cash. Come to think of it, this might be quite dangerous for your travel budget haha!

12. Take a scenic flight over the Nazca Lines

One of the best day trips from the oasis is a scenic flight over the Nazca Lines. Trips leave Huacachina every morning and take tourists to a small airport near Paracas.

From there, you’ll jump in a small plane for a 35-minute flight over the world-famous Nazca Lines. The Nazca Lines are a large group of ancient geoglyphs etched into the vast Peruvian desert.

They cover almost 390 square miles (1,000 square kilometres), there are almost 300 different designs, and they’re composed of more than 10,000 lines. A lot of the lines represent animals and plants, and measure more than 30 metres wide!

Some of the etchings stretch for almost 6 miles (10 kilometres). Because of their location, the geoglyphs are best seen from above so don’t miss out!

Once your flight is over, most tours head to Palpa viewpoint too.

13. Watch the sunset

We’ve touched upon this a few times throughout this blog post, but it’s only right that we dedicate a whole section to it. The sunsets in Peru are absolutely wild and the skies don’t get much better than the ones in Huacachina!

Watching the sun go down is easily one of the best things to do in Huacachina! You’ll be totally blown away by how impressive the colours are and how clear the night sky is.

Admittedly, the sky isn’t as clear as places like the Amazon Rainforest because Ica is close by, but you can still see lots of stars and occasionally the Milky Way.

We highly recommend finding a quiet spot on the sand dunes so you can watch the sunset in tranquillity. It’s worth remembering that the sun often sets at roughly 6:00 pm (depending on the time of year). So you don’t miss any of the action, get yourself set up somewhere nice from 5:00 – 5:30 pm.

14. Explore the city of Ica

Make sure you spend a couple of hours exploring the city of Ica during your time in Huacachina. Ica is one of the largest cities in Southern Peru and it has a lot to offer.

Some of the best things to do in Ica, aside from visiting the oasis and the wine vineyard tours include the Ica Regional Museum, the Lord of Luren Church, and Plaza de Armas. Plaza de Armas is the city’s main square so you can expect to find a lot going on here!

In the main square, you can find some of Ica’s best restaurants, shops, and impressive pieces of architecture. We recommend visiting here first because it’s one of the best parts of the city.

After that, head over to the Lord of Luren Church and the museum. Ica Regional Museum is a great place to visit if you want to learn more about the area!

Helpful Information for Visiting Huacachina

How to get to Huacachina

Getting to Huacachina is incredibly easy because of its close proximity to Ica. You can easily get to the desert oasis from the city in 10 minutes by taxi and as you can probably imagine, taxis aren’t hard to come by.

When it comes to getting to Ica, you also have plenty of options. In our opinion, your best option is to head to Ica by bus from Lima or Paracas. It only takes around 1.5 hours to get to Ica by bus from Paracas and just under 4 hours from Lima.

We usually book our buses through Busbud and we think you should do the same. You can also take a bus from Cusco to Ica but it’ll take almost 16 hours. If you decide to do this, get an overnight bus!

It’s worth noting that Ica doesn’t have an airport so you can’t fly to the oasis.

How to get around Huacachina

Huacachina is only small so you can easily get around on foot. Of course, you can head out on a dune buggy tour from the oasis but that takes you further away from Huacachina and into the desert.

We walked everywhere in Huacachina and had no problems at all. The only time you’ll need to use another form of transport is if you want to take a taxi to Ica. We decided to jump in a tuk-tuk back to Ica after a day at the oasis!

The oasis itself is quite flat but the surrounding dunes can be steep. If you don’t want to do much challenging walking, stick to the smaller sand dunes instead.

However, if you want to see the best views of Huacachina, you’ll need to hike up the larger sand dunes like we did. Just take your time so you don’t get too hot and sweaty.

The best time to visit Huacachina

You can visit Huacachina all year round, so you don’t need to worry too much about finding the best time to go. Having said that, some months are better than others.

Generally, the most important factor you need to consider is temperature. Peru can get very hot and the oasis is in a desert so you might not want to visit when temperatures get too high.

With that in mind, the best time to visit is between the months of May to October. During this time of year, temperatures aren’t too hot!

Between May and October, temperatures typically range between 25-30°C (77-86°C). As you would expect, temperatures at night are more pleasant too, so you can expect to sleep a lot more comfortably.

Visiting Huacachina by tour

There are tons of awesome things to do in Huacachina and although you may want to stay overnight, we just didn’t have the time during our Peru trip. As such, we hopped on a bus from Paracas and managed to see the highlights in a day!

If you don’t have time to stay in Huacachina then there are plenty of day trip options available:

• From Lima: Full-Day Paracas and Huacachina Bus Tour: If you’re staying in the capital, this tour is a great option! It includes a boat tour of the Ballestas Islands, a sandboarding & dune buggy tour, and a Bilingual Guide. You’ll also have some free time to explore.
  
• From Ica or Huacachina: Dune Buggy at Sunset & Sandboarding: For those already in Huacachina or Ica, this tour offers a sandboarding and dune buggy experience. You’ll also get to watch the sun set over the dunes. What’s not to like?
  
• From Lima: Paracas and Huacachina Full Day Guided Tour: This is another excellent option from Lima. It includes round-trip transportation, breakfast, and a boat tour to the Ballestas Islands. You’ll also have a dune buggy tour, sandboarding experience, and wine tasting included.

Where to Stay in Huacachina

As there are so many things to do in Huacachina, you’ll want to base yourself here for a day if you can. Although only small, you’ll find plenty of accommodation options for every budget!

To give you an idea of what’s on offer, here are some of our accommodation recommendations below.

Budget: Desert Nights Hostel

Desert Nights hostel is one of the cheapest options you’ll find here (along with Wild Rover Huacachina). It offers both dorm beds and private rooms that sleep up to four people so there’s something for everyone!

Boasting a shared lounge area, a tour desk, a shared kitchen, and a bar, this place has a lot to offer. Laundry facilities are also available at the property, making it a great option for budget travellers!

Mid-range: Hospedaje Claudia

Hospedaje Claudia is another great option if you’re looking for places to stay in Huacachina. It offers a variety of cosy rooms, perfect for couples and single travellers, although bigger rooms are available.

You’ll also have breakfast included in your stay, as well as free WiFi. Facilities on-site include a restaurant, a garden area, and a tour desk. There’s also a currency exchange service here and luggage storage.

Booking.com

Frequently Asked Questions about Huacachina

How many days do I need in Huacachina?

You can visit Huacachina in one day if you really want to. If you simply want to explore the oasis and surrounding sand dunes, you can do it in a couple of hours!

Having said that, if you want to do everything Huacachina and the nearby area have to offer, you might want to spend two days here. This will give you more time to relax and you can do everything at your leisure.

What is a good budget for Huacachina?

Peru, South America is renowned for being an affordable place to travel. It doesn’t matter how little you want to spend, you’ll get by easily.

Huacachina is no different to other places in the country. You can probably work with a budget of £35-£40 per person, per day in Huacachina. However, you might need to spend more if you want to do more activities!

Is Huacachina worth visiting?

Yes, Huacachina is absolutely worth visiting so make sure you save some time in your Peru itinerary. The oasis is one of the most unique places we’ve ever been and there’s nothing else like it in the country.

On top of that, there are lots of exciting activities to take part in that help make it a traveller’s dream. If you love seeing unique destinations and trying new things, you’ll love Huacachina.

Can you swim in The Huacachina Oasis?

In the past, people have swum in the oasis at Huacachina but it’s no longer permitted. When you visit the oasis, you’ll notice signs telling you not to go in the water.

The reason for this is that the water is unsafe and unhygienic. To be honest, the colour of the water will probably tell you that anyway. The oasis looks great but the water isn’t very inviting!

Where to go after Huacachina

We didn’t stay in Huacachina so we didn’t have to worry about onward travel, however, if you decide to stay, you’ll be pleased to hear that you have a wide range of potential destinations to choose from.

The most obvious place to visit after Huacachina is Ica as the oasis sits just outside the city. We recommend a few other places though instead!

In our opinion, you should travel to the beautiful coastal town of Paracas after Huacachina. There are lots of things to do in Paracas including the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve. You can easily visit Nazca and the Nazca Lines from the town too.

Paracas is just 1.5 hours away from Huacachina by bus so you won’t have any issues getting there. If you’d prefer to travel somewhere else and you don’t mind travelling further, you could also go to Lima or Cusco by bus from the oasis.

Final Thoughts on Things to Do in Huacachina, Peru

If you’re wondering what to do in Huacachina then you’ve got lots of options considering it’s such a small place! There are also plenty of day trip opportunities, such as Ica, Paracas, and the Ballestas Islands.

Whether you’re looking to adventure on dune buggies, enjoy the nightlife, or try your hand at sandboarding, this awesome Peruvian landmark has something for everyone. Not to mention, there are lots of awesome eateries and bars here.

If you have any questions about things to do in Huacachina, Peru then be sure to get in touch with us via Facebook, Instagram, or in the comments!

Here are some other guides that you may find helpful:

• The Best Things To Do In Aguas Calientes
• Day Trips From Cusco

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