Huacachina: Sandboarding and Dune Buggies
We arrived in Huacachina around 2pm. Huacachina is a tiny town built on an oasis in the Ica region of Peru. The area used to have several oases, but they all dried up and Huacachina is the last. Now, however, it is not entirely natural so that it doesn't dry up as well. According to our guide, there are less than 100 people living in the oasis at all times. The major attraction here is to go dune buggy riding in the sand dunes and to go sandboarding. Even though it's clearly a tourist destination (for both foreigners and locals), I was super excited!
After that, we went riding to another dune and the driver told us to get out and grab our boards. We looked at him in horror/amazement. That hill was at least twice as big as the original...could it be done?? Oh yes it could! We went over one by one, cheering each other on! We got back in the dune buggy just in time to reach the top of a sand dune to view the sunset. As we sat there, we could see groups in the distance, still sandboarding. What was amazing was that we could also HEAR them very clearly. Sound travels at an insane distance in those dunes! As we piled in the buggy one last time, our guide asked "how fast?" The unanimous decision was FAST. I immediately regretted it as I was being thrown around in my seat and the straps dug into my shoulders. I guess being in the back row is not the best place for speed :/ Oh well, still worth it!
When we returned to the town, everyone was exhausted and our throats hurt from screaming. The only way to get all the sand off was by shower...coooold shower! I also found a few small bruises already growing. Then we went to a BBQ at a local restaurant and had drinks and lively conversation. The party continued back at the hostel bar. As it was Saturday night and a 3-day weekend for the entire country, Huacachina was packed with party-goers. I was happy until I realized our hostel was attached to a club...that bumped until about 5am. I stayed up playing card games until I was exhausted (around 2) and then put my ear plugs in and hoped for the best. Amazingly, I feel asleep pretty fast!
The next morning, I lounged by the pool and took a leisurely walk around the oasis. It felt good to move slowly :)
A view of the oasis.
My hostel.
Our dune buggy adventure began at 4:30, only a short time before sunset. I was glad because I wouldn't get too sunburned! Our PeruHop guide assured us that we had the BEST driver in the city...and that he was insane. And hooooly cow was he right! As soon as we were strapped in, we burst out of that oasis like a torpedo! I couldn't believe how fast we were going up and down and around the sand dunes. We would finally slow down a bit just in time for us to realize that we were about to go over a steep incline and the mayhem would start again! We were all screaming from fear and happiness. I didn't even try to take a video...I'm sure it would have given everyone motion sickness! After 15 minutes or so, we stopped at a few sand dunes and got ready to sand board. As I have never snowboarded in my life, I didn't even pretend to try. I got down on my belly and soared down the hill! It was a bit scary the first time, but so fun! We did a quick trio of hills from large to medium to small. Here is a video of me going over for the first time on the large hill! I love the added "boost" our guide gave us, haha ;)
After that, we went riding to another dune and the driver told us to get out and grab our boards. We looked at him in horror/amazement. That hill was at least twice as big as the original...could it be done?? Oh yes it could! We went over one by one, cheering each other on! We got back in the dune buggy just in time to reach the top of a sand dune to view the sunset. As we sat there, we could see groups in the distance, still sandboarding. What was amazing was that we could also HEAR them very clearly. Sound travels at an insane distance in those dunes! As we piled in the buggy one last time, our guide asked "how fast?" The unanimous decision was FAST. I immediately regretted it as I was being thrown around in my seat and the straps dug into my shoulders. I guess being in the back row is not the best place for speed :/ Oh well, still worth it!When we returned to the town, everyone was exhausted and our throats hurt from screaming. The only way to get all the sand off was by shower...coooold shower! I also found a few small bruises already growing. Then we went to a BBQ at a local restaurant and had drinks and lively conversation. The party continued back at the hostel bar. As it was Saturday night and a 3-day weekend for the entire country, Huacachina was packed with party-goers. I was happy until I realized our hostel was attached to a club...that bumped until about 5am. I stayed up playing card games until I was exhausted (around 2) and then put my ear plugs in and hoped for the best. Amazingly, I feel asleep pretty fast!
The next morning, I lounged by the pool and took a leisurely walk around the oasis. It felt good to move slowly :)
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