Last updated on December 21st, 2024
The Huacachina Oasis in Ica, Peru is unlike anywhere else in the world. Here you can find South America’s largest sand dunes, reaching heights of up to 500 meters (1,600 ft). Plus the only natural oasis on the content!
Our time in the Huacachina Oasis was the most exhilarating experience we had during our entire month in Peru. We screamed as we flew across sand dunes, watched a magical sunset over mountains of sand, and slept under the stars in a glamping tent.
And in this guide we’re sharing exactly how to visit this unique destination in Peru in just 24 hours! Including some fun activities that most visitors do not get the chance to experience.
Traveling to Peru? Check out our Peru guides:
- 11 FUN things to do in Paracas, Peru
- Our top 25 Peru travel tips & things to know
- The 13 BEST places to visit in Peru
- The Perfect 2 Weeks in Peru Itinerary for First-Timers
- The 19+ BEST things to do in Lima, Peru
- The Ultimate Lima, Peru Itinerary (1-3 days!)
- Where to stay in Lima, Peru (for ALL budgets!)
- How to hike Peru’s Salkantay Trek without a guide
- 18 FUN things to do in Cusco, Peru
- Visiting Machu Picchu in 2025: A step by step guide!
- The Ultimate Peru Packing List (with downloadable list!)
- 24 traditional Peruvian foods & drinks you MUST try in Peru
- Read all of our Peru travel guides
- Watch all of our Peru videos
Is the Huacachina Oasis worth visiting?
While we do love a popular tourist destination, we often prefer to explore more off the beaten path destinations. And if you’re like us, you may be wondering “is the Huacachina Oasis worth visiting?” There’s no doubt about it, the Huacachina Oasis is very touristy. The town surrounding the Oasis is lined with hostels, restaurants, tour providers, and shops. It is 100% catered to tourism.
But don’t let that stop you! The Huacachina Oasis is SO much fun and is popular for a reason. And we think it should be on your Peru itinerary. We are SO glad we didn’t let the touristy aspect of Huacachina deter us from visiting!
How to spend 24 hours in the Huacachina Oasis
Take the bus to Huacachina
The first step to visiting the Huacachina Oasis is to get there. While you could take a day trip from Lima (which also includes the coastal town of Paracas), we think it’s easy to visit the Huacachina Oasis on your own. Plus, it gives you the chance to stay the night in the dunes, which is one of the BEST things to do, in our opinion.
The most common starting points for traveling to the Huacachina Oasis are Lima and Paracas. It is about 4.5 hours (one way) from Lima and 1.5 hours (one way) from Paracas. And the easiest way to get from either city to the Huacachina Oasis is by bus!
There are a couple different bus lines that travel to the Huacachina Oasis, with the most common being Cruz del Sur and PeruBus. Regardless of which you choose, you will be dropped off in Ica, Peru, which is about 10 minutes from the Huacachina Oasis. Once arriving in Ica, you will want to take a taxi the rest of the way. We had no issue getting a taxi the second we got off the bus!
Some tips for taking the bus to the Huacachina Oasis:
- Make sure to get breakfast and coffee beforehand!
- Try to arrive by 12 PM. This will give you enough time to fully enjoy this itinerary.
- The bus has a toilet on board, but there are no outlets (at least on Cruz del Sur). Make sure to bring a portable charger so you have enough battery for the day.
Grab lunch in town
After you arrive in the Huacachina Oasis, it’s time for lunch! Despite Peru being a wonderful culinary country, with tons of delicious foods to eat, the food scene in Huacachina is a bit…meh. So don’t expect the best meal of your trip here!
We researched tons of restaurants beforehand and the reviews were very mixed. Ultimately, we ended up going to The Tiki Backyard, mostly because the vibe was really fun, with palapas, plus colorful plants and furniture. But the food was also really good! We ordered a burger and fries, plus a pineapple smoothie.
Boat on the lagoon
One of the defining features of Huacachina is the lagoon, which is surrounded by palm trees, buildings, and the towering sand dunes.
You may be wondering how this body of water came to be, especially in one of the driest places in South America. The legend says that the lagoon was formed from the tears of an Inca Princess named Huacachina, who was mourning the loss of her love. In fact, Huacachina means “weeping woman” in Quechua! But in reality, it was created by an underground current of water, which caused plants and trees to grow.
Today you can rent a pedal boat to take out on the lagoon! We rented ours from one of the vendors lining the lagoon and enjoyed about half an hour of pedaling all around. Not only was it much more fun than we expected, but it also was covered and gave us a rare bit of a shade!
Just beware, the water is not very clean, so we would NOT recommend getting in the water.
Go on a sunset sand dune adventure
For the rest of the day, go on a sunset sand dune adventure! Getting out into the dunes is hands down the best thing to do in the Huacachina Oasis. But there are a couple different ways to do it!
You can either book a standalone sand buggy tour, where you’ll ride around on the dunes, plus go sand boarding. OR you can book a glamping tour, which is what we did! This experience includes a sand buggy ride, sand tubing, sand boarding, dinner in the dunes, and glamping overnight! We will break down this tour in a bit more detail below.
But for the sand buggy experience, almost all tours in the area are the same. You will hop into a sand buggy and head up into the dunes from town. If your tour is like ours, your driver will speed through the dunes, which feels like a rollercoaster!
The tours all stop above the Huacachina Oasis, so you can look down into the town and lagoon. This is the busiest part of the tour, with dozens upon dozens of sand buggy tours at once.
Then, you’ll head back into the dunes and stop to go sand boarding or sand tubing (or both). It is an absolute BLAST! Quite literally, as we got blasted with sand.
And for the final part of the tour, your driver will find a nice quiet spot to enjoy the sunset. Getting to watch the endless mountains of sand illuminate as the sun goes down is a magical experience!
A+K Tip: If you have time before your tour, you could climb up into the dunes to explore a bit. However, keep in mind that the afternoons are HOT and sunny and climbing up sand is very difficult!
Have dinner among the dunes
While most tours end at sunset, we highly recommend sticking around to enjoy dinner IN the dunes!
This is something ONLY offered by Huacachina Tours, Which means only a very small percentage of visitors to the Huacachina Oasis get to experience it. You can either do this as part of the glamping tour or book the dinner. Regardless of which option you choose, the price does include the sand buggy experience as well.
After sunset, you will be taken to Duna Camp, which is a glamping campground nestled in the dunes. They’ll have bumpin’ music playing, string lights, and a fire pit roaring. You’ll be given wine (or soda!) and a small charcuterie board to enjoy around the fire, while the chef cooks dinner.
For dinner, you have a choice of chicken or beef, which is grilled right at camp and served with grilled veggies and potatoes, all on a little tray with hot coals below it. Not only is the presentation super cool, but the food was delicious! And you eat it while sitting on pillows at a small table right in the dunes. It doesn’t get much better!
If you just booked the dinner, your night will end here, but for the ultimate Huacachina experience, stay the night in one of the glamping tents!
Want to save some money on this tour or experience? Join Tripadvisor Rewards to earn 5% Trip Cash on any hotel or experience booking made in their app, which can be applied to future in-app bookings!
Glamp on the dunes
Hands down one of our favorite things we did in Peru was glamp among the dunes in Huacachina. After dinner, we got to enjoy more time by the campfire and play with the sweetest pup Duna who visits the camp, before heading to bed.
The glamping experience includes a glamping tent, which has a super comfortable bed inside, plus access to a bathroom outside. This bathroom is similar to a porta-potty, but nicer. It may be a bit of a walk depending on where your tent is, so make sure to pack a headlamp for any evening visits.
We had a very quiet night and woke up early to enjoy the sunrise from our tent. During our stay, there was only one other couple there and they were in a tent far away. So it felt like we had the dunes all to ourselves!
Around 8 AM, you will be picked up in a dune buggy (a bonus second ride!) and dropped off at Duna Camp’s headquarters. There you’ll be able to take a shower in one of their very nice showers, plus have a small breakfast (eggs, bread, juice, and coffee).
Prefer to stay the night in town instead? The majority of the lodging in the Huacachina Oasis are hostels. However, many have private rooms! Banana’s Adventure would be our top pick, which is where The Tiki Backyard restaurant is located. If you want a fancier stay, Hotel Las Dunas and Hotel Viñas Queirolo in Ica are both great choices.
Head to your next destination
Once it’s time to leave Huacachina, you will want to take a taxi to Ica and then hop on a bus to wherever your Peru adventures are taking you next! If Paracas is your next stop, check out our guide to learn all of the fun things to do in Paracas, like see penguins and sea lions, plus explore a beautiful coastline with golden cliffs.
And if Lima is your next stop, we have itinerary options for 1-3 days, which include all of the best things to do in Lima!
Planning logistics + tips for the Huacachina Oasis
When to visit the Huacachina Oasis
While many destinations in Peru have a rainy season and a dry season, Huacachina doesn’t get much (or any) rain, making it a year round destination. However, one thing this area does deal with is heat.
December-April will be the hottest time to visit the Huacachina Oasis, as that is summer in Peru. However, this tends to be the rainiest time to visit other destinations, like Machu Picchu and Cusco, so we’d suggest visiting outside of these months anyways.
We personally visited in mid-October and it was still very hot (and we are from Texas). So regardless of when you visit, make sure to protect your skin and stay hydrated!
How to get around the Huacachina Oasis
There is no Uber in Ica or Huacachina, so you will need to use a taxi or tuk tuk to get between the two. But once in the Huacachina Oasis, you can easily walk around!
Book tours in advance
There are a LOT of tour providers that will try to get you to buy their tour in town. And while you could easily book a sand buggy tour when you arrive, we prefer to research in advance and pick companies with good reviews. Not all tour companies are created equal! We highly recommend Huacachina Tours.
Make sure to bring enough cash
One thing we didn’t do (and regretted) was bring enough cash to Huacachina. You will need cash for the pedal boat, taxis, and any tips. There is one ATM in town, BUT we are pretty sure our debit card number got stolen from there. So we would advise bringing more than enough cash. And not only that, small enough bills. We constantly struggled with not having small enough bills in Peru.
What to bring to the Huacachina Oasis
We have a FREE Peru packing list, with everything you’ll need for your trip, but here are a few items we want to emphasize bringing to Huacachina.
Sun protection
There is basically ZERO shade in Huacachina and it was the hottest place we visited in Peru. Make sure to pack sunscreen (or buy some when you arrive) and reapply often to avoid getting burned. In addition to sunscreen, we suggest packing a sun hoodie, hat, and sunglasses. Adam wears KALIYADI sunglasses and Kathryn wears Ray-Bans.
Water bottle
We were drinking (water) like fish in Huacachina to battle the heat and sun. Make sure to bring a water bottle (we like this one, which has a filter!) or a Camelbak to store larger amounts of water at once.
And to ensure you stay extra hydrated, pack electrolytes. LMNT is our absolute favorite! And if you use this link, you get a free sample pack (8 flavors!) with any order.
Buff
A buff is a MUST for riding the sand buggy! It will help you avoid getting sand all up in your mouth. And it acts as an extra layer of sun protection!
Jacket
Once the sun goes down, it gets a bit cooler in Huacachina, so make sure to pack a jacket!
Headlamp
If you plan to glamp out in the dunes, make sure to bring a headlamp to walk around camp at night.
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