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Huacachina Peru truly felt like stepping back in time into a storybook.

It is one of those places that you never thought could exist in real life. A palm tree-lined oasis surrounded by the largest dunes I have ever seen- truly a sight to see! 

Luckily for us, Huacachina Peru does exist and is a stunning dessert oasis with tons of thrilling activities, places to stay, and things to see.

This blog post will go over all the reasons Huacachina Peru has topped my list of things to do while traveling through Peru! 

Huacachina Peru Oasis – FAQ

Is Huacachina Peru Worth Visiting?

To this I answer- 100% YES!

This location is so different than anywhere else I have ever been and the activities I did there blew my mind.

Huacachina, Peru is definitely worth visiting for anyone who craves a once in a lifetime adventure or who wants to photograph something you wont find anywhere else in the world. 

Why Is Huacachina Famous?

Huacachina has long been a popular travel destination for international and domestic travelers.

It used to be thought that the lagoon- Laguna Huacachina had special healing powers and people came from all over to experience this!

During this time it turned into a resort town for the wealthy and has now been converted into a lovely tourist town filled to the brim with lovely old architecture, markets, fun hostels to stay at and adventures for all the thrill seekers out there! 

When To Go To Huacachina?

Year Round!

Huacachina is located in a dry, desert environment because of this it is consistently dry and sunny year round! This makes it a great destination at any time of year. 

If I were planning my own trip to Peru I would focus more on the best times of year to go to Cusco and trek through the Andes mountains as those locations can only be accessed and easily enjoyed in specific times of year (especially if you are hiking!) 

Can You Swim In Huacachina?

No you should not swim in Huacachina.

While the water looks tempting try to avoid going into the lagoon. The water isn’t very clean and it isn’t safe for swimming. 

If you want to enjoy the lagoon you can rent a paddle boat and paddle around the water while enjoying the sun. 

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READ MORE: Humantay Lake Day Trip

Who Would Enjoy Traveling To Huacachina?

Anyone with a thirst for adventure!

Anyone who is looking for an adventure of a lifetime! I will say the majority of the travelers I stumbled across in Huacachina were generally 20-30 somethings backpacking through South America. It seems to attract young people looking for adventure! In saying that, I do think anyone with a thirst for something new and different will enjoy a trip to Huacachina.

How Many Days Do You Need In Huacachina?

2-3 Days

To be able to do all of the fun activities and tours as well as hike around the dunes on your own I think 2-3 days (2 nights and 3 days) is the perfect amount of time to spend here! 

Huacachina Expense Rating

$

Just like the majority of places in Peru, Huacachina was relatively inexpensive. Although this was the location where we spent the most money on our hotel. Since Huacachina is small and doesn’t have the space for too many hotel options they do raise the prices quite a bit.  

READ MORE: How To Get To Machu Picchu: The Complete Guide

How To Get To Huacachina Peru ?

If you are flying internationally you will most likely be flying into the Lima airport in Peru. From here it is quite easy to find transportation to Huacachina.

First Option: Rent a car in Lima! 

This is the route we took to get to Huacachina. We wanted to be able to have the freedom to see the coast of Peru and take our time without having to rely on public transportation or bus times.

It took us around 4.5 hours to drive from Lima to Huacachina. 

I loved having the freedom of a car- but be warned!

Drivers in Peru are NUTS. Truly I have not experienced more fear in a car than I did driving through Lima. 

Second Option: Peru Hop!

A wonderful option for travelers who have a bit more time on their hands is to purchase a Peru Hop bus pass!

Peru hop offers a couple of different options to travel through Peru and many of them include a trip to Huacachina. After heading down to Huacachina you can just hop right back on the bus and then continue on to Arequipa or even straight to Cusco! 

Currently this is the only bus that goes directly into Huacachina.

We chose against this option as we didn’t want to do the two overnight bus rides that it takes to get all the way to Cusco. Instead, we chose to rent a car and drive back to Lima and fly into Cusco from there. 

Third Option: Public Transportation

If you want to save money and really embed yourself into the Peruvian culture you can take a public bus from Lima to Ica, Peru (a city around 10 minutes outside of Huacachina) from here you can get a taxi into the city of Huacachina.

READ MORE: Cusco Peru Travel Guide

What To Bring To Huacachina?

Packing for Huacachina is actually quite easy!

• Shorts
• Light dress
• Sandals
• Tennis shoes
• Tank tops
• Swimsuit
• Light jacket
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Camera

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Where To Stay In Huacachina Peru?

Bananas Adventure Hostel:  This is where we stayed while in Huacachina and we loved it!

The rooms were lovely, the pool amazing and we ate there for breakfast and dinner every single day! It was a really fun atmosphere with lots of young travelers and a great tiki bar. 

We even booked many of our tours through Bananas and had a great time. 

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Things To Do In Huacachina Peru

Dune Buggy:

WOW! This was by far one of my favorite activities I did in all of Peru!!

We booked this adventure through our hostel and it combined sand boarding with an epic dune buggy ride.

We decided to do this adventure around 4PM so we could catch the sunset on the way down and boy was that a wonderful decision. 

When I say these drivers like speed, I mean it! These guys FLY over the dunes. It feels like your on a real life roller-coaster with how fast your going and how many drops you get to go over! 

Don’t worry about booking these tours in advance- there are tons of companies within the town and people will literally (I mean literally) run after you every day asking if you want to come on a dune buggy ride with their company. 

I would recommend booking through your hotel so you can make sure who you are going with is trusted- I could easily see it being dangerous if you go with the wrong driver. 

Sand boarding:

While we got a tour that combined both dune buggy-ing and sand boarding you can also easily rent a sand board in town and take it out to the dunes yourself or with a guide! 

I personally liked the combination of dune buggy and sand boarding as they were able to take us up to the top of some insanely high dunes that I don’t think we could have gotten to on our own! 

READ MORE: Check Out these 15 Unique Things To Do In Cusco, Peru

Climb the dunes at sunset:

Another awesome activity is to watch the sunset from the top of a dune! There are some insane dunes that rise up right next to the city and it is an easy (albeit sweaty) hike up to the top of them. 

At sunset you can see lots of people perched up on the dunes watching the sun sink into the orange abyss and the lights of Huacachina slowly popping on. It is magical and an absolutely wonderful place for photography! 

Paragliding:

Another thrilling adventure would be paragliding! Sadly I didn’t get to do this while I was there but I definitely would if I went back. We saw tons of people gliding their way amongst the dunes and it looked quite beautiful! 

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Conclusion

Huacachina Peru is truly one of the most memorable places I have ever been. If you are an adventure seeker you will love exploring this desert oasis and experiencing all the charm it has to offer. 

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