When you visit Huacachina, you will feel like you are visiting the Sahara Desert in Africa. The huge sand dunes of this region, and the desert oasis surrounded by palm trees, are not what we normally associate with Peru or South America. But they are real, and they are definitely worth visiting.

From 1920 - 1940, Huacachina was a popular destination for wealthy residents of Lima. They would visit the oasis to bathe in the sulfur waters found in the lagoon, which was believed to be therapeutic. Nowadays, the water no longer contains sulphur but a new type of tourism has emerged: adventure tourism. Thrill-seekers and those who enjoy desert fun come here to take the dune buggy and sandboarding tour. This tour involves riding in a dune buggy with a professional driver, at fast speeds up and down the dunes. Once the buggy has reached the middle of the desert, several kilometers away, the sandboarding begins. Visitors ride down the dunes on sandboards, either crouching like a snowboarder (challenging) or lying down on their stomachs like a sled (very easy).

This tour is very popular with adults, teens and children and many people consider it to be one of the most unexpected joys of visiting Peru.

Some of our clients prefer to skip the sandboarding and request a slow dune buggy ride. This is no longer a "thrilling tour" but offers a chance to see the beautiful and surreal desert dunes at sunset. Bring your own wine!

After visiting Huacachina, there are other tours in the area, such as our Winery tour to see how wines and pisco (peruvian brandy) is produced.