5 hours south from Lima, we arrived into Ica and then took a taxi to Huacachina which is only 10 minutes away and usually costs 7-8 soles. We stayed at a hostel called Rocha which was apparently the most economical hostel there, according to the driver. We paid 60 soles for a private double room with a private bathroom. This village itself attracts many tourists so expect to pay a bit more for food, drinks and accomodation here. Walking around in the morning we were able to find a decent breakfast place that served English Breakfast but at 18 soles. David got the continental breakfast which was basically 2 pieces of toast with butter and jam for 8 soles.
Once we arrived at the oasis, we were pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the place was. The oasis was surrounded by palm trees, sand dunes, cafes and restaurants. You can even go on a boat and pedal across or do what we did, climb one of the surrounding sand dunes to get the whole view of Huacachina.
There are many tour companies that offer buggy rides and sandboarding. After shopping around for a bit we realized that prices were pretty much the same so we decided to go with the offer at the hostel which was 30 soles per person for a 2 hours session leaving at 4pm. We wanted to go a bit earlier but ended up pretty glad that we left at 4 because the sand wasn’t too hot and we were able to watch the sunset before returning. Tip: don’t wear sandals but sneakers / trainers for this activity.
Camping
We decided to go camping this night in the desert but since we were doing this independently, it meant we had to camp somewhere near the village, otherwise we would have to walk a lot! This was slightly disappointing because near the village is a waste reservoir and so you can imagine the smell sometimes wasn’t so nice. Also because of the light pollution, we didn’t get to see much. If you are looking for a real desert camping experience, I would recommend going with an agency as they would take you much deeper into the desert and also provide you with dinner.
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