The Desert Party Town of Huacachina

You’ve likely seen pictures of the desert oasis without realizing where it was, the lights and palm trees coming out of an endless sea of sand. When doing research for my trip to Peru, I heard from many travelers that Huacachina was a must-see. It worked out well for my trip with Peru Hop as it was a required overnight stop coming from Nazca.

I planned for around 24 hours there, which turned out to be just right for me. Huacachina is really just a town made for tourists, down the road from a “real” town called Ica. It’s here that the regular buses operate and where the people who work at the restaurants and hotels in Huacachina actually live. The town reminds me of so many I went to in Southeast Asia, but was luckily where I met a crew of people I ended up traveling with for the rest of my trip.

This post contains affiliate links that can earn this website a small income. They will not cost you anything to use.

What is there to do?

To be completely honest, there isn’t much in the way of actual things to do in Huacachina. Like many other backpacker destinations, most activity takes place at dusk and night, allowing travelers to spend the afternoons recovering by the pool, an essential item for your hotel/hostel to have. I booked all of the excursions offered by Peru Hop, with the tour costing 50 soles ($15). You can also rent a boat to paddle around the small lake.

The dunes around town are the largest in South America and are rightfully popular for adventure activities like dune buggy rides and sandboarding. Groups are put into vehicles with drivers and make their way up the hill to the dunes, racing up and down what seems like mountains.

This is not for the faint of heart as some of the drivers go a bit crazy and it is dangerous. Be careful at the sunset viewpoint as buggies leave at different times and people take photos without paying attention. I highly recommend getting travel insurance if you know you want to do this.

Secure your hats and sunglasses, wear a bandana or Buff to keep sand out of your mouth, and wear shoes that are easy to get sand out of. Zip up your phone in a bag and bring a water bottle.

When it comes to boarding, you’ll be given a basic board that is waxed to make it easier to go down. There are handles to hold onto, which you can do face first or sitting up, but laying down is easier. Some of the dunes are very steep and you can pick up high speeds, so prepare yourself for a face of sand.

I got some nice burns from sliding off the board. But you can also go without a tour or rent skis and GoPros, which one of my travel companions did. There is a route to hike up the dunes to go on your own.

My group also went on Peru Hop’s free Pisco Vineyard Tour, which was a total fail. Not only were we not offered any pisco, instead having some sort of sweet wine, the tour was long and in the heat. If you’re interested in it, instead book a taxi with some friends to go to the real vineyards.

But because of its location, it is well located for day trips elsewhere. In neighboring Ica, there’s a small regional museum, a few churches, and a shopping mall where travelers can pick up necessities. Pisco, the town where the national liquor is made, is a little over an hour away and has a number of tasting rooms where you can sample it and take home a bottle.

The closest beach is Playa Harcuas, which is 1.5 hours away. It’s also a little over an hour to Paracas, which has beaches and a famous nature preserve (post coming soon), and Nazca is also 2.5 hours away. The travel agencies in town offer excursions to these places but you can also take public transportation.

Restaurants and bars in Huacachina

I don’t remember anything I ate in Huacachina that was overly amazing, but I do remember that the prices tended to be higher than elsewhere in Peru. On my first night in town, I went to dinner with my new travel companions at the bar at Desert Nights Hostel.

I can’t remember what I ate (a burger?), just that I enjoyed it along with a beer for 30 soles ($9). The next morning, I had a fantastic breakfast at my hostel, Wild Olive, which also serves Italian food. I also dined at the outlandishly named Huacafuckingchina on some sort of fish dish, pictured, for 39 soles ($11).

I didn’t go, but my friends had some empanadas on the same street as Casa de Arena that they recommended. We didn’t really indulge in the nightlife, since we visited on a weekday, but there were pubs showing sporting events around town. Most hostel bars become nightclubs on weekends.

Sleeping in the desert

I originally tried to book a few different places but landed on Wild Olive Guest House because it was one that had availability and offered a discount for Peru Hop travelers, 30 soles for an 8 bed dorm. It turned out to be perfect because the beds were comfortable, there was free WiFi, it included a full breakfast, and it was quieter than some of the neighboring hostels.

I’d originally wanted to stay at the Desert Nights Eco Camp, a glamping hotel with luxury tents and full beds. They also have a swimming pool and bar and restaurant. Desert Nights also has a hostel that resembles those found everywhere else and is associated with Hostelling International. They also have their own bar and restaurant and guests have access to the camp’s pool.

I liked the look of The Upcycled Hostel, which repurposes items for decor and tries to keep their environmental impact low. It’s right outside of town, so in the end I opted for something closer. But if you don’t care about being in the middle of everything, it’s a good option. Banana’s Adventure Hostel is popular for its pool and restaurant, while Hostal Curasi is a budget hotel, also with a pool. Both offer Peru Hop discounts.

My accommodation did not have a pool, but Peru Hop picks up from one that does, Casa de Arena Hostel, so we were able to sit by the pool there, keep our bags in storage, and relax while we waited for the bus. I don’t recommend staying here because it looked pretty run down and turns into a nightclub on weekends.

Getting there

Peru Hop drops off right outside of town and from there you’ll have to walk to your respective accommodation. But nothing takes longer than five minutes. The public bus drops off in Ica, where you can take a taxi into Huacachina. It’s also important to go to the ATM beforehand as there aren’t any in town.