Explore the beautiful oasis village that appears like a fairy in the heart of the Peruvian desert

Huacachina is a small village in a desert oasis in Peru. The scene of the village surrounded by giant sand dunes makes you feel surreal like in the movie.

The small village of Huacachina, about 300km south of Lima, is one of the most impressive tourist destinations in Peru. Located in the northern Atacama Desert, which is considered to have the driest climate on Earth, the village of Huacachina, or more precisely, an oasis in the middle of the desert, inhabited by only about 100 people, is blessed with a magical landscape, miraculous.

Sand dunes of Ica Desert near Huacachina, Ica Region, Peru, South America

In the 1940s, Peruvians flocked to Huacachina to swim in the lagoon in the middle of the village that was said to have many medicinal properties beneficial to health. The good news spread far away, soon this village surrounded by palm trees and a quiet small lagoon in the middle of the vast sandy sea filled the world tourist map with more and more tourists from all over the world. Watch the sunset from the giant sand dunes hundreds of meters high surrounding the village, after playing with the desert sand sea.

Now, the infrastructure in Huacachina is complete with many shops, restaurants, motels, hotels, and even a library and many tourist offices serving visitors. This place used to be the playground of the Peruvian elite. The restaurants and hotels that line this small lagoon are inspired by the Renaissance architecture of the old Spanish colony, reminiscent of a bygone era.

One of the busiest activities here is exploring the desert by convertible and sliding from the towering sand dunes. Hotels or tourist offices in Huacachina all offer this journey for about 20 USD / 2 hours.

Huacachina is not only most popular with partygoers and thrill-seekers drawn to the town’s extreme sports, but even visitors not interested in those activities will find it. See interesting things inside this quaint town with a long history.