Day 426 – Huacachina
Sand Dunes are fun!
After days of feeling like crap, I finally woke up feeling better from my recent spout of food poisoning. We enjoyed the included breakfast at Huacachina Desert House. The breakfast was similar to most other included breakfasts in Peru. Bread, jam, butter and a stir fry of sausages and egg. It was alright.
We then went back to the cosy hotel room and watched Netflix and listened to audio books on Libby (Library App). After a small lunch at the hotel that we prepared, we decided to actually check out the oasis.
Therefore,we walked down the road to Huacachina Oasis. Our hotel is actually situated halfway between Ica and Huacachina. We could see the massive sand dunes as soon as we started walking. As we came closer to Huacachina Oasis, we could see people walking up the dunes. We followed their lead.
Huacachina Sand Dunes and Oasis
The sand dunes surround and overshadow the oasis. It was so beautiful with the sun setting in the background. The sand dunes are massive, and even using the tracks from everyone else, was quite an effort. It was worth climbing. The views from the peak are spectacular. The only time it was ruined was when the wind swept by, which left us covered in sand. Otherwise it was so fun, just to walk around and enjoy the sunset.
We were surprised with the number of people on top of the dune, but it’s easy enough to find a spot to relax away from the people.
After the sun went over the horizon, we thought about walking down the path, but then found out that crossing straight down the dune is way more fun! At the bottom, we realised that my wife lost her hair clip and we were fully covered with sand.
After brushing off, we walked around the Oasis. There is a nice walkway around, lined with restaurants and hotels. We ended up eating burgers from Hostal Huacachina Sunset, before walking back to our hotel.
The walk back was alright as there was street lighting. However, there was hardly anyone else on the streets. On the road from Huacachina to Ica, some of the drivers are crazy, overtaking around corners. Every time we saw a car, we would move off the road for our own safety.