Huacachina

Tuesday the 26th of October 2010 - Wednesday the 27th of October
From Lima we would originally travel to Pisco to visit the Paracas National Parque nearby, but we were not amazed by the view of Pisco and the impression the local tourist officer made on us. We therefore quickly took a next bus that would bring us to Ica from where we immediately went on to the oasis of Huacachina. This is a fairy-tale like oasis in the middle of the Peruvian desert at a few kilometers only from Ica. We found a hostel that allowed us to set up our tent in their garden, right next to the oasis. The oasis by the way is featured on the note of 50 Peruvian Nuevo Sol. We signed up for a sand buggy ride the next day that included some time for sand boarding down the massive dunes. Just to be prepared we tested the sand boards on Tuesday on the dunes around the oasis. It turned out not to be too easy, but we had had the bonus of the nice view on the oasis and a fabulous sun set from the top of the dunes.
On Wednesday morning we enjoyed the rest of the oasis in the swimming pool of the hostel and prepared our stuff to leave the place again in the evening. In the late afternoon we took place in the oversized sand buggy for an awesome ride in the desert. Our driver, Antonio, didn't stay clear of steep dunes (up as well as down) or sharp turns. We all absolutely loved it, except for one passenger in our buggy that came dangerously close to seeing here lunch again. In the middle of the desert our buggy stopped for some sand boarding. The smaller dunes we went down standing up, which worked more or less. For the bigger ones (especially the last one was massif) we decided to lie down on our belly. This was not only safer, but also much faster and more fun. Unfortunately the sand buggy trip only took 2 hours. Back in Huacachina there was not time to waste as we were scheduled for an 18 hours bus ride to Cuzco..