Overview
** ICA, PERU TOURS **
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Ica, Peru! One of my all time places to visit!!!
I love how Peru’s rich Incan history still abounds within and around the country. I felt extremely comfortable in Peru as a black woman! I visited Huacachina, Ica, Peru to check out their only Oasis located right in the desert! They have a folktale for how the oasis was created. I won’t spill the beans, I’ll leave you all to ask when you visit ;)
If you’re looking for more adventure, check out one of the rental companies in Huacachina to do a sandboarding tour in the dunes!! It is Bucket list worthy!
Also, before leaving Ica, please make sure to check out the El Catador Winery. Peru is also known for their famous Pisco Sour and Pisco based wines. I promise there is one that you will fall in love with!
The Huacachina desert in Ica was amazing! We went for a day trip from Lima with Peru Hop. The bus picked us up from the hostel at 5 am in the morning and dropped us back at the hostel at 12 pm so it’s a full day! It costed 119 USD per person. We got to sandboard down the dunes which was like something I’ve never done before. We also drove through the desert in a dune buggy and it was a bumpy ride! If you like adventure I strongly recommend this day trip!
For more information about this trip click on the link below:
https://www.peruhop.com/passes/full-day-tour-from-lima/
A group I was traveling with went on a bus tour in which one of the stops was in Ica, Peru. We went to the sand dunes to do body boarding, sand boarding, and four wheeling. The tour had several other stops including wine tasting, historical tours, and a boat ride. However, this stop was my favorite! The four wheeling was an insanely amazing time and the Body boarding was an unforgettable and thrilling experience. Altogether, the tour including all the activities was 160 soles so roughly $55. Book on http://www.huacachina.com/en/tours/toursica.htm
I purchased a day trip pass from the Mirabus (a smaller version of the open air buses that do the city tours) in Lima, Peru. It was around $70 USD (2017). It included transportation to and from the Mirabus, an English speaking guide (English was good), water, sand boarding, dune buggy ride (adventurous), lunch, wine tour and taste (tasting was minimal), history about the areas on the ride, and about 30 mins at the oasis in the desert. It’s around a 4-5 hour ride to Ica from Lima so we left at about 6 am and didn’t return until about 9-10 pm. I would recommend that tour if you want to spend most of your time in Lima and get a good feel for the different regions. Make sure you cover up or wear layers because sand will be everywhere. It’s also the desert so you don’t want to burn. I wore athletic type clothing (long sleeved and taller socks) and just dumped the sand before I got on the bus but others had a more difficult time with shorts, tanks and/or ankle socks. Bring sunglasses for the dune buggy ride and sand boarding.
If you go to Ica Peru the big things to do there are sand boarding, wine tasting, and the dun-buggies. If you love wine (or alcohol) you should definitely buy it there bcecause it MUCH cheaper. Sanboarding is a must! (Take sunglasses). And be prepared to get dirty!
Haucachina-
Ica is about 5 hours from Lima yes 5 hours! so that’s 10 hours in all round trip. It is a must do because you won’t regret this gorgeous desert city. The bus I took was Cruz Del Sur. The cost is $30 round trip. The bus it pretty comfy and they also give you a snack on the ride. When you get to Ica you will have to take a taxi to Haucachina, the cost of a taxi will be around $5. Haucachina is a small town with a very cool desert oasis. The town has lots of restaurants with a view of the Oasis. If you want to get your adventure on, this is also the place to be. You can sandboard and ride in a dune buggy for 15-20 dollars. I would definitely say this was the highlight of my entire Peru trip and I had some pretty amazing experiences while here. I decided to do the sunset town which was absolutely breathtaking. It felt like I was just steps away from the sunset. To catch the sunset you will have to book your tour around 4-4:30 PM. The tour in total is 3 hours. The trip is very lengthy but you HAVE to experience this hidden treasure.
Ica is a dreamy desert town in Peru located 5 hours away from Lima. Not many people know that Peru has the only desert in South America so this gem of a city is often overlooked. Just west of Ica lies Huacachina, a desert Oasis with a tiny village. It is a must see when visiting Peru and a truly unique experience.
To get to Haucachina catch an early bus from Lima, I recommend using cruz del sur or Peru Hop, their buses are luxurious and affordable. It costs $15 to get to Ica each way. Once you arrive in Ica grab a taxi from the bus depot, they generally go for $5-$8 so try not to get overcharged. The taxi ride to Haucachina takes 15mins.
We arranged a desert sand boarding and dune buggy tour for 45solespp, this was the highlight of our day. We timed our tour for 4:30pm so we could experience the sunset in the desert and it was truly the most breathtaking experience. The dune buggy ride & sand boarding experience is perfect for thrill seekers.
Be sure to leave time to explore Huacachina, it is a small village but there’s shopping, bars and great restaurants. You can also rent a boat and paddle around the lagoon.
Haucachina set the tone for what was an amazing time for us in Peru, it is one of the many wonders that Peru has to offer.