Adventures in Huacachina, Peru
It was my birthday and I wanted to make it memorable. I decided to make a trip down to Huacachina to enjoy the dunes. Lima to Huacachina is about a 5.5 hour bus ride. I decided to do a tour with Peru Hop for $149 which included a stop in Paracas, sandboarding, and dune buggy in Huacachina.
Table of Contents
Destination:
1. Paracas
In Paracas, we took a boat out to the Ballesta Islands to observe sea lions. The tour was given in both English and Spanish. We saw quite a bit of sea lions. It was peaceful and I enjoyed it.
2. Dune Buggy
After Paracas, we drove down to Huacachina. We checked into our accommodations and met up in the early evening for dune buggy. It was quite hot here and I am glad that we did not drive out til the weather cooled off a little bit. Once it was time to go dune buggying, our guide split us off into groups. We met our driver and he drove us to go sand boarding.
He got into our vehicle and buckled up. Our driver started off easy and then out of nowhere, he started doing all these crazy turns and drops, and brakes. Our entire car was screaming at the top of our lungs. I sat in the middle and one of the travelers grabbed my hand for fear of falling out of the vehicle. It was so exhilarating. It was my highlight.
3. Sandboarding
For sandboarding, we went to 3 different hills. We started easy with our last drop being high up. Some people opted to rent a snowboard. I do not recommend this. The dunes are soft that people could not have a good ride. It was a waste of money and the travelers were not happy. For those who choose to sandboard, we laid flat on our bellies and launched ourselves with our feet. It was scary looking down but I never went fast enough to freak out while going down the hill. Definitely recommend doing this once in your life.
4. Nietto Pisco Tasting
The next day, we went pisco tasting at Nietto. Nietto is located about 30 minutes from Huacachina. During the tasting, we sampled about 4 different drinks. After tasting the pisco in several forms, they gave us time to go shopping and then we went upstairs for lunch. When I purchased my pisco, they told me how to make pisco sours. They told me 2 parts pisco, 1 part fresh lime juice, and 1 part sugar (or sugar for taste).
Where to Eat:
Lunch in Paracas: Restaurant Paracas
→ Av. Los Libertadores C10, Paracas 11550, Peru
This restaurant was selected by our tour. We were able to preorder our food on the bus and only waited a few minutes for our food to arrive. I ordered the pollo saltado for s/42.80. The food was quite flavorful. The restaurant also has a 2 drink special and I split it with another person on the tour.
Dinner in Huacachina: Viajero Kokopelli Huacachina Hostel
→ Av. Ángela Perotti 198, Huacachina 11000, Peru
I met some friends on the tour and they were staying at this hostel. They talked about how great the vibe of the hostel was so we decided to do dinner here. I ordered the bolognese past but they lost my order. It end up taking over an hour for my food to be delivered. The food here was just okay. during dinner, they also had a salsa lesson. We danced a few songs before our drinks and food arrived.
Lunch at Nietto: Tres Nieto
There is a restaurant located upstairs in Nietto. I ordered the rice with chicken for s/30 and I have to admit that it was my favorite meal of this trip. The chicken had this green salsa over it and it was nice and tender.
