Paracas Ica Full Day departing from Lima
Lima Paracas · Huacachina
Tours in Ica and Huacachina: Oases, Dunes, and Vineyards
Take a buggy ride through the tallest dunes on the Peruvian coast, go sandboarding on the sand, and discover South America’s only natural oasis, just half an hour from the wineries where pisco is made.
- 18 tours available
- From $0.00
- All year round · Guaranteed sunshine even in winter
- 1 to 2 days
Why Visit Ica and Huacachina
- The tallest dunes on the Peruvian coast, reaching up to 1,000 meters
- Buggies and sandboarding: the most popular adventure in southern Peru
- Huacachina, the only natural oasis in South America
- Wineries and vineyards where pisco is produced, a Peruvian designation of origin
Tours and Experiences in Ica and Huacachina
Ballestas Islands + Paracas National Reserve + buggies in Huacachina
Ballestas Islands · Paracas National Reserve · Huacachina
Paracas - Ica Full Day
Ballestas Islands · Huacachina · Buggy Rides & Sandboarding
Ica Full Day
Ica City Tour · Huacachina Oasis · Buggy Ride & Sandboarding
Packages that include Ica and Huacachina
8 days
The best of the south 8 days 7 nights
- LIMA
- Paracas
- Ica and Huacachina
- Cusco and Machu Picchu
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Transfers
2 days
Paracas Ica 2 days 1 night departing from Lima
- Paracas
- Ica and Huacachina
- LIMA
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Transfers
- Guide
2 days
Ica Nazca 2 days 1 night
- Ica and Huacachina
- Nazca
- Accommodation
- Transfers
- Guide
- Tickets
2 days
Ica Paracas 2 days 1 night
- Ica and Huacachina
- Paracas
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Transfers
- Guide
2 days
Ica 2 days 1 night
Ica and Huacachina
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Transfers
- Tickets
2 days
Paracas Ica Nazca 2 days 1 night (Land tour)
Ica and Huacachina
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Tickets
3 days
Paracas Ica Nazca 3 days 2 nights (Land tour)
- Paracas
- Ica and Huacachina
- Nazca
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Tickets
11 days, 10 nights
Southern Peru
- LIMA
- Arequipa and Colca
- Puno and Lake Titicaca
- Ica and Huacachina
- Cusco and Machu Picchu
- Nazca
- Paracas
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Transfers
- Guide
3 days, 2 nights
Paracas - Ica | 3 Days, 2 Nights
- Paracas
- Ica and Huacachina
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Transfers
- Guide
3 days, 2 nights
Paracas - Ica - Nazca | 3 Days, 2 Nights
- Paracas
- Ica and Huacachina
- Nazca
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Transfers
- Tickets
2 days, 1 night
Ica - Nazca | 2 Days 1 Night
- Ica and Huacachina
- Nazca
- Transfers
- Guide
- Tickets
2 days, 1 night
Paracas - Ica - Nazca | 2 Days 1 Night
- Paracas
- Ica and Huacachina
- Nazca
- Accommodation
- Transfers
- Guide
- Tickets
2 days, 1 night
Paracas - Ica 2 Days 1 Night
- Paracas
- Ica and Huacachina
- Accommodation
- Guide
- Tickets
Things to Do in Ica and Huacachina
Huacachina Oasis
A natural lagoon surrounded by palm trees and sand dunes, located 5 km from Ica. You can walk around it in twenty minutes and climb the dunes to watch the sunset over the desert.
Buggies and sandboarding
A one-hour dune buggy tour through the sand dunes, with stops to ride on boards down slopes of increasing difficulty.
View the tour
Pisco Distilleries
Tour of traditional vineyards and wineries in the Ica Valley, including an explanation of the distillation process and a tasting of pisco and wine.
Cañón de los Perdidos
A rock formation sculpted by water in the heart of the Ocucaje Desert, discovered as recently as 2011 and still rarely visited.
View the tour
How to Get to Ica and Huacachina and When to Visit
-
From Lima
4 hours 30 minutes
Via the Pan-American Highway South, 300 km. Daily departures by tour bus or private transfer.
-
From Paracas
1 hr 15 min
The most popular itinerary: it lets you visit the Ballestas Islands in the morning and the dunes in the afternoon.
-
From Nazca
2 h
Direct connection for those traveling north from the Nazca Lines.
When to Visit
Ica has a desert climate and sunshine practically all year round, with more than 300 clear days and temperatures ranging from 18 °C to 32 °C. Summer, from December to March, is the hottest season, and temperatures can exceed 34 °C at midday. Winter is mild and dry: wh Lima , is shrouded in mist, the sun continues to shine in Ica. The grape harvest is celebrated in March, when wineries open their operations to the public. For buggy rides, the best times are early morning or sunset, when the sun isn’t beating down directly and the light on the dunes is best for photos.
Before Traveling
- Bring a scarf or buff: sand blows around in the buggy and gets in your eyes and mouth
- Don't wear contact lenses that day; the sand in the air makes them uncomfortable
- Sandboarding is done lying face down on the board; you don't need to know how to snowboard.
- Make sure your camera is securely fastened or stowed away during the buggy ride
- If you have neck or back problems, please let us know in advance: the buggy goes over bumps quite roughly
- At pisco distilleries, tastings feature high-proof spirits
Frequently Asked Questions About Ica and Huacachina
One full day is enough to visit the oasis, go dune buggy riding and sandboarding, and tour a pisco winery. If you want to add the Cañón de los Perdidos or the Nazca Lines to your itinerary, it’s best to stay two days.
No. Most people do it lying face down on the board, which is the safest way and requires no prior practice. The guide waxes the boards and arranges the runs from the gentlest to the steepest slope.
The sandboarders are certified and wear safety belts and roll bars, and the drivers hold special licenses. Even so, it’s a high-energy activity: it’s not recommended for people with spinal or neck problems, or for pregnant women.
Yes, that's the most popular combination. It's just over an hour away, and there are full-day tours available at Lima , as well as two-day tours that include an overnight stay in Ica or Paracas.
Sunset. Not only is the sun not as strong, but the low-angle light over the sand dunes is the best of the day for photography.
Guide to Ica and Huacachina
Within just a few kilometers, Ica and Huacachina are home to two of southern Peru’s most iconic sights: a natural oasis surrounded by palm trees and a sea of dunes reaching heights of 1,000 meters. The Huacachina Oasis, just five kilometers from the city of Ica, is the only one of its kind in South America and grew up around a lagoon that local tradition credits with healing properties.
The activity that defines this destination is the buggy tour with sandboarding. Participants ride up and down the sand dunes for about an hour, with stops to sandboard down slopes ranging from easy to difficult. No prior experience is necessary: most visitors ride down lying flat on their boards.
Ica is also the capital of pisco. The valley is home to a concentration of traditional and modern wineries where visitors can learn about the distillation process and sample the different varieties of this protected designation of origin. The grape harvest is celebrated in March, when the entire city is focused on the harvest.
Thanks to its location on the Panamericana Sur highway, Ica serves as a hub for the circuit: it’s just over an hour from Paracas and two hours from Nazca, making it easy to plan two- or three-day itineraries that combine the ocean, the desert, and the lines etched into the pampa. From Lima , the trip takes about four and a half hours on a paved road.
