Huacachina, Ica region, Peru 22 Feb 2017
About this photo
Sun falls on the desert village of Huacachina in southern Peru, allowing street lights to glow orange and reflect the colour of the sand throughout this oasis. Huacachina is located just five kilometres from Ica City, it was built around a lagoon (the oasis), which is shrouded in mystery. Stories about the creation of Huacahina lagoon involve a native princess, a hunter, and a mirror. Hundred metre tall sand dunes surround the village and attract ten of thousands of tourists every year for sand boarding and dune buggy rides.
During the 1980s the natural supply of water stopped trickling into the lagoon, threatening its existence. This was exacerbated by well digging on private land in the area. A consortium of businessmen devised a plan to refill the lagoon, and maintain the unique feature in the centre of the village. They started to pump water from a nearby farm into the oasis in 2015 raising the level by three metres.
Swim in the lagoon or take on an active adventure in the dunes by adding a trip to Huacachina onto any of Insight Guides' trips to Peru.
