La Huacachina: Natural Oasis in America
La Huacachina is a natural oasis, surrounded by palm trees, eucalyptus and several species of the area, such as guarango, toñuz and hawthorn, and is well known for being the only natural oasis in America. The words: Huaca and Cachi are Quechua words that mean weep and salt, respectively.
There is an urban legend, among the Iqueños, that a maiden was looking in the mirror near the sand dunes and through her mirror she saw the reflection of a man looking at her stealthily, the maiden when she saw this mysterious man was frightened and ran away and in doing so tripped over her long dress throwing the mirror in her hand, which was submerged along with her in the desert sands, becoming the mirror in the oasis that we know today. In revenge for her tragic end, Huacachina, the maiden, goes out every night in search of a gentleman, seducing him with her beauty and luring him to the depths of the oasis so that he feels the despair she felt when she died in the depths of the desert.
What activities to do in Huacachina?
Huacachina offers several activities that you can do both in the sand dunes and in the Huacachina Lagoon. Here are some of them:
Sitting and watching the Huacachina Lagoon.
The view is a luxury that few travelers can have, plus it is an ideal place to relax, watch the great variety of birds and nature of the place. You can also make picnic’s and eat ice cream on the shore of the lagoon, the eucalyptus trees will give you shade and you will see many locals enjoying the place.
Boat rides
In the Huacachina lagoon itself, pedal boats are offered for S./20 soles (USD 5 dollars) per person.
Paragliding and ATV and UTVs,
Paragliding is an activity for the more adventurous travelers who want to experience the beautiful desert landscape from a bird’s eye view. In addition to paragliding, some tours near Huacachina offer ATV and UTV rides in the Huacachina desert and around the city.
Buggy and Sandboarding
To know more about this activity you can click on this article: Buggy and Sandboarding in the Huacachina, Ica.
