Peru · HUACACHINA & DESERT BUGGIES
A dune oasis outside Ica, buggies driven like a fairground ride and boards to slide back down on. The 15 below differ on sunset timing, how long the ride lasts and whether a winery stop is bolted on, all priced.
Leave Lima early for a full day in Paracas and Huacachina. You’ll cruise to the Ballestas Islands for sea lions and penguins, taste pisco at a vineyard, then ride a dune buggy and sandboard near the oasis. Guides such as Franklin, Aymeth, Fio, and Diego are praised for clear English, good organization, and helpful Peru tips.
“Everything went as expected, very happy with my trip :)”
Leave Lima around 5 a.m. for a small-group day covering the Ballestas Islands, a pisco and wine tasting at Taqara 1856, and Huacachina’s oasis and dunes. You’ll ride a boat, see sea lions and Humboldt penguins, eat lunch at your own cost, then take a dune buggy and try beginner sandboarding. Expect a very long return ride.
“It was a great experience. Huacachina and Paracas were incredible. The Tourism Guide was really nice and respectful. Paracas and Huacachina are amazing. The buggies in the dunes was incredible. However, the buggies and sunboard activities were less than the time planned (1 hour instead of 2) and I had to wait 25 minutes the buggy to start”
Leave Lima before sunrise for the Ballestas Islands, where you’ll see sea lions, Humboldt penguins, seabirds, and El Candelabro. After lunch and a pisco tasting in Ica, ride dune buggies and sandboard at Huacachina. English and Spanish guides, transport, and admission tickets are included.
“The trip was exactly as planned and described. Our guide Alvaro was fantastic. He gave us great historical facts, funny stories and answered all questions wonderfully. Although a long day, no time felt like it was wasted. All our stops and planned activities were perfect and we had a great time. We highly recommend this trip.”
Travel from Lima to Paracas and Huacachina in one packed day. You’ll take a boat toward the Ballestas Islands, spot sea lions, penguins, and guano birds, sample Ica pisco and wine, then ride dune buggies and sandboard at Huacachina. English and Spanish guides may include Celeste, Chris, Javier, or another assigned guide.
“Fantastic excursion with Spanish and English speaking guide, Javier. He was very knowledgeable about the locations and very helpful with questions. Very fun excursion!”
Leave Lima before sunrise for a full day in Paracas and Huacachina. You’ll cruise to the Ballestas Islands for sea lions and penguins, visit Nieto winery for lunch and pisco tasting, then ride a dune buggy and sandboard. Guides such as Gaby, Jose, Zeta, and Davi have helped English-speaking groups, though the guide varies.
“The trip was a good mix of activities. The coach was really nice, had air con and guide provided snacks. Only downside was that on our way back when lights were turned off the air con turned off and at 25 degrees C still it was hard to sleep whilst being extremely hot! Chose this trip as it was half the price of Peru hop and didn’t seem to be much difference when looking at reviews. Primarily in Spanish but the guide spoke good English and translated. Really good trip if you have limited time in Lima. Highlight was the pisco tasting, the restaurant was nice and food good with…”
Join a small group of up to 10 for a two-hour Huacachina sunset trip with an English- or Spanish-speaking driver. You’ll ride a dune buggy over 30-meter dunes, sandboard with help from your driver, stop for oasis photos, and finish with sunset views. Drivers such as Frank, Jorge, and Riccardo have earned praise for their driving and photo help.
“Great experience. Quite thrilling but in a good way! Definitely recommend doing this in Huacachina”
Leave Lima around 4:00 to 5:00 am for Paracas, where a speedboat brings you near sea lions, Humboldt penguins, seabirds, and the Chandelier Lines. Continue to CulturPisco for pisco and wine tastings, then finish at Huacachina with a dune buggy ride and sandboarding. Guides such as Miguel Angel and Mayer are known for keeping this long day organized.
“This trip is phenomenal. You start with cold Pacific weather as you go dolphins, sea lions and penguin watching. Then the weather changes completely in a matter of minutes as we head into the Ica desert and the Huacachina Oasis is super pretty. There were lot of alcohol options to taste at the CulturPisco vineyard. Definitely recommend this tour.”
This 19.5-hour Lima day trip combines a Ballestas Islands boat ride, a flight over the Nazca Lines, and time at Huacachina Oasis. Guides such as Miguel, Aymen, Sergio, and Christian have led recent departures. Expect hotel pickup, a long but comfortable drive, changing flight times, and optional sandboarding at extra cost.
“Ceaser our guide was very good,perfect English and informative to our questions about culture,education etc.the sights were interesting.enjoyed the wild life lots of sea birds,sea lions etc up close that surprised us how active they all were. Nazca flight very good saw all the lines. Plane was agile and as result some were queezy or sick thou. Saw everything as promised. Expensive but you can appreciate a private car,guide,flight involved etc it does depend on what interests you.if old buildings and markets are your thing you won't like it. no time for shopping and not much stopping for photos on the way as time is always on the table- just…”
Leave Lima at 5 a.m. for a full day in Paracas and Huacachina. You’ll cruise around the Ballestas Islands for penguins, sea lions, birds, and the Candelabra, stop for lunch and pisco tasting at Pisco Nietto, then ride a dune buggy and try sandboarding. Guides may include Diana, Mar, Scott, or Renzo.
“The trip was a lot of fun. Everyone was very knowledgeable. Sand boarding was the highlight of the trip”
This 17-hour trip links Peru’s Pacific wildlife with the Ica Desert. You’ll take a boat to the Ballestas Islands, taste pisco, ride a dune buggy, try beginner sandboarding, and watch sunset at Huacachina. Guides such as Oswaldo and David are known for lively explanations and careful coordination. Hotel pickup is available only in San Isidro, Miraflores, and Barranco.
“Wonderful experience. Great value for the money. would do it over and over again. Best tour ever!”
Take the wheel of a two-person mini buggy for a two-hour ride through Paracas National Reserve. An English- or Spanish-speaking instructor handles the safety briefing while you drive to Yumaque Beach, Red Beach, and the reserve’s upper viewpoint. This is a driving adventure, not a cultural tour, so expect brief photo stops and plenty of desert scenery.
“Liked most: Guide offered to take pictures so we had an impromptu photoshoot. Easy to learn how to drive on it. Improvement: a bit bigger buggy. A bit of an explanation at each stop and why it's interesting/special about it would've been appreciated. More control over the group, one driver decided to overpass another and went into the next lane while on the actual road, could've been dangerous.”
Start in Huacachina at 3 p.m. with ski or snowboard instruction, then ride a dune buggy to larger dunes for about four runs. Dito Sand Xsports provides skis, boards, boots, helmets, goggles, wax, instruction, and GoPro photos and videos. The tour suits snow riders and patient beginners.
“This was an incredible experience! Don’t forget to bring a buff to protect your face from the sand. The views and photos were amazing. It was my first time doing this, and Tony’s mentoring helped me stand and slide through the dunes. I tried sandboarding, but the sand skiing looked just as fun as sandboarding. The boogie is super fun!”
Leave Lima at 6 a.m. with a private guide and driver for the Nazca Lines, a pisco and wine tasting at Pisco Nietto, and a dune buggy and sandboarding session at Huacachina. Guides such as Ronald and Felipe add history and flexibility, while the private vehicle keeps the long day comfortable. Lunch and the $20 Nazca airport tax cost extra.
“This trip was a long day but extremely worth it. From the greeting at 6am Ronald and Carlos provided excellent knowledge of the areas we travelled through and provided interesting insights into the Peruvian culture and regions. First we experienced the dune buggies and the oasis. This was very enjoyable. Our guide was extremely experienced. We then visited a winery before finishing the day flying over the Nazca lines. It was a 10 out of 10 for the whole trip”
Leave Lima around 3:30 a.m. for a full day of wildlife, ancient desert drawings, and dune adventure. You’ll ride a shared boat at Ballestas, fly over the Nazca Lines from Pisco or Nazca, and visit Huacachina Oasis. Guides such as Aymen, Jonathan, Sergio, and Ruddy have been praised for friendly local insight, but the pace is intense.
“Great tour! Many nice sights in one long day. The guide was nice and friendly. I really enjoyed seeing the Penguins, the flight over the Nazca lines and the ride in car at Huacachina in the sunset. I think we may have had time to eat in the restaurant at Nazca, it was a bit uncomfortable eating in the car, though we saved some time going back to Lima. Good to eat after the flight as it was quite an experience for the body. This was an intense tour with so many nice and beautiful sights.”
Leave Lima at 5:00 AM for Ballestas Islands wildlife, El Candelabro, Ica lunch and pisco tasting, then a buggy ride and sandboarding at Huacachina. English and Spanish guides such as Mishell, Jean, and Álvaro lead the day. Expect cold sea air, desert sun, a very long return to Lima, and limited legroom on some buses.
“Adoromos o passeio, nossa guia, Mishell foi incrível, aprendemos muito sobre o Peru, a cultura, costumes e história pre colombiana. O passeio pra Islas Ballestas é lindo, mas leve blusa, faz frio no barco, o cheiro de fezes de ave é bem forte, mas é parte do local mesmo, não tem jeito! Vimos muitas aves marinhas, alguns pinguins de Humboldt e muitos lobos marinhos. Já em Huacachina se prepare pra levar protetor solar, o sol do deserto queima muito. O passei de buggy foi bem radical, adoramos, visuais incriveis e únicos do oasis, vale a pena escorregar de sandboard se tiver coragem, mas tire coisas de valor do bolso e…”
Pick a ruin, a ridge, a river or a table.
