Paracas & Huacachina

We arrived to Huacachina, an oasis in the desert. Huacachina is close to Ica. As we already had a bus ticket Ica - Cusco, we wanted to visit Huacachina. We had just one day and night for the popular activities there: buggy ride and sand boarding. We arrived to Huacachina just half an hour before the start of the tour. We read some reviews on Internet and we assumed that the trip booked directly in our hostel "The desert nights" should be fine.
We jumped in to the buggy and we drove off to the dunes. We arrived at the dunes and the driver tried to drive uphill, but the engine could not deliver its full power and we started to go backwards. He tried it once more with a longer approach. No success, there was obviously something wrong. We stopped and he cleaned the air filter. We were sad, we knew that we can not prolong our stay. All the other buggies left and we were stuck in a dune. The driver realized he can't solve the issue in the dunes. He turned around back to the oasis to switch the car. "Yuppi!" This time the car sounded more solid and powerful and once again we started to enjoy the ride. All of a sudden, right in the ascend on a dune, he killed the engine. He tried to start it several times, we could hear that this one will not go anywhere.
To our surprise he stopped another passing by buggy and the driver agreed to take us on board. We were joking with the other passengers that for sure this buggy will brake in a few minutes again. Luckily that didn't happen and it turned out to be an awesome ride. The driver was going crazy, we were jumping up and down in the buggy, flying over the dunes, laughing and screaming. This buggy was super fast and furious, like out of a mad max movie.

About

First we visited Paracas. This coastal city is interesting because of two things, the natural reserve Paracas and the Islas Ballestas. Be aware that the restaurants are more expensive then in Lima (talking about the middle range).
The Huacachina oasis is located very close to the city of Ica and is famous for sand boarding and buggy rides.

How to get to Paracas from Lima

There are many companies going to Paracas from Lima. There is no direct connection, instead you buy a ticket to Pisco, which is 20km from Paracas. We chose Flores for 18 PEN p.p. The ride took about four hours. From Pisco you have to take a collectivo or a buseta to Paracas. We arrived in the night and there were no busetas, we were forced to take a taxi for 25 PEN.

How to get to Huacachina from Paracas

First you need to get to Pisco. We took a collectivo (basically every car heading that direction, honking on people) for 4.50 p.p. We told him that we need to go to Ica and he dropped us off at the taxi terminal. A taxi took us for 9 PEN to the bus terminal. From the terminal the buses leave every fifteen minutes to Ica. We went with Peru bus for 5 PEN p.p. In Ica we took a moto taxi to Huacachina for 5 PEN. This whole journey took about four hours. The tourist office in Huacachina offered us the same trip in a private transport for 20 USD. Well, we were happy to save the money for other activities.

Attractions in Paracas

Islas Ballestas

There are many agents and companies offering the tour, the prices can vary depending on agent, season and departure time. The tourists go together on one boat that leaves from the peer. We bargained the price to 65 PEN for both of us for the afternoon tour. The morning tour is supposed to be cheaper. The value for the money was awesome anyway. The boat was new and it felt safe. First we saw the Paracas Candelabra, a geoglyph and a good alternative to the Nazca lines, if you don't have time/money. This ancient geoglyph is 60 m long. The age is unknown but it could be more then two thousand years old.

Then we headed to the Ballestas islands. We saw dozens of sea lions, penguins and many different bird species. We got very close to the sea lions. They are used to tourists. Unimpressed they continued their afternoon siesta, not paying much attention to us. Two of them showed us their gigantic teeth in a face to face argument. They were absolutely awesome and adorable. They do smell...terribly!:)
The whole trip took about two hours.

Paracas natural reserve

There is a lot to explore in this protected area. Unfortunately, we had just one short afternoon to. We rented bicycles in the city and explored the park on our own. We recommend to invest a bit more money in the rental bikes. We rented two crappy bikes for 25 PEN.
The entrance fee to the park is 15 PEN p.p. This was a combined ticket, valid also for Islas Ballestas. It saved us 5 PEN p.p. Our first stop was at the museum where we spend two hours. The museum is dedicated to Paracas marine and "desert" life. It was very organized and informative. We continued to the Playa Roja. This beach got the name for its red colored sand. The waves and wind were very strong. The name Paracas came from the indigenous languages and you could translate it into "raining sand" - how appropriate.

Attractions in Huacachina

Buggy riding and sand boarding

There are several agencies providing this tour. We described our experience with "Desert nights" in our story above. You will make a few stops on the dunes for the sand boarding. Igor is an experienced snowboarder, he took a snowboard from the Hostel. The rest of us enjoyed sliding on the boards belly down. Igor admitted that the snowboard was very slow on the sand. The sand boards were much faster and because the dunes are very big, we could achieve high speeds. In the end you can admire a spectacular sun set in the desert. The whole tour took around 3 hours. We received a free Pisco Sour in our Hostel. The trip costs 50 PEN p.p.

Food in Paracas and Huacachina

La Pequena Brisa, stand 2

This was our best food in Paracas. We had menu del dia - Ceviche and Chicharron de Mariscos, Inca Cola. Everything was very fresh and especially the Ceviche was delicious. The restaurant looked very clean. We tried other restaurants in Paracas but we were not satisfied with them. We had a hamburger in Huacachina in our hostel "Desert nights" and it was absolutely disgusting. As much as we loved the stuff and atmosphere there, the food and cocktails could be better.

Where to stay in Paracas

Backpackers house the Pacific

Paracas is very small city, you can walk everywhere. This hostel was located close to the center and the owners were very kind. The first night we spent in a double room with private bathroom. Second night in a twin room with shared bathroom. We would recommend the double room for 60 PEN. The twin room cost 40 PEN, but the walls don't have any isolation and you hear every word from the reception.

Where to stay in Huacachina

The Desert nights

This hostel has only dormitories with 8 bunk beds. Huacachina is expensive and we couldn't afford to stay in a double room. In the end, we were happy because we met very nice people. The stuff is super friendly, English speaking and funny. Anyway, you will probably stay only one night in the oasis so this type of accommodation is good enough. We paid 20 PEN p.p. They have happy hours and serve cocktails on the bar.

20 December 2015