Paracas And Huacachina Oasis Tour From Lima: Day Trip Review

One of the top things to do in Lima (after seeing the city) is to go on this day trip to explore the famous Huacachina Oasis located in the Ica region of Peru. 

The trip starts super early and has two main stops — Paracas, where you will see penguins and other creatures of the ocean, and Huacachina. 

Multiple tour agencies offer this experience, but the trip we booked was with Peru Hop, which included a buggy ride on the sand dunes and sandboarding at the end. 

Can you do Paracas and Huacachina in one day?

Yes, you can visit both Paracas and Huacachina in one day as a day trip from Lima. However, it is going to be a very long day, lasting up to 19 hours. 

If you can, I would suggest renting a car for 3 days and making this trip by yourself, spending one day in each of these locations. You can actually find many more spots to explore around. 

However, rental cars tend to sell out quickly in Lima, so you should book in advance. Also, know that there is a high deposit (up to $2,000), but this usually decreases if you also purchase the optional insurance directly from the rental company. 

I wrote an entire guide, which includes my best tips if you are travelling to Lima for the first time. And then I have a detailed list of must-see attractions in Lima. Since this day trip is so popular and it starts in Lima, I’ve included it on that list of things to do in Lima. So you shouldn’t miss it. The other one is a boat ride to Palomino Islands, which are in Lima, and it only takes half a day.

But if you can’t drive, or you are travelling by yourself, renting a car might end up being more expensive than going on an organised trip to see Paracas and Huacachina in one day. Also, going with a tour agency means that you don’t need to worry about anything, and you can simply enjoy the experience. 

Lima to Huacachina day trip

I did this trip to Paracas and Huacachina in one day with Peru Hop, the most popular tour agency in Peru, as I didn’t find any cars to rent last minute in Lima. 

All the tours I found offered two main stops – Paracas and Huacachina. After talking to some of the people on my tour, I found that everyone booked the tour mainly for the Huacachina Oasis experience. 

While there are other companies that offer the same tour starting from Lima, the difference of price translates into a more comfortable bus (they call it a luxury bus) and an overall well-organized tour. 

Except for the length of the tour, which isn’t something that anyone can control since these locations are 4-5 hours away from Lima, the day trip is great. 

This is the exact Paracas and Huacachina day trip I booked, and everything was as described. The tour includes hotel pick-up in Miraflores and Barranco districts in Lima, the bus rides and entrances to all attractions, the tour guide and the sandboarding experience in Huacachina. 

Note that most tours don’t include extras, such as entrance tickets and the sandboarding experience, which is the reason they are cheaper than this group. Given that the tour was so well organised, and we didn’t waste time at any of the attractions, everything was ready and waiting for us; it was nice. 

The downside is that there’s not much time to roam around and discover by yourself, given that everything is on a tight schedule, but you wouldn’t be able to see all of this in one day if you had extra time to lose. 

For instance, the tour said that there would be some time to explore Paracas after lunch. But in reality, there were about 30 minutes left after lunch, and we couldn’t do much since you risk missing the bus. 

The only extra cost was the meals (lunch and dinner). You can find your own, or you can go with the suggested restaurants and save time. But let me explain the restaurant situation in detail. 

Lunch in Paracas

The lunch restaurant in Paracas is proposed by the tour guide, and you can pre-order from the bus before you arrive in Paracas. 

This looks like a great idea; thinking you can save some time with this. However, in reality, there are many restaurants around the pier area in Paracas, and the one suggested by the agency is expensive. 

Also, it was very slow, even though we pre-ordered our meal, as suggested by the guide. Given that a lot of people will choose that restaurant, the staff will have a hard time dealing with all the people coming in at once, so it will not be very fast. 

My recommendation is not to go with the restaurant they suggested and to find another restaurant nearby.

I promise you will not starve.

If anything, you will eat faster and probably save some money. Remember that you’re in Peru, a country that offers great food no matter where you go. I know this for a fact after eating at random restaurants where only locals seemed to eat. 

Huacachina oasis stop

Spoiler alert: Huacachina Oasis is not quite in the middle of Ica desert sand dunes, but more like a bit on the side, next to Ica town. So the place isn’t exactly deserted and there are restaurants and hotels right there in the oasis and also in the town next door. 

The bus dropped us right there in the oasis, next to Wild Rover Huacachina, which seemed somehow affiliated with the Peru Hop tour. We were told we could preorder our dinner here. I will explain the dinner situation a bit later.  

When we arrived in Huacachina, we got about 40 minutes of free time, which we used to relax a bit, explore the oasis, which isn’t that big, and take a few photos of the small pond. There’s not enough time to walk all around the oasis, go on a boat ride, or wander off for photos. 

After our free time, we met with our guide in front of the same hostel and we were given instructions about our next activity – a buggy sand ride and sandboarding in Huacachina, Peru. 

The dune buggy ride

As with everything else on this trip, the activity was well-organized, so we wouldn’t waste any time there. We were divided into groups so we knew exactly what to do next, the name of our driver for the buddy ride and everything else. Don’t worry. No couple or family was separated, so that’s a plus for how mindful they were of everything. 

We then walked to the meeting point with the sand cars, which they call buddy rides. It really felt like stepping into a Mad Max movie scene from the start. The entire group was quickly put in the cars; drivers buckled us up, and off we went. The buggy ride experience happened just before sunset, during the golden hour, which was the absolute best time to admire the desert. 

It’s hard to imagine what the buggy ride experience felt like in Huacachina because no photo can do it any justice. It felt like a rollercoaster, fast and exhilarating. The drivers are very experienced, and we had the best time. 

There are three main stops during the experience. 

The first one is on a higher plateau where you can admire the city and the mountains in the distance. You can spend about 10-20 minutes here taking photos and relaxing after that insane ride. 

The second stop was on top of a huge sand dune where we could try sandboarding in Huacachina for the first time. The driver instructs everyone, one by one, how to go sandboarding. The views are spectacular from that spot. Since it’s impossible to climb back up, the driver will then go down and pick you up from there. 

While you wait for your driver, you can practice your sandboarding on smaller sand dunes. 

After that, we all got back in the sand card and went to another spot to admire the sunset. 

Dinner in Huacachina

After the Huacachina desert experience, we walked back to the hostel where we were first dropped off. 

When we first arrived, we were asked if we wanted to preorder dinner here so it would be ready to pick up after the experience. 

Most people in the group ordered dinner here, and by the time we got back, our dinner was waiting for us in casseroles. 

The dinner options were limited, but we managed to order a vegetarian dish. 

Initially, our guide said that we would take our dinner to go and we could eat in the bus, but we ended up staying a bit longer at the hostel, and we ate there, in the bar area, by the pool. It was already late, so it was a bar-like experience, with loud music and disco lights. 

After we finished, we went back to the bus and didn’t stop until we got back to Lima, approximately 5 hours later. 

What to wear to Paracas and Huacachina?

You should wear comfortable clothes that allow you to enjoy all the activities, such as the bus ride, the boat ride, and the dune buggy ride comfortably. It’s important to wear comfortable shoes, such as sneakers or sandals. 

It will be hot during the day, so bring the essentials, such as suncap, sunglasses, and sunscreen. 

I wouldn’t advise you to bring a large backup or other stuff with you because you will have to carry that backup around, even when doing activities.

It might be different during your trip, but when I did this tour, the tour guide instructed us to take all our belongings when we reached Paracas, as we were taking a different bus to continue our trip. It must be something about the way they organised the tours, but it’s important for you to know that. 

What shoes to wear to Huacachina?

You can wear almost any kind of shoes to Huacachina. Many suggest sports shoes, but in my personal experience, it doesn’t really matter. It’s like going to the beach. There’s a lot of fine sand everywhere. 

The only walking you’ll be doing on the sand is when you go sandboarding, and you will have to climb the sand dunes if you want to go another round. But you don’t have to go, or you can simply go once. 

I went to Huacachina wearing rubber sandals, and you could go wearing flip-flops if you want. 

Is Huacachina Oasis worth visiting?

Yes, Huacachina Oasis is definitely worth visiting. The only downside of visiting on a day trip from Lima is that you don’t get to spend that much time there. If your schedule allows it, spend one night in Huacachina so you can fully soak in the desert and admire all corners of Huacachina. 

Most people on my tour admitted that they booked the tour because they wanted to visit Huacachina, and they were less interested in Paracas. However, since all tours offer this itinerary, with the two main stops, that was the only option for most of us. 

Can you swim in Huacachina Oasis?

No, swimming is not allowed in Huacachina Oasis. However, you can rent a boat and admire the oasis from the middle of the lake. 

Is it worth going to Paracas?

Yes, Paracas is a lovely town with spectacular views from the boat ride. The guided visit to the Paracas reserve is very insightful, and anyone interested in marine life and other creatures should not miss it. 

I would have stopped to visit Paracas even without going with the tour guide, but it seemed that most people were a bit more interested in Huacachina than in Paracas. In my opinion, both are amazing spots and should not be missed. 

Can you swim in Paracas?

Yes, you can swim in Paracas. However, the beach in Paracas isn’t the best, given that you can find extraordinary beaches not far away, just outside the city. 

If you are visiting Paracas on a day trip from Lima with a tour guide, you won’t have time to go swimming in Paracas. But if you are organising this trip on your own and decide to drive to Paracas, you should explore the beaches around if you want to go swimming. 

What is Paracas famous for?

Paracas is famous for the Ballestas islands, which are home to a number of birds, sea lions and penguins. Here, you can also see a sample of the famous Nasca lines.

The Ballestas Islands National Reserve can only be visited by an authorised boat tour organised by the government. You can buy your tickets when you get there, and there are hourly rides with English and Spanish-speaking guides. 

Sandboarding in Huacachina Oasis, Peru

The tour I did with Peru Hop included the sandboarding experience in Huacachina. 

Note that the sandboarding experience is not necessarily tied to the dune buggy ride, but it is if you’re going on a day trip from Lima. For my tour, the cars and drivers are the ones taking you to the desert and tall sand dunes, where you can go sandboarding. 

So sandboarding when going with a tour is more of a “lay flat on your belly and slide on the sand”, while proper sandboarding is like snowboarding but on the sand. It involves the same snowboarding equipment, such as a special board with boots, but if you want to do that, you can go to Huacachina on your own or book this experience separately. 

The sandboarding experience that’s included with the day trip is a more simplified experience so that everyone can do it, and no experience is required. 

Since this experience happens at sunset, there’s not that much time. Each participant went sandboarding once on a tall dune; then, the driver got to the base to pick you up. Meanwhile, you can go a few more times on smaller dunes; depending on how fast you move, you can go for 5-10 more laps. 

You can go sandboarding wearing whatever you want, but just imagine you will have to sit on your belly on a board, and your hands and legs will collect all the fine sand. It’s probably not comfortable to do if you’re wearing a skirt, but it’s not impossible. 

Also, you could wear flip-flops if you want, but the only issue there is that you’ll have a harder time climbing the sand dune if you want to go again. However, you can always go barefoot. 

I decided not to go sandboarding because the sand is so fine that it sticks to your skin, and I didn’t feel comfortable, but almost everyone else went sandboarding. 

However, you can go sandboarding by yourself, as many shops rent sandboarding equipment in the Huacachina oasis. 

So you don’t have to go on a buggy ride if you want to go sandboarding. Just behind the houses and hotels in Huacachina, you will see huge sand dunes, which you can climb if you want to go sandboarding. The only issue with this is that you have to climb by yourself, whereas, with the sand car (buggy ride), they take you to the top of a sand dune.

I noticed that sandboarding is a huge topic in Huacachina, and many go there just for this. People stay multiple days to relax, go sandboarding, or just walk in the desert.  

Is this Paracas and Huacachina Oasis Tour worth it?

Yes, the Paracas and Huacachina Oasis day trip is worth it. 

It’s a very long day trip from Lima, but it allows you to experience some very famous parts of Peru in a short time frame. Given the size of Peru, these locations are within reach of Lima, the capital of Peru and the spot where everyone first lands when they come to Peru. 

The other two options to visit these spots are by renting a car and driving there yourself or by going on tourist buses. 

Renting a car in Peru isn’t for everyone, and it is not cheap. 

Tourist buses are more suitable for young, independent travellers, such as backpackers and budget travellers. 

All in all, booking a day trip from Lima to Huacachina is the best choice for a lot of people who want to experience the magnificent desert near Ica. 

Everything is perfectly timed, and it doesn’t seem like much, but it is. Given the entire experience, the big group we had, and the long hours, we had a full day and did it all. 

The Paracas and Huacachina Oasis tour is worth it. 

Here’s the YouTube video from this trip: