💎 Hidden gems remaining: 1
Hucachina is an oasis in the middle of desert. Isolated from vast city of Ica it is surrounded with gold sand dunes and only accessible via a windy asphalt road from center of Ica. All accommodations and facilities are densly situated around a lagoon and only few dozens of meters of walk from any point.
Without a doubt the most magical time in Huacachina is the sunset. The golden glow of the setting sun will only further enhance vibrant colours of the dunes, providing a picturesque background for photos. And when you are done snapping all the bangers, you are able to enjoy it, before sliding down the dunes to escape the fast coming cold of night.
You should not miss on this tour. To be honest, you most likely won't manage to, as everyone is offering you one on every step you take. Most tours are 1 or 2 hours long and include both driving with a buggy and sliding down the dunes on a board. We took the short one and payed 30 soles per person. Your mileage may vary.
Conquering the desert
Going by the English name of Canyon of the lost souls, this is still a pretty undiscovered and rearly visited gem, 80 km away from the city of Ica. The name originates from the title of the report of expeditors who got lost under mayor's command. They found it amusing, engraving it into the endlessnes of people's minds. Despite the short beeline, the drive takes roughly 2 hours, due to the lack of existance of roads in the desert. At some point, it would be faster to walk along the van than to drive inside.
The canyon resembles the Anthelope canyon in the USA. Shaped by the river which finds its way into this canyon every few years (they call it a phenomenon) and by the sea that used to exist here, it presents a wonderful insight into the geology and history of this area. Should you be searching for gold, look no further – the canyon is full of pyrite. What a fool you will be! 😂
At the end of the tour, we were treated with wine and pisco tasting as well. The guy was a great pitch presenter – or so we think. We did not understand 99 % of what he said.
Taking a walk inside the canyon
We have to be honest with you here. We missed Western food a bit, so we made up for it over here. That included a tasty burger and a fabulous family size pizza.
But this does not mean we did not eat other dishes at all. We tried Spaghetti with pesto and beef along with their widely renown dessert Mazamorra Morada, which is basically milk rice with a plum marelade which contains pieces of cherries.
Spaghetti with pesto and beef
Mazamorra Morada
Delicious breakfast