Huacachina tells the legend of an Indian princess who dropped her mirror
Peru is a country known for many things, but deserts are definitely not one of them. Your experiences in the land of the Incas can be more than temples and sailing in Lake Titicaca.
Only 300 km south of the capital Lima stretch the endless dunes of the coastal desert in the area of the city of Ica. And among them, like a mirage, emerges a lake surrounded by palm trees and a small town – the oasis of Huacachina.
It is one of the few natural oases that can be seen in America, and deserves a place on the itinerary of every nature lover and extraordinary experience.
Huacachina’s lagoon has greenish water due to the specific chemical composition of the groundwater that flows into it. Due to the abundance of water and vegetation (mostly palms and eucalyptus) the place is a resting place for migratory birds that pass through here.
The oasis is overgrown with palm trees and eucalyptus.
Like birds, tourists can not resist the beauty of Huacachina. Boats sail in the lagoon, which anyone can board. The waters are considered healing and many are soaked or smeared with mud from the bottom of the lagoon. Those who need more adrenaline can sign up for a buggy tour among the sands or try sandboarding – boarding the sand dunes.
The city of Huacachina itself has no more than 100 permanent residents, and the number of tourists flocking here before the pandemic was several tens of thousands a year. The town has plenty of accommodation, and its area is so small that you can easily walk from one end to the other in just a few minutes.
The name of the city literally translates as “Hidden” in Quechua and is probably abbreviated to “Hidden Lagoon”.
According to local legends, once a princess undressed to take a bath. As she looked in her mirror, she saw a hunter approaching behind her. She was so frightened that she ran away, leaving the mirror behind her. It turned into a lagoon, and the folds of her garment became sand dunes.
How to get there: From the capital Lima you can take a bus to the city of Ica (about 5 hours), then by taxi you will reach the oasis in 10 minutes.
Photo: The Huacachina Oasis in the evening
