Sandboarding at Huacachina - Ica - Things To Do Reviews

The ¨thing¨ to do in Ica is go to Huacachina, a little oasis about 7 minutes outside of Ica, which is surrounded by sand dunes and where you can go sandboarding. I went in search of a tour agency because I wasn´t sure if you could just rock up to the dunes and pay for the sandboarding there. I found Angel Tours and spoke to Angel himself, who takes the tours. There are basically two tours: the standard US$15 2-hour tour which includes a dune buggy ride and sandboarding down various dunes, and a US$45 tour that includes the whole sandboarding experience plus lessons on the north side, and a tour of a local winery (bodega). I was tempted to do the latter tour, but thought getting drunk on my own with a slightly dubious tour guide would not be a good idea. I also didn´t want to go sandboarding by myself - even if that meant one-on-one lessons. It´s hard to explain, but I wanted to be part of that whole touristy gringo experience, at least for this experience. I ended up going to another travel agency recommended by the hostal.

When I turned up at the scheduled time, 4pm (so your sandboarding experience can include the sunset), I was the only one being shepherded into the taxi and I had a moment of mild panic – maybe I was going to be on my own. But as soon as we reached Huacachina, my tour guide (I think) flagged down a passing dune buggy full of gringos and ushered me on it. And then we were off.

The buggies, from what I saw, come in two varieties: a gigantic squarish monster of a vehicle and a sort of new-age helmet-shaped metal cage. Ours was the monster vehicle, but a lot of fun to ride in – and the ride really is like a rollercoaster, with the driver taking sharpish turns in the sand, and deliberately driving up big hills just to speed down them and make us scream. I felt sorry for the guys in the group, as the seatbelt that goes over the head clips to a belt that comes up between your legs. Ouch.

The dune buggies more or less go to the same places and it feels pretty planned out, ie. No risk of crashing into another buggy coming over the dune in the other direction. We stopped at certain lookout points to take photos – of Huacachina, of the oasis (no lagoon, as it´s dried out), of distant Ica, of the sun setting over the dunes. In between, we did our sandboarding – starting with a hill about 10m high. Now, I´ve never been skiing before, let alone snowboarding, so I have no experience going down steep hills on things meant to go fast. The boards are wooden with Velcro foot straps which were predictably too big for me. The guide waxed the back of the boards every time we went down; I´m not sure how much difference this makes.

I´m told snowboarding is very different, because some way or another you can get down the sand dune, and it´s easier to stop and fall on sand than it is on snow. After my first couple of runs on the 10m hill, I was ready to declare sandboarding my hidden talent, until we got to a hill more than twice the height and I managed to foot wrestle the dune and end up with sand in my mouth about 10 times. However, I had a nice run down a shorter but steeper hill which ended up in a spectacular stack, prompting the others to ask if I was ok (I was). You can go really fast on the boards, which usually provoked an instinctive reaction to slow down, which usually ended up in me falling. For people who are scared, it´s recommended to go on your stomach the first time, although you end up going a hell of a lot faster and straighter than everyone else and it´s not recommended on the really big or really steep hills.

As a ¨thing to do¨ in Ica/Huacachina, I highly recommend sandboarding, and at US$15 for the 2 hours, it´s worth doing again if you have the time. Just make sure you have access to a good shower afterwards, as you´ll end up with sand in places you didn´t even know you had. Sunglasses are essential. Also bring a camera, as the dunes are amazing and otherworldly, and if you go at sunset (recommended) you´ll get to see some lovely dusk colours over the dunes.