Sandboarding in La Huacachina Peru
If you’re an adventure lover like me, sandboarding in La Huacachina will be one of the coolest experiences you have in Peru. This beautiful oasis in the middle of the sandy desert is the place to be.
Located just off the coast of Peru and a short bus ride from Lima, I highly suggest you visit to experience the thrill of sandboarding in the Peruvian desert.
Sandboarding in the desert means you’ll be going down steep hills of sand that are angled at nearly 80 degrees. They look scary but are so fun. Not to mention how crazy the dune buggy rides are!
I can definitely say that Sandboarding in La Huacachina was one of my favorite things I did during my month in Peru! You must try it.
Sandboarding in La Huacachina
Table of Contents
What is Sandboarding?
In La Huacachina, sandboarding could mean one of two things. Laying on your belly on a board to slide down the sandy mountain (bodyboarding), or standing and balancing on the board to slide down the mountain (sandboarding). The last one is similar to snowboarding and requires athletic ability.
No matter which kind you choose, you will slide down enormous hills of sand. By enormous, I truly mean enormous. The kind where you look down and you feel a little nervous!
Sandboarding Vs. Bodyboarding
Both activities will start with an extremely wild dune buggy ride. These expert drivers want you to have the greatest time. Therefore, they will go up enormous hills and suddenly go down the other side of the hill at high speeds. It almost feels like a rollercoaster ride and you’ll find yourself screaming and laughing the whole time.
This part itself is very fun. The dune buggy drivers will stop at some steep hills, you take down your boards and you get ready for your first slide down. Trust me, they are not small. When standing at the edge, you get nervous about how fast you will slide down those huge hills.
Everyone in your group will get their turn going down. At the bottom, the dune buggy will be waiting for you to take you to the next enormous hill. So don’t worry about having to walk up the hills. You will get a ride to all of them.
Once you conquer that first hill, you will be taken to the next hill, and then the next. Each time you will experience the thrill of the buggy speeding through the desert and the thrill of sandboarding down those sandy slopes. Depending on how long your tour is and how many people, you will do this anywhere from about five to 10 times. Maybe even more.
Sandboarding
If you’ve been snowboarding or skiing, you will definitely have an easier time sandboarding. In my opinion, falling on the sand was much softer than falling on the snow. So that was a plus for me. It is also similar in technique and how you balance.
If you’ve never sandboarded before, it might be a little tricky at first. Therefore, I recommend only trying stand-up sandboarding with a certified sandboarding school that will teach you and has the official equipment for sandboarding. By this, I mean the correct board and boots.
Sandboarding requires athletic ability and balance. You will fall at first, but you get back up and keep sliding. Don’t worry about how many times you fall. Practice makes perfect!
The best way to start is by sliding down facing the board forward. This will help you go down much slower. Once you turn sideways, the board gains speed down the hill. Turn sideways until you feel comfortable with more speed. Bending the knees and stretching out your arms will help you with balancing on the board. So make sure to stretch out your arms and play around with how to position them.
Bodyboarding
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to bodyboard down the sandy hills because I was only focused on learning how to get good at sandboarding. However, it looks extremely fun and my friends that tried it loved it. They would lay their body on the board and speed down the mountains.
To be honest, to me it looked a bit scary because it seems they don’t have control of the board. But those on the tour who were bodyboarding said sandboarding looked scarier. Ha! I guess it all depends on what you feel comfortable with. If you have a chance, I say you try both.
To bodyboard, the position of your legs determines your speed and the guides will tell you what to do.
What to Pack
The sand can get extremely hot! Especially during the summer months. I recommend covered clothes that protect you from the burning sun and the hot sand.
Because I didn’t want sand going into my shorts, I opted for wearing workout leggings. I went in a regular shirt and took a light sweater because deserts tend to get cold at night, mainly in the winter.
Make sure to take sunglasses to avoid getting sand in your eyes while riding the buggy. You may also want a scarf that protects your mouth and nose from the sand if you’d like. Lastly, don’t forget to wear sunscreen and pack an action camera such as a GoPro.
If you take a day pack, it stays on the dune buggy every time you get off to bodyboard or sandboard. Leave behind whatever you won’t need.
Picking a Tour Company
La Huacachina is a very small oasis. There are only a handful of restaurants and accommodations but lots of tour companies. It’s hard to choose who to go with. My recommendation is that you shop around for prices. You will have many choices but most will give you a similar price.
The most common tour I was offered is a one-hour tour that costs as slow as 25 to 30 soles ($6.10-7.32). These can be done at any time of the day. These tours usually include the driver of the dune buggy and the person in charge of the group, your guide.
Some of these most common tours, don’t have the proper stand-up sand boards. In fact, they tell you that in order to stand up sandboard, you have to rent a special board for an extra 25 and you get to practice on your own. They ask if you have prior skills in snowboarding because they won’t be teaching you. You will be teaching yourself mainly.
Picking A Tour Company
You can also find some of these tour companies that give two hours but I had a hard time finding one.
Lastly, there is a limited amount of professional and proper sandboarding schools. I was told there are only three in the small town of La Huacachina. One of them is Ditto and the one I went with is Infinity Sandboarding with Tony.
These schools offer longer tours and professional gear and instructors. However, you will be paying a higher price for a better service. Prices can vary and offer different things. They can cost anywhere from 130-170 soles.
Once again, shop around for the best tour company for you. Especially if you are looking to do stand-up sandboarding, go with a professional company that specializes in that. Some even carry GoPros and Drones to take pictures of you that are included in the packet.
Infinity Sandboarding Company
I absolutely loved the experience I had with Tony and his team. And no, this post is not sponsored. I just happened to land with the coolest sand boarders in La Huacachina.
The tour with Infinity Sandboarding starts at 3:30 p.m. and goes until after sunset, a little over 2 hours. They don’t necessarily have a specific time to go back, they try doing one or two more runs down the hill after the sun sets behind the sand.
The tour started outside the agency office. There, they will set us up with boots, a helmet, and a professional board with hooks for the boots. We had the choice to can get a regular board or a skiboard. If you are bodyboarding on your stomach, you are only given a regular board with no hooks.
Once everyone was set, we walked over to the entrance of the oasis where there is an entrance fee of 3 soles. Our tour covered this but our guide picked up our entrance ticket.
We then walk up a 5-minute slope to where the dune buggies are parked. Because of the size of our group, we got split into two dune buggies. We put our boards in the car and off we went on the crazy ride in the desert.
As mentioned above, the buggy ride is exhilarating and so is going down the hills on the board.
During sunset, we stopped to take it all in and to enjoy the beauty of the golden light on the sandy hills. It was an incredible view and I was extremely thankful for this opportunity to see the sun set behind sandy hills. This was also the perfect time for pictures.
Once the sun hid behind the sand, we set off to another giant hill for another run in the sand. We then took the wild ride back to the entrance and we went back to the agency to drop off our gear. However, the night didn’t stop there.
Tony and his team were extremely friendly. Not only were they great guides, but they also befriended us. Tony came out with a bottle of Pisco and gave us all shots. He wanted us to try the traditional drink of their country. Afterward, they invited us to go eat as a group and to go for drinks.
Not everyone was able to join but a few of us did. After eating dinner with Tony and his friends, we went back to the agency where we all hung out for the rest of the night. It was very nice of them.
How to Get to La Huacachina
La Huacachina is only a 5-hour bus ride from Lima. However, you won’t be arriving directly at this beautiful desert oasis. You will be arriving in the city of Ica. From the bus station in Ica, you will need to take a taxi to La Huacachina. At the bus station, they charge 15 soles, but you can walk out of the station and try finding and negotiating one for 7-10 soles.
Sometimes, especially from La Huacahina to Ica, you can find tuk-tuk taxis. I got one that charged me 5 soles to take me back to the bus station. It’s about a 15-minute ride into the oasis from Ica.
There are also tours that come out from Lima. These tours start very early in the morning and then get back into the city late at night. They take you to Isla Ballestas and to La Huacachina. If you are not on a time crunch around the country, I recommend you spend a night in La Huacachina if you can instead.
If you are coming from Arequipa, your best option is to get the 14-hour overnight bus. I recommend you book ahead if you want to get the seats that lean back like a bed to get the necessary sleep overnight. Cruz del Sur does this route and the price is about 95 soles.
Other Things to do
The main reason to visit La Huacachina is to sandboard. There is no doubt about it. However, you’ll see that there are some other day trips you can do near the oasis. One is flying over the Nazca Lines, going to Paracas Beach, Wine Tours, Paragliding, ATV rides, and some nearby canyon tours.
Where to Stay
La Huacachina is small, so your choice of hotels and hostels will be limited. The most popular hostel is Banana’s Adventure. Many backpackers stay here and it has a nice pool and hammocks. I stayed at Desert Nights Hostel in a private room and really loved their rooftop bar where I would have some delicious dinners and sunset views.
If you stay here, you are given permission to use the pool across the facility at Desert Camps Eco Camp. Desert Camps Eco Camp is another choice too if you want to experience sleeping in tents or glamping style in the desert. Their pool comes with a swim-up bar and an amazing view of the desert.
Sandboarding in La Huacachina
Travel Booking Resources
Book Your Flight:
To find cheap flights, check Skyscanner and Google Flights. These search engines check airlines to find you the best deals. The more flexibility you have, the better flight deals available.
Book Your Accommodation:
Booking.com is my favorite booking site for hotels but it also shows great deals on hostels and apartments. Plus, when you reach Genius Level, you get special discounts, included breakfasts, and upgrades on some hotel rooms. Hostelworld is specifically for budget travelers who enjoy hostels. This is the best place for finding great options.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance and Visa Applications:
Travel insurance will protect you against theft, injury, illness, and cancellations. Sometimes unexpected things happen during a trip and protections will keep you covered. Two great options are: Safety Wing and World Nomads. Also, iVisa can help you get a visa if you need one.
Book Tours:
Sometimes the best way to see a place is through tours. I recommend checking out Get Your Guide for some fun and unique adventures wherever you go.
Check out my other travel resources to help you book your trip!
Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase a product, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Please note I only recommend products and brands that I personally use or have used and believe in.
Sandboarding in La Huacachina
