South America's only natural desert oasis — a lagoon ringed by the continent's tallest sand dunes
Huacachina is a tiny village built around a natural lagoon in the middle of the Ica desert, surrounded by sand dunes up to 100m high — the tallest in South America. Dune-buggy racing and sandboarding make it an adrenaline hub; the still water and palm-lined banks make it one of the most photogenic spots on the continent.
Huacachina has been inhabited since pre-Inca times — the Paracas culture considered the lagoon sacred, and legends say it was formed when a princess disturbed by a hunter fled and left her bathing pool behind. The Ica region surrounding it is one of the driest places on Earth, which is why the subterranean spring feeding the lagoon has sustained a settlement here for millennia.