Travel Log: Huacachina
After our brief visit to Paracas, we headed to Ica by bus where we checked into our hotel, stretched our legs for a bit, and took a much need shower before heading out to Huacachina, which was a short taxi ride away.
Huacachina is a small town located by an oasis in a desert, which thrives own tourism. There are numerous tour agencies that offer dune buggy excursions, so it's best to shop around and negotiate for a deal. I am not much of a thrift shopper myself (other than doing advance research), so I left all the negotiating to my friends who drove a hard bargain and got us an amazing deal.
Once you are on the dune buggy, the driver/guide will take you to up and down the sand dunes with plenty of stops for photos. The ride can be quite bumpy, so you would need to fasten any loose items, and hold the railing in front for support. I was trying to take a video of the ride, but my attempt was not very successful.
I cannot pose for photos, and this is why I am usually the one behind the camera. Also, why did nobody tell me to take off my hat in the photos? I look very stupid and cannot use ANY of the photos for new profile pictures that are much needed to boost my interestingness.
After you've had a chance to explore the village, it's a good time to go for a dune buggy ride, especially near twilight hours for a couple of reasons:
1. It's a bit cooler. Remember that you're in a desert and there is barely any shade unless you are sitting on the shadier side of the sand dunes.
2. The contrast between light and dark become very pronounced with the shadows, and the sunset is very popular among tourists.
I would agree this was by far one of the most spectacular sunsets I had ever seen or photographed in my life. Having grown up in Korea and Vancouver, most of the sunsets I had seen were over bodies of water, this was one of my first sunsets over a very rugged terrain which created for an intersting foreground.
And the moon came out too as the sun was setting.
The top of the sand dunes illuminated by the setting sun provided an interesting backdrop for silhouettes of my friends. Having snowboarded for a numbere of years, I was able to go down the sanddunes with ease and would wait for my friends who would work their way down. Being punctual and always ready to go with a moment's notice, I would soon find a pattern in our group dynamic.
Next stop: Lima
Huacachina is a small town located by an oasis in a desert, which thrives own tourism. There are numerous tour agencies that offer dune buggy excursions, so it's best to shop around and negotiate for a deal. I am not much of a thrift shopper myself (other than doing advance research), so I left all the negotiating to my friends who drove a hard bargain and got us an amazing deal.
Once you are on the dune buggy, the driver/guide will take you to up and down the sand dunes with plenty of stops for photos. The ride can be quite bumpy, so you would need to fasten any loose items, and hold the railing in front for support. I was trying to take a video of the ride, but my attempt was not very successful.
I cannot pose for photos, and this is why I am usually the one behind the camera. Also, why did nobody tell me to take off my hat in the photos? I look very stupid and cannot use ANY of the photos for new profile pictures that are much needed to boost my interestingness.
After you've had a chance to explore the village, it's a good time to go for a dune buggy ride, especially near twilight hours for a couple of reasons:
1. It's a bit cooler. Remember that you're in a desert and there is barely any shade unless you are sitting on the shadier side of the sand dunes.
2. The contrast between light and dark become very pronounced with the shadows, and the sunset is very popular among tourists.
I would agree this was by far one of the most spectacular sunsets I had ever seen or photographed in my life. Having grown up in Korea and Vancouver, most of the sunsets I had seen were over bodies of water, this was one of my first sunsets over a very rugged terrain which created for an intersting foreground.
And the moon came out too as the sun was setting.
Next stop: Lima
