MAY 6, 2019 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
I highly recommend sandboarding and dune buggy riding. This is what some of my co-volunteer friends and I did in Huacachina and I would further recommend that if you are going to take part in some common but potentially harmful activities, do take all the recommended precautions, do them with friends and do not allow yourself time to talk your way out of it.
My friends and I especially chose this day for nearby bucket list activities since one of our closest friends would be leaving to volunteer elsewhere. Before being Huacachina-bound, however, I had to reconcile missing my normal Saturday volunteer task. It was a day that I wasn’t on a building project but rather teaching English. The reasons I leaned towards were the several other people teaching, and of course it being one of the last times I would see my friend. (Fortunately, we would get to meet up again later in Bolivia). I made my case to the project leader that day (and she, my sister from another mother) was more than lenient with me. However, our premiere disagreement was quite amusing. I think it made our bond even tighter. After all, who doesn’t eventually fight with family?
All set. The five of us got a collectivo (shared taxi) over to our mainly touristy destination (not on the Arequipa touristy scale, of course, but touristy still…) We took the fast, curvy dune buggy ride together and we each yelled out with joy during our respective sandboarding trips. It was prior to these steep slides, that we were also instructed not to have our hands, arms or legs out touching the sand. Long sleeves and long pants were recommended. Overall, you didn’t want any of your body hanging over the board.
This particular trip to the oasis was just for a day. {Visit Facebook Pics} We passed the rest of our time eating, laughing, and chatting while appreciating the simple and unique life. I love going places and getting involved in something unexpected. I know we had planned on doing everything that we did, but there was no preparation for the actual immersion and the very real satisfaction of completing it all.
Naturally, our trip initiated from Pisco, but I would say Paracas may more likely be the spot your passing through or headed towards, since it is well visited for its diverse bird and additional wildlife.
The lodging options in Huacachina can get you to feeling quite at home. I pause here to advise on hostels in general. There are some very inexpensive options. You can bring the price down even more by selecting to stay in a room for two or more people. People may go into this arrangement together, or simply share a place with other travelers who have been assigned there. The former is essentially what my friend and I did when we headed to Arequipa and the latter is what I usually did when I traveled through Bolivia. Many of your decisions can be made with the courtesy of a number of reviews and according to your personal objectives. When I knew I just needed a place to lay my head, (that I’d be out and about most of the time), I didn’t mind sharing and my main concerns centered around the availability of hot water and tidiness. When I needed more focus and regrouping, I would stay solo. This would also include reasonably priced, nice hotels.
I found all my best deals on Hostelworld.com. I know Airbnb is quite the force today but don’t sleep on Hostelworld, as you can feel its continued relevance from even just the landing page link which I’ve included above. I recall before I learned of Hostelworld, I knew of couchsurfing.com and this could range from camping out on someone’s couch to having a nice private room along with the run of the house. I didn’t do couch surfing. I cannot speak to it too personally, but I knew people who did (and I am seeing this company is still doing its thing as well). I did once stay with a friend who was in the midst of it. We were celebrating my birthday. We had been spending the majority of the day and evening together and it was a safer and gentler experience to crash with her and her host, rather than going back to my own hostel during the early morning hours.
Fortunately, I feel like reviews in general are the great self-correcting force to getting you the best deal and situation for your money. I would say don’t go cheap for cheap’s sake. Think about being in safe areas and again, also think of the other conveniences of life that you find valuable. I got to the point where I could even read in between the lines of travelers’ reviews. For example, if someone rated a hostel “boring”, it simply meant there wasn’t a party worthy environment on the premises. There were some hostels exactly popular for their party atmosphere. I would look deeper for the hot water confirmation. I do love dancing and there was always somewhere nearby to go. No need for this to be linked directly into my dwelling. Additionally, there were common areas for meeting and socializing. No need for this to be too intense, when there is most likely a night when you need to rest up before the following day’s adventures.
Of course, hostels don’t need to be your choice at all and as I briefly mentioned, you can rest assured hotel reviews plus travel sites can also be your guide. I checked into a nice hotel on another group visit to Huacachina. I hung out with friends at one point and at another point I was shooting the breeze at the hotel bar (complimentary Pisco Sour in hand). There was this chance to meet locals and other tourists while enjoying friends as well.
By the way, a nice element about Huacachina are the options to stay a while or take in the area just for the day. You may want to do so while en route to your next destination.
The restaurants are varied, offering US, Peruvian and other cuisines. It makes it so you can wander within a few feet to find the perfect food you are craving, including ice cream. There are areas to swim. There is the nightlife, and the city shows itself to be one of those serene places where you can relax and get taken in by the ideal landscape. Incidentally, you may momentarily forget your everyday concerns.
These are just my collective fond memories from a time quite past and I’m glad to see that the tradition of the desert oasis lives on. Maybe you will visit and let me know what you think. Maybe, you will share one of your favorite places with me. I welcome it. Always feel free to email me at cassandrajohnson@riskysafetravels.com and to include questions or comments below. I want to note I did just recently learn of a dune buggy accident. I want to advise you to remain mindful and to continue taking care of yourselves and each other.
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