Huacachina also spelled, Huacca China, is a small oasis surrounded by giant sand dunes. This oasis town exists only to cater to the tourists and is located very close to nearby Ica.

Although there isn’t much to do, most tourists go dune buggy riding and sand boarding.

If you have never done this, we would recommend it to you.

Since, we are from Arizona and there are sand dunes just across the border in California, we had already been there and done that.

If you have never seen an oasis, it is worth a few minutes to tour if you are in the area.

The local legend holds about the lagoons creation is that when a beautiful native princess was apprehended at her bath by a young hunter. She fled, leaving the pool of water she had been bathing in to become the lagoon. Then the folds of her mantle, streaming behind her as she ran, became the surrounding sand dunes. She is rumored to still live in the oasis as a beautiful mermaid.

We visited Huacachina Oasis on April 12, 2006 at about 12:30 PM.