This is Huacachina. This place has nothing but hostels, tour agencies and overpriced restaurants but how often do you come cross a desert oasis? I was determined to get a shot of Huacachina before we boarded our 19 hour bus to Cusco this evening, so a climb to the top of the dunes was inevitable. I would have had better light (and it would have been a hell of a lot cooler) in the evening but our night bus to Cusco leaves at 6pm so I had to climb the dunes just before midday.
The woman at the hostel advised me to climb the smaller dunes to the south, but I was determined to get a high as possible so opted for the giant dunes to the north, and man was it was fucking hot. I made it to the top after a good 45 minutes of trudging through the shin high sand and desert sun and also stopping to chat to a Peruvian professor half way up, but the view was worth it. To the north is actually a desert town which looks really poor and none of the roads are visible because they are slowly but surely being swallowed up by the surrounding dunes. Even some houses on the outskirts were abandoned or collapsed because of the sand onslaught.
Although touristy as hell a visit to Huacachina is a must if you are going South of Lima, only one night is needed to climb the dunes and do some sand boarding, after that it would get a little boring.
