Day 16-18 / Pisco & Huacachina

Pisco

After the bustling city of Lima, our next stop was the port city of Pisco. Our hostel was very close to the Plaza de Armas (the city center of almost every Peruvian city). After checking in, we took a tuk-tuk to the coast, which felt like a ghost town. Despite many seating areas and squares, there were hardly any people there and the port promenade seemed very run-down. Back in the city center, we tried the typical coastal food, ceviche, which we liked to varying degrees.

On the second day in Pisco, due to poor planning, we drove in the heat of the afternoon to Tambo Colorado, a former Inca settlement. The ruins are more or less in the middle of nowhere. We didn't see anyone there who could show us around. After a few minutes, someone suddenly appeared and let us in for a small fee. We wandered around the beautiful and well-preserved ruins alone and without a plan. We hitchhiked back to the city, which felt like an eternity to me in the blazing sun and after many futile attempts. Two kind Peruvians finally took pity on us three helpless gringos and gave us a ride to the city.

In the afternoon, we took a beach tour on the Paracas Peninsula near Pisco. We were driven around by a van driver. The peninsula is located in a nature reserve, so we had to pay an extra fee for that. First, we went to Mirador beach to go swimming. However, the water had a very strong current and was extremely cold. When we had enough of it, we were taken to Playa Roja (Red Beach), where swimming was not allowed due to dangerous cliffs. We enjoyed the beautiful view there and watched the sunset before our driver took us back to the city of Pisco.

~ Viktor

Huacachina

Arriving in Ica, the three of us squeezed onto the back seat of a tuk-tuk with our three large and two small backpacks and drove to the small oasis of Huacachina, located near the city. The place is really tiny, very touristy, but still idyllic. It consists mainly of restaurants, hostels, souvenir shops, and plenty of pushy people trying to sell you the same tour. There is a lagoon at the edge of the oasis, where you can also swim. No matter where you look, there are sand dunes and even more sand dunes.

In the afternoon, we went on a buggy ride through the desert with a few other people, which was a bit like riding a roller coaster. In between, we went sandboarding on various dunes. We were given a board to lie on and slide down the dune headfirst. The first dune was already quite steep, although it was nothing compared to the last one. There, it went downhill so steeply at one point that you couldn't see the path from the top and it felt almost vertical. If you're scared, the guide said you could just brake with your feet, but in that case, it didn't help either and you went really fast.

Because we liked this little oasis so much, we decided to stay one more day. On Saturday, we went to Ica to look for a market, and after a lunch break, we hiked up to the highest visible dune from the oasis to watch the sunset. For every step forward, we slid half a step backward. When we finally reached the top, we couldn't sit as comfortably as we had imagined because the wind constantly blew sand at us, which also made eating the pineapple not so pleasant. Nevertheless, we had a great view of the oasis and large parts of the desert.

On Sunday morning, we continued to Nasca.

~ Lenja