After two more days in Cuzco I finally went to Ica, in the desert of Peru. The trip there took a whole 17 hours. Although the bus had very comfortable reclining seats, I couldn't sleep because I was thrown back and forth in the seat due to the winding Andean pass roads.

A small oasis in the desert

Near the city Ica there is a tiny oasis city named Huacachina in the middle of the desert. At its center are the green waters of the Huacachina Lagoon, ringed by palm trees and thought to have therapeutic properties. The lagoon's shores are dotted with bars and clubs. According to local legends, the water and mud of the area is therapeutic. Both locals and tourists often bathe in the waters or cover themselves with the mud in an attempt to cure illnesses. I was surprised that Peru has desert at all.

Dune buggy ride

In the afternoon I took a guided tour there. An Australian woman accompanied me from my hostel. Our desert tour started a little later. So we had lunch and relaxed a bit at the small lake in the middle of the oasis. There is not much to do here.

First on the program was a ride with a dune buggy (sandrail) through the desert. This is a lightweight off-road motor vehicle specifically built for traveling in sandy terrain. The driver accelerates and races down the dunes. This can be dangerous. 2018 a German died here because the vehicle flipped over. It was driven by 20-year old local who didn't have a license to drive such a car.

Sandboarding

Later it was our turn. But we didn't use the buggy, but a kind of snowboard on which we sled down the dunes. That was quite fun.
The tour ended with a beautiful sunset over the desert.

In the evening I had a drink with myself in the deserted bar of my hostel. Exactly 1 year I was now already on Latin American soil.  The next morning I drove on to Lima.