A palm-ringed oasis in the dunes, sea lions and penguins on the Ballestas Islands and pisco from the wineries around Ica. Four hours south of Lima, and most travelers give it 2 or 3 days.
The Ica region is Peru’s desert coast: Huacachina, a small lagoon ringed by palm trees and giant dunes; Paracas, where boats leave for the Ballestas Islands; and the vineyards around Ica, where pisco is made. It’s the easiest trip out of Lima, and the only one where you ride a buggy over the dunes in the afternoon and watch sea lions from a boat the next morning.
One day is possible from Lima, but it’s a very long one. Two lets you sleep in the oasis.
Cruz del Sur to Ica, then 10 minutes to Huacachina. Or a private car.
Ica is sunny most of the year and hot from December to March. Paracas mornings are often grey in winter.
In the oasis, a short walk from the dunes. Tours pick you up at your hotel.
Updated September 2026
Add any of these to your Peru trip. We book the bus from Lima, the transfers in Ica and the tours, all in one quote.
The Ballestas Islands, a winery and the dunes in one long day from Lima, back at your hotel around 22:30.
A night in the oasis, a picnic in the dunes at sunset and the Ballestas Islands the next morning.
The same trip without the rush: an evening in the oasis after Ballestas and a pisco route on the last morning.
Group tour prices per person. The 2 and 3-day plans are based on 2 travelers, because transfers are per car. Entrance fees (Ballestas and the Paracas Reserve about S/ 22, the desert S/ 3.60) are paid in cash. Bus tickets and hotels are added to your quote.
Give the dunes one afternoon and the sea one morning. Add a day if you want the wineries or the Lost Canyon.
An hour or two up and down the dunes around the oasis, with a go on the sandboard.
With a picnic, local bites and wine set up in the desert, or just by walking up the dune behind the lagoon.
Sea lions, Humboldt penguins and thousands of seabirds, by speedboat from Paracas.
A giant figure cut into a sandy hillside, seen from the boat on the way to Ballestas.
Desert cliffs over the Pacific, Playa Roja with its red sand and lunch by the sea in Lagunillas.
Artisan bodegas and Tacama, one of the oldest haciendas in Peru, on a morning route from Ica.
A slow loop around the oasis, best early in the morning or when the day tours have left.
A hidden canyon in the Ocucaje desert, about two hours from Ica on dirt roads.
Carapulcra with sopa seca, the classic Ica lunch. Try it at El Otro Peñoncito in Ica.
Candied pecans and dried fruit in a sugar or chocolate shell, the sweet Ica is known for.
All three start at Casa de Bambú, in the oasis, with a short walk up the dune to the buggies. The difference is how long you stay out and how you end the day.
Not sure which one? Ask us on WhatsAppMost travelers go back to Lima and fly on to Cusco and Machu Picchu. These are the Cusco plans and tours we add most often. See our Cusco travel guide →
The city, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in 4 days.
From $469 per person · See itinerary →What we tell every traveler before the desert coast.
Boats leave in the morning, when the sea is calmer. In the afternoon the wind picks up, so keep the dunes for later in the day.
Ballestas and the Paracas Reserve (about S/ 22), the desert entrance (S/ 3.60) and the wineries are paid in cash.
Casa de Bambú, a garden café that is also the meeting point for the buggies, and Quntu for carapulcra and pizza.
La combinada, carapulcra with sopa seca, at El Otro Peñoncito in Ica. Finish with tejas or chocotejas.
Sunglasses, a hat, strong sunscreen and closed shoes you don’t mind filling with sand. The desert cools down fast after sunset.
Drivers go fast on purpose. Not recommended if you are pregnant or have back or heart problems.
Huacachina for the dunes and the sunset, Ica if you want it cheaper and quieter, Paracas only if you add a beach day.
Going to Ballestas in the afternoon, doing everything in one day from Lima when you could sleep in the oasis, and booking the last bus to Lima right after the Ballestas tour.
Hotels and hostels around the lagoon, a short walk from the dunes. Tours pick you up here. Some hostels have loud parties at night, so choose your hotel well.
About 10 minutes by taxi from the oasis, close to the wineries and the bus station. Less charm, more local life.
Resorts on the bay, next to the Ballestas pier. Worth it if you add a beach day; otherwise Huacachina is closer to everything else.
Carapulcra with sopa seca, known as la combinada; ceviche; duck with rice; pallares, the big local beans; and in Paracas, fresh seafood by the sea. For dessert, tejas and chocotejas. And pisco, the grape brandy made in the wineries around Ica.
All year. Ica is sunny most of the year and hot from December to March. From June to October Paracas mornings are often grey, but the boats still go out.
Cruz del Sur buses leave Lima all day and reach Ica in about 4 to 5 hours. Huacachina is 10 minutes from the Ica station by car. A private car from Lima is the comfortable option for families and groups.
Tours pick you up at hotels in Huacachina and Ica. Paracas is about 1 h 15 min from Ica by road.
One night is enough for the dunes and Ballestas. Two if you want the wineries or the Lost Canyon, or just a calmer trip.
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Two days is the classic: an afternoon in the dunes and a morning at the Ballestas Islands. Three if you want the pisco route or the Lost Canyon, or just a calmer trip. One day is possible from Lima, but it’s about 18 hours door to door.
Yes. The full day tour leaves Miraflores at 04:30, visits the Ballestas Islands, a winery in Ica and the Huacachina dunes, and gets you back around 22:30. From $105 per person.
By bus to Ica, about 4 to 5 hours with Cruz del Sur (from about S/ 55), then 10 minutes by car to the oasis. We book the bus and arrange the transfer. A private car from Lima is also an option.
Yes, for the dunes. The oasis itself is small and touristy, but riding a buggy over the dunes and watching the sunset from the sand is one of the most fun things to do in Peru.
Sea lions, Humboldt penguins and thousands of seabirds, plus the Candelabra geoglyph on the way. The boat tour takes about 2 hours and you don’t get off the boat, because the islands are protected.
About S/ 22 for the Ballestas Islands and the Paracas Reserve, S/ 3.60 for the Huacachina desert and S/ 30 for Tacama on the pisco route. All in cash, in soles.
The drivers are experienced but go fast on purpose, and the ride is bumpy. It is not recommended if you are pregnant or have back or heart problems.
Huacachina for most travelers: you are next to the dunes and tours pick you up there. Ica is cheaper and quieter. Paracas only if you want a beach day.
Ica is dry and sunny most of the year, hot from December to March. Nights in the desert are cool, so bring a light jacket. Paracas is often grey in the mornings from June to October.
A day-by-day plan with hotels and the full price, from a local, not a bot.
