Things to Do in Ica | Tourist Perú

Ica is Peru’s desert coast — sand dunes, vineyards, and a wine and pisco-producing region since colonial times, all a few hours south of Lima. It’s also where the Pacific desert meets the ocean, with the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve just offshore.

Huacachina, an oasis ringed by towering dunes, is the base for sandboarding and dune-buggy rides — one of Peru’s more unexpected landscapes. The Ballestas Islands, sometimes called the “poor man’s Galápagos,” are home to sea lions, Humboldt penguins, and dense colonies of seabirds, reached by boat from Paracas.

Our Ica tours cover the region’s range: a pisco route through the vineyards and bodegas, a half-day of sandboarding and buggies in Huacachina, a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve, and the Lost Canyon day tour for a quieter, less-visited stretch of desert.

Good to know: Ica is a common add-on to a Lima trip — most of these tours can run as a long day trip from Lima or as a stop on the way south.