Peru · ICA TOURS
Good ica tours fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
You’ll race across Huacachina’s desert in a 4x4 buggy, climb dunes up to 30 meters high, learn basic sandboarding, and stop for sunset photos above the oasis. English- and Spanish-speaking drivers such as Frank, Jorge, and Riccardo have led recent trips, with groups capped at 10.
“Love it!!! It’s great? You must do it if you’re here. ❤️❤️❤️❤️”
Start in Huacachina with equipment fitting and sandboarding or sandskiing instruction, then ride a dune buggy to higher dunes for about four to five runs. Guides such as Dito, Juan, Antonio, and Aldahir provide coaching and GoPro photos and videos. Sunset and Pisco shots finish the afternoon.
“One of the best tours I’ve been on, great guide that is a professional skier for Peru and is trying to make the Olympics. He carried my stuff when my ankle is injured. Thrilling ATV ride definitely a bit scary. Very friendly guide and great company”
Spend five to six hours touring Ica’s pisco country with guides such as Sam, William, or Raúl. Visit Tacama, El Arrabal, La Vieja Bodega Lovera, and Bodega Nietto, tasting wines, piscos, and cachinas along the way. Hotel pickup, small groups, and lunch time are included.
“My husband and I had a blast on our Pisco tour! The tour company was super communicative and gave great instructions on where to meet up since we were coming into town via bus as opposed to at one of the local hotels. We met up with our tour guide William and he was a total rock star and took us around to three Pisco Distilleries in the Ica area. Some were nicer than others but all were quite fun to go and see. It felt like touring around with a local friend as opposed to a "tour guide". Thanks for a great time William!”
Travel from Ica or Huacachina to Hacienda Tacama and two local wineries for pisco and wine tastings, vineyard walks, production lessons, and a regional lunch. English and Spanish guides lead this 3.5-hour, small-group tour, with pickup included.
“it was a quite good experience. friendly guiding and much interesting information about production and processes.”
Spend an overnight in an imported canvas tent near Huacachina. Ride a dune buggy through the Ica Desert, try sandboarding and sand tubing, watch sunset, eat a grilled dinner with wine, then enjoy breakfast and a shower the next morning.
“Excellent experience! We had a great time going around the desert with the guide. The camp was also amazing.”
Start in central Ica at 6:30 a.m. for a combined boat trip to the Ballestas Islands and a land tour of Paracas National Reserve. Expect sea lions, Humboldt penguins, El Candelabro, Playa Roja, Lagunillas, and La Mina. Lunch, drinks, and the Paracas tourist ticket cost extra.
“tijdens onze boottocht hebben we verschillende dieren zoals zeeleeuwen, zeehonden, pinguins, pelikanen, gieren en anderen gezien. Onze gids stond steeds paraat om de nodige uitleg te geven over de de eilanden en de dieren. In de namiddag hebben we het nationaal park van Paracas bezocht en sloten we onze activiteit af met een lekkere verse vis die ze ter plaatse gevangen hadden”
Leave Ica or Huacachina at 6:30 a.m. for Cañón de los Perdidos in the Ocucaje Desert. Walk a sandy route to viewpoints, fossils, saltpeter, water holes, and a 150-meter-deep gorge, with transport, guiding, and hotel or bus-station pickup included.
“Excellent lieu perdu dans le désert, un endroit encore préservé et magique Le guide et l’organisation sont exceptionnels À découvrir et à préserver”
From Ica, you’ll fly 30 to 35 minutes over the UNESCO-listed Nazca Lines, then return for a Huacachina dune buggy and sandboarding ride. Guides including Sam, Jorge, and Irving provide help with timing, taxes, and transfers. Bring your passport, a light bag, and protection from blowing sand.
“Irving came on time. He is very outgoing and answered all the questions we had. We could not have had a better operator. After seeing the beautiful Nazca lines, he took us for lunch to a very good restaurant. Then we went for the dune buggy experience and sandboarding. It was sooo much fun!”
Meet your English or Spanish-speaking guide at the Huacachina Oasis office, walk to the dunes, then ride a 4x4 buggy across the sand. Your instructor explains the basics before you slide down several dunes, with time for photos above the oasis. The group is limited to 10 people.
“Bei Ankunft in der Agentur herrschte erst einmal etwas Verwirrung. Man hatte uns wohl nicht erwartet (haben aber auch erst ein paar Stunden zuvor gebucht). Man geht dann durch den Ort zum Eingang der Dünen und weiter zu den Buggys. Insgesamt hat die Aktivität genau eine Stunde gedauert, also mit Wartezeit, Fussweg, Fahrt zum Aussichtspunkt, Pause, Sandboarding, Rückfahrt.”
Travel by small-group minibus from Ica or Huacachina into the Ocucaje Desert, where a bilingual guide explains fossils, erosion, and the Canyon of the Lost. Expect a long, bumpy ride, a sandy walk into the canyon, desert viewpoints, and a short pisco tasting. Lunch is not included.
“Zeker de moeite waard! Wel lang onderweg maar opzich had je wel heel mooi uitzicht op de heen en terug weg.”
Ride from Wild Rover Huacachina to Nazca in a shared shuttle departing at 7:00 am. Expect a roughly 3-hour journey, a maximum of 20 passengers, and an English-speaking guide such as Lui who may also help coordinate a Nazca flight.
“Very nice service from Huacachina to Nazca. Good driver, comfortable van and easy transfer. The tour guide spoke great English and made everything very understandable.”
Meet Johnny and the team near Huacachina at 2:40 PM for helmet, board or ski equipment, and wax. Ride a dune buggy into the desert, learn sandboarding or sandskiing with an instructor, enjoy several runs, and finish with sunset photos among the dunes.
“Overall we LOVED this experience. We got lots of skiing/boarding time, followed by a great sunset moment, and dune buggy riding the whole time. The overall experience was far more unique than the generic tours, and we’d highly recommend this trip/company to anyone. Great highlight thus far!”
Travel from Ica or Huacachina to El Chaco for a two-hour boat trip past the Candelabro and Ballestas Islands, then explore Paracas National Reserve by bus. Guides speak English and Spanish, with pickup, transport, viewpoints, and lunch time at Lagunilla included.
“Prise en charge à l’hôtel aller-retour (départ 7h retour 16h), le guide luis et le chauffeur était très sympathique (anglais et espagnol), nous avons eu l’occasion de faire un tour en bateau et apercevoir des pingouins et lions de mer, plusieurs arrêts pour admirer les paysages de la côte dans la réserve naturelle. Pour finir avec un repas au bord de l’eau. Nous recommandons pour une journée découverte à Paracas”
Meet at La Casa del Bamboo in Huacachina for a two-hour buggy ride across the dunes, with photo stops, sandboarding instruction, and a possible sunset finish. Sam Travel Experiences limits the group to about 10 people. Bring cash for the local tourist tax, and confirm the tour length before booking.
“We did this activity as part of the day trip from Lima, the drive is really long, like 4 hours. The activity itself is really fun. Dune Buggy and sand ski are so fun that the 1 hour time easily passing by. Also the view of the sand dune and the pond is stunning. There are many local people selling the buggy tour in that area, You can just walk in and get this activity schedule without advance booking.”
Meet SandSquad in Huacachina at 2:45pm for a small-group sandboarding or sandskiing lesson with Peruvian athletes such as Jhayr. You’ll test equipment, ride a dune buggy, practice descents, receive GoPro or iPhone photos and videos, and finish with a sunset by 6:15pm.
“Well organised trip, private trip, boots, board and helmet provided. We travelled in a sand buggy to various dunes to learn sandboarding, the teaching was excellent! We really enjoyed the sandboarding and was one of our highlights of our trip to Peru.”
Pick a ruin, a summit, a dune or a kitchen.
