Sandboarding in Peru

Where to Go Sandboarding in Peru?

• Huacachina. The Huacachina tour is the most popular option, as the Huacachina Oasis attracts large tourist masses every year.
• Chilca (Lima). This sandboarding tour in Lima is around 1h away and is not well known yet.
• Paracas. In the California Desert (desierto de California), various sand buggy and sandboarding tours are offered. In our 2-Day Paracas and Huacachina tour, you get to experience go karts in the desert, which is also a great experience.
• Morón Oasis. The Morón lagoon is a beautiful natural lagoon, without any tourist facilities around.

Even if Huacachina, Paracas and the Morón Oasis are the more famous spots to do Sandboarding, they all have 2 disadvantages if you’re short on time:

1. They are around 4 hours away from Lima. Thus, if you have to catch a flight in the afternoon or if you don’t want to sit in a bus for hours, these aren’t suitable options for you.
2. It’s not “real” Sandboarding as the equipment is not professional. You slide down the dunes sitting or lying on it.

Out of all the places mentioned above, Chilca is the only one that is located in Lima. The other three are located in Ica, the bordering state of Lima.

That’s why, generally speaking, the tour in Chilca is the best one if you don’t have a lot of time as you only need a half day. The tours in Paracas and at the Morón Oasis won’t be the focus of this post, rather the sandboarding tours in Huacachina and in Lima as they are best for sandboarding.

Let’s begin with the Huacachina tour.

The natural oasis, Huacachina, is one of the top tourist destinations for Peruvians and foreign travelers. 

Sandboarding in Huacachina

Located around 4 hours south of Lima, the Huacachina Oasis is quite far away from Lima.

Therefore, it’s often not the best choice for a day tour, as you’d have to leave very early and get back to Lima late at night. This makes this tour quite tiring, in case you don’t decide to spend the night in Huacachina or in Ica.

However, it’s the most popular option to do sandboarding in Peru for tourists that head to the Nazca Lines or to Arequipa by bus and make a stop in Paracas or Ica for one night.

The Huacachina Oasis itself is a natural oasis in the the desert, with some hostels, restaurants and travel agencies around.

The large dunes are amazing for the sandbuggy or sandboarding experience.

The sandboarding tours in Huacachina are always combined with sand buggies. They race through the desert, making you feel like you’re on a super fast roller coaster which is a lot of fun.

At some point you make a stop to do sandboarding. However, there is no real instructor, just the driver that gives you simple wooden boards. That’s why many times it’s actually impossible or even dangerous to board as you would do on a snowboard (standing on the board), but rather sitting or laying on the board.

It’s more about the general experience and the fun itself rather than the actual sandboarding.

Travelers love the exciting day in Ica. 

After you’ve boarded down the dune, you have to walk up if you want to board again.

As there are constant tourist masses visiting Huacachina, the drivers have a tight schedule which might lead them to make you hurry up a bit so they can return to the starting point and pick up the next group.

The sand buggy experience is great and the views of the Huacachina Oasis as well, but the actual sandboarding experience is rather simple.

What makes this tour beautiful is the actual Huacachina desert, especially if you can do it during sunset. Check out our updated 2022 Huacachina Oasis Guide to learn more!

Fall in love with the incredible surroundings in the Peruvian desert. 

Sandboarding in Lima (Chilca)

Another option for sandboarding in Peru is Chilca, which is only a little more than an hour away from Lima. Therefore, it’s a perfect option for all the travelers that don’t have a lot of time.

In fact, it’s one of the top things to do in Lima if you’re looking for an adventurous half-day tour.

The amazing thing about the sandboarding tour in Lima tour is that most likely there won’t be anyone around you, meaning that you’ll have the entire desert for yourself.

You heard right, not just a tiny dune but the entire desert. In fact, you will do this tour with a professional 4×4 driver that will show you what it’s like to drive a jeep in the dunes.

Even though the jeep doesn’t have as many horsepower as the sand buggies in Huacachina, this is still a lot of fun.

The sandboarding experience in Lima is truly special, as you’ll be far away from the crowds.

Apart from that, you will be accompanied by our experienced sandboarding instructor and you’ll get professional equipment (sandboards, wax and helmets).

He will first show you some techniques on a small dune, so that you can get the hang of it step by step.

Once you’re ready, you can move on to the big dunes where you can really board down.

When you reached the bottom of the dune, you will have to walk all the way up. No…just kidding! The driver will be waiting for you to pick you up and drive back to the starting point again.

This sandboarding tour in Lima really is a lot of fun!

Together with our instructors you’ll do certain exercises that will help you to stand on the board. Otherwise you can sit on it and slide the dunes down. 

Comparison of Places Where You Can Do Sandboarding in Peru

Recommendations for Sandboarding

No matter where you will do sandboarding in Peru, as you can only do it in the desert you will always be exposed to the sun.

That’s why you have to use sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat in order not to get sunburned. Also, bring a bottle of water and some small snacks.

During our sandboarding tour in Lima, we will provide you with some snacks and before the tour you will also make a quick stop at an artisanal bakery that makes delicious bread filled with ham, cheese, olives and more.

Sandboarding in Peru? Go For It!

Sandboarding in Peru is one of the most fun activities you can do in the land of the Incas.

If you’re looking for an accessible tour with a personalized service that is close to Lima, the Sandboarding in Lima tour is the right one.

The other sandboarding tours are also in beautiful locations, but especially the Huacachina Oasis is already overrun by tourists and the sandboarding experience is rather poor. If you really want to do sandboarding, the tour in Lima is by far the best one. If you really want to go to Huacachina, contact us for our private tour.

However, getting to know the Huacachina Oasis and racing through the dunes with sand buggies is still a lot of fun and it’s worth it when you’re travelling south of Lima. In the end, it depends on your travel plans and what service aspects you value more. Check out our Lima travel guide to plan your trip!

Have you done sandboarding in Peru before and if so how did you like it? We’d be happy to hear about experience in the comments.