In the middle of the barren Atacama Desert in Peru, Latin America, is the amazing oasis city of Huacachina with lush palm trees, green foliage and a lake that is said to have medicinal properties.

The population of the town is only 96 people, but the settlement has hotels, shops and even a library.

This place is known as the "Oasis of America". Residents of the neighboring town of Ica, as well as numerous fans of sandboarding (riding a snowboard on the sand dunes) and racing on a buggy, rest there.

According to legend, the lake in the oasis was created after a beautiful princess was caught off guard by a young hunter while swimming in the pool. The girl fled, the pool turned into a lake, and the folds of the princess's robes became sand dunes. After that, the beauty returned to the oasis and still lives in it as a mermaid.

Recently, after private landowners dug wells around the oasis, the water level in the lake has dropped significantly. In order to preserve the oasis, the process of artificially pumping water into the reservoir has begun.

Group one-day excursion with a Russian-speaking guide. The journey will begin right at the entrance of your hotel - be it in Dubai, Sharjah or Ajman - from where you will be picked up by our comfortable bus.

- Palace Museum of the first President of the UAE , His Highness Sheikh Zayed, who "out of sand and desert" erected a great state. Monumental, crowned with watchtowers and battlements, from the outside, the palace most resembles a fort. Luxurious buildings create the feeling of a city within a city: along with residential and utility premises, there is a school where the ruler's children studied; the hall of the Koran, the ceiling of which is decorated with the sayings of the prophet Muhammad; a collection of weapons and expensive cars in which the sheikh drove without protection.

- Hot Springs formed by a volcanic eruption. Healing mineral and sulfur compounds contained in the water maintain its temperature at 55-60 degrees. You can test the properties of the springs in the traditional Arab baths equipped here.

- Jebel Hafeet Observation Deck ... From a kilometer height, you will have a view of two states at once: the Arab Emirates and Oman. Our guides checked: it is most comfortable to admire the mountains and the panorama of the city from here - from the high-altitude coolness.

- The largest zoo in the Middle East ... Local animals can be envied by many of those that live in the wild: their enclosures are huge and well-groomed, the scorching sun miraculously turns out to be harmless to grass and trees, and they definitely don't have to worry about food. Giraffes, antelopes, rhinos, ostriches, lions ... Acquaintance with the numerous animals of the zoo will not only leave children indifferent, but even the most callous adults.

At the end of the trip, we offergourmet lunch local and European cuisine.

It's important to know :

In addition to sunscreen, hats and clothing that will prevent you from getting sunburned, we ask you to bring a swimsuit and a T-shirt (!), Which will come in handy when swimming in the hot spring. Since representatives of the local population will be in the bath with you, please understand the need to cover your swimsuit with understanding.

It is worth bringing drinking water with you at the rate of 1.5 liters per person.

Huacachina is a tiny resort town in the Peruvian department of Ica, with only about 100 permanent residents. It is located in the Sechura Desert, near a small lake, and the place itself is known as the "Oasis of America".

There are many hotels and even a library on the territory of the town. You can get a special pleasure watching the sunset over the beautiful dunes, and for lovers of outdoor activities - going down to the oasis on sandboards. If you just want to explore the surroundings, you can ride a buggy.

The oasis has been declared a national cultural heritage.

Located in one of the driest places on earth, Huacachina is a city with its own park, comfortable hotels, shops and even a library

This town is located in a barren desert in Peru

Aerial view of Huacachina, an oasis in Ica, Peru, 300 km south of Lima. The village is home to 96 residents who live around the lagoon

A night town in the desert thriving among the sands

The lake water is credited with medicinal properties, and in the 1940s, many wealthy Peruvians came here to swim.

Huacachina at night, view from one of the nearby dunes

It is unknown if the lake's water is truly healing, but the beauty of this place is very difficult to dispute.

"High season" falls between May and August

Sunset over Huacachina

There are many stories about how the town appeared, but the most popular legend tells about a young hunter who found the princess bathing in the pool. The princess, seeing him, ran away, the pool became a lake, and the dunes are the folds of her mantle

Sandboarding near the oasis

View from one of the banks

You can always go boating on the lake and enjoy the view of the town from the water

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Finding yourself in this magnificent oasis, located in the middle of the barren sand dunes of the Atacama in (Latin America), you involuntarily stop believing your eyes and begin to listen to suspicions creeping in - is it all a mirage.

In fact, there is no doubt about the reality of this wonderful city with an abundance of green vegetation, lush palm trees and a beautiful lake, which has received the fame of healing. It is called Huacachina, and only 96 people live in it. However, despite such a small population, there are not only shops and hotels, but even a library.


A marvelous place, whose horizon is littered with lifeless sand on all sides, also has another name - "Oasis of America". As a rule, residents of the neighboring town of Ica, lovers of sandboarding and racing on a buggy come here to relax.

Like all amazing places, this settlement has its own wonderful legend. It says that the lake was once an ordinary pool. But one day a beautiful princess came here to swim. A young hunter passing by took the naked girl by surprise. She escaped, after which the pool turned into a lake, and the folds of her abandoned mantle into sand dunes. According to legend, the princess soon returned to the oasis and still lives there as a mermaid.


Unfortunately, recently, private landowners have begun digging wells around the oasis, which has caused the water level in the lake to have dropped significantly. In order not to allow it to grind even more, people began to pump water into the reservoir artificially.