Eating Sand and Surfing Dunes in Huacachina, Peru

Neil and I have been on over a dozen tours—on elephants, in caves, among sharks.  But when we arrived in the Peruvian oasis town of Huacachina, we were literally thrown into a new class of day tour adventure.  For the cost of 30 Soles each (US$11), we booked a sand surfing tour with two friends that we’d met in Lima.  Boards packed in the rear and cameras securely wrapped in plastic, we latched ourselves into the 12-seater dune buggy and held on tight for 2.5 hours of white knuckle, primal screaming through the desert.

Pensive and Overlooking the Middle-Distance in the Huacachina Desert

What to Expect on a Dune Buggy Tour

We’d heard the rumors that these tours were dangerous.  That under the supervision of inexperienced drivers, buggies can tumble off the sand cliffs into deep ravines.  We’d heard that someone had died in 2010.  But with tour groups scuttling over the sand dunes every hour from Huacachina, Neil and I figured: “What are the odds?”

At 4pm, we arrived at the Bananas Hostel Resort and loaded in the steel frame buggy.  The three-point seat belts and metal roll-bar above our heads were reassuring.  When I told our guide that I didn’t have sunglasses, he supplied me and another passenger with goggles that reflected the strong sun and provided full coverage over my eyes.  I didn’t realize how important that would be until we shot up at a 60-degree angle over the first sandy precipice that led out of Huacachina.

This picture makes the Dune Buggy Tours look tame. But those wheels can climb!

The desert stretches out for miles in Peru!

The engine growled like a half-starved beast and our driver shifted into gear.  Heads tilted back, we took our last easy breath and surveyed the white-gold dunes that rolled out in every direction.  Civilization seemed light-years away and just as the engine downshifted and the sudden silence crowded my ears, I realized we were in for a rough ride.

As the nose of our buggy began to tilt downward over the dune’s high crest, my mouth dropped open and a murderous “NO!” screeched from my throat.  The bottom of the world dropped off and at the other side of the dune, a forty-foot vertical drop awaited us.  Cutting the engine, the driver laughed as 12 foreigners screamed for their lives.  Halfway down the slope, he popped the engine back in-gear and we shuttled off across the plain toward the next hill.  Straight up the cliff, the buggy slashed through the desert and defied gravity, monster wheels chewing up sand and then swiveling at the right moment to swing back down.

Sand flew into my face and ricocheted off my goggles.  The sun grew fat and low on the horizon as dune after dune I screamed until my ears went deaf and my voice cracked.  For 30 minutes, we cut across the Huacachina desert and at times even our driver slowed down to muse over the golden sands.  He loved his job.

Sand Boarding and Surfing the Dunes in Huacachina

At first when I learned that the tour was only 2.5 hours and included three sand boarding spots, I was disappointed.  I felt as if it would be some quick in-and-out tour designed to take tourist money.  I was wrong.

The sunsets are lavender in Peru, and Huacachina becomes a true hidden oasis in the darkness.

On the dunes, 2.5 hours stretches infinitesimally.  Minutes of screaming feel like hours of heart-pounding, “Am I really skimming over these dunes?” moments.

Generally speaking, the tour includes three stops but each location includes a triple series of sand surfing.  Our guide cut the engine on our first slope, helped with our boards and offered wax for maximum velocity.  Seasoned snowboarders can rent real boards for the experience but the sand boards are perfectly fine, offering the same speed and thrill for a lesser fee.

On the first dune, I lay on my stomach and zipped down the dune, hollering like a banshee with a hangover.  At the second dune, the guide convinced me to try standing.  Holding tight to him, I steadied myself, feeling the board’s nose tilt over the cliff.  “Okay, lean forward now.”  The guide encouraged, but as gravity gripped my board and I began my daredevil descent into the desert basin, he screamed my name and shook his arm.  “ You have to let go of me now!”

With each subsequent dune, the drop becomes more dramatic.  Lagging behind, I was the last person to reach the final sand boarding dune.  As I walked up the hill, the wind kicked up and I watched my tour companions lean over the edge.  My skin prickled as a small groan bubbled up from my gut.  Nobody said a word, they just bent over the dessert cliff with wide eyes.  When I reached the top, I could not find words to even curse.

The final course looked like a giant salad bowl.  Huge walls reached over 200 feet high and dropped down so far that we could not see the bottom.  On our left, a professional snowboarder pitched himself over the edge and skimmed down the sandy slope like a graceful Adonis of the desert.  In his wake, a small crest of sand kicked up behind him and accentuated the ease of each turn as he swung left and right down the mountain.

Last stop on our sand boarding tour: the overlook of Huacachina

I turned to Neil.  “Looks like a good place to break an ankle.”  He set up his video and tripod, probably hoping to catch a surfer eat sand.  With no shame, I positioned my stomach on the board on the crest of the dune, took a deep breath, and threw myself off a perfectly good cliff.

The Best Time for a Sand Boarding Tour

All day, buggies cut out over the desert and over the 72 hours that I spent in Huacachina, I could not understand why anyone would want to go into the arid plain in the high heat.  The sun is brutal and when you have to climb up a slope with a sand board, it’s not easy in 100-degree weather.  The best time to go on a dune buggy and sand boarding tour is at 4pm.  You’ll have your 2.5 hours of rollercoaster screams and dune-sliding fun with the added bonus of a desert sunset over Huacachina.

What to Bring on the Dunes

Water, sunblock, and sunglasses are imperative.  Unless you are a pro snowboarder, you will spend time on your stomach, sliding down the dunes at top speed.  Sand rash is an issue.  Neil got it on both forearms and I barely skirted the same fate when I remembered my Galapagos Islands long sleeve tee.  If you drag your elbows even for 10 seconds in the sand, your skin may start to rip away.  So be careful and wear a long sleeve tee.  Shorts are fine and for the most part I was barefoot.  When you pack your camera, be warned.  Sand can do murder to a digital lens.  My friend Juliane and I wrapped our SLR cameras in plastic bags and only took them out when the wind was calm.  Do not just throw your gear into a backpack and then chuck it on the sand.  Those miniscule grains cram into every crevasse of your bag.  Juliane can attest to the insane cost of repairing a lens with sand stuck inside.

Once its dark, the buggy drives you back to Bananas Hostel for that frozen daiquari

The day after our tour, Neil and I ran into some other friends from Huanchaco on the coast.  After recommending our tour, they booked their own trip to the dunes.  On their tour, a family of four joined them and even though they were worried about their children on the slopes, they reported that all was well and agreed that it was a great tour.  On our excursion through Bananas Hostal Resort, we enjoyed an extra half-hour on the dunes overlooking the Huacachina Oasis and a welcome-back strawberry daiquiri at the hostel once we returned.  By far, the sand boarding trip was one of the best tours we’d ever booked.

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