Huacachina is a village built around a small
oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment[Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...]
. It is about five kilometers from the city of
Ica in the
Ica District of
Ica Province. The oasis was introduced as a feature on the back of the 50
nuevo sol note in 1991. Huacachina has a permanent population of around 100 people, although it hosts many tens of thousands of tourists each year.
The name comes from , possibly shortened from .
Oasis and lake
Huacachina is built around a small natural desert lake, commonly referred to as the "oasis of America". According to local legends, the water and mud of the area are therapeutic. Both locals and tourists often bathe in the waters or cover themselves with the mud in an attempt to cure ailments such as arthritis, rheumatism, asthma, and bronchitis.
Legend holds that the lagoon was created by a beautiful native princess, she removed her clothes to bathe, but after looking in a mirror she saw a male hunter approaching her from behind, startled at the intrusion, she fled the area, leaving behind her mirror, which turned into a lake. Other versions hold that she fled, leaving the pool of water she had been bathing in to become the lagoon. The folds of her
mantle, streaming behind her as she ran, became the surrounding sand dunes. The woman herself is rumoured to still live in the oasis as a
mermaid
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are ...
.
The lake was created by natural seepage from underground aquifers, but the increase in well-drilling started to threaten that supply in the early 2000s. To compensate for the loss, and preserve the oasis as a destination for tourists, local business groups began pumping water into the lake in 2015.
It was announced in 2016 that the Peruvian scientist
Marino Morikawa, who created a
nanobubble system to decontaminate lake El Cascajo, would lead a project to restore the Huacachina lagoon. , no further news of the proposal has been forthcoming.
Activities
Huacachina is a
resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...
geared to local families from the nearby city of Ica, but is increasingly an attraction for tourists drawn by the sports of
sandboarding
Sandboarding is a boardsport and extreme sport similar to snowboarding that involves riding down a sand dune while standing on a board, with both feet strapped in. Sand sledding can also be practised sitting down or lying on the belly or the ba ...
on the
sand dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...
s that reach heights of up to . Another popular activity is
dune buggy
A dune buggy — also known as a beach buggy — is a recreational off-road vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes, beaches, off-road or desert recreation. The design is usually a topless vehicle with a rear ...
rides on vehicles known locally as ''areneros. ''Huacachina has been a favourite family destination for decades, and in the 60s was a popular summer resort for tourists around the world.''
References
External links
*{{Wikivoyage-inline
Gigapixel Image of Huacachina
Oases
Populated places in the Department of Ica
Oases of Peru
Peruvian folklore