Visiting Huacachina with kids is fun for several reasons! This destination in the desert is an oasis nestled among the sand dunes. These sand dunes make for fun activities with kids here. In addition, from Huacachina you can take the family on several cool trips in the region. In this blog, we list the best children’s activities you can do in Huacachina with kids.
Best travel time Huacachina with kids
You can visit Huacachina with kids year-round. Huacachina is located in the desert, which is why it almost never rains at this destination. So you don’t have to consider this destination because of the rain.
Temperatures in this village are always around 25 and 30 degrees, making this destination also a great destination to spend a day by the pool unlike many other cities in Peru. So it can get very hot here in the summer months, so the advice is to make sure kids drink enough and apply sunscreen well at this destination.
Transportation to and in Huacachina
You can only visit this destination in Peru by bus or cab. Huacachina has no airport and therefore most tourists go by bus. Of course, you could possibly consider taking a cab with the family so you have a little more freedom. You can also possibly rent your own car, but this is not done by most tourists in Peru. Partly because of the poor condition of the roads.
From the capital Lima it is about 4.5 hours by bus to Ica and then it is a very short cab ride to Huacachina. So you can reach this destination in half a day from the capital Lima. Buses also leave from other cities to Huacachina, but the bus from Arequipa, for example, easily takes more than 12 hours. That’s not really ideal with kids. So this is a destination that you can do just fine as an excursion from Peru’s capital city.
Children’s activities Huacachina
#1 Buggy ride
The most fun activity you can do in Huacachina with kids is a baby carriage ride through the dunes. These tours are offered toward the end of the afternoon and you can actually book them at all accommodations in Huacachina. By the way, you can also book a private tour with the family and then you can sort of decide what time of day you want to leave with the baby carriage. By the way, a baby carriage has room for 8 to 9 people, so you can have the whole family in the baby carriage at the same time.
The trip in this baby carriage takes about 2 hours and, of course, it is beautiful as the sun sets and the colors of the sand dunes keep changing. The baby carriage is driven by a professional driver who is used to driving in these dunes. The ride in the baby carriage can be compared to a roller coaster ride and especially with kids, of course, it’s a lot of fun to do. Here you drive over dunes as high as 30 meters.
Most tours also carry boards, where kids can slide down the dunes. Of course, this is handy with a baby carriage, because then you don’t have to keep walking up the entire mountain. You slide down the mountain at quite a speed, and this activity, too, will naturally appeal to kids.
You have three different heights and, of course, with kids you can start with the lowest level. Kids can choose to slide down the mountain on their stomach or sitting on the board.
It is best to have the kids wear long pants and closed shoes, as the sand can be very hot. Besides, sunglasses and a cloth for the mouth do come in handy against the sand during the trip through the dunes with the baby carriage. Also bring something of a cardigan for the kids if you go on the afternoon tour, as it can get chilly when the sun goes down. If you go during the day then it is wise to apply sunscreen well to your kids.
If you would like to book this baby carriage tour in advance online, you can book this Sandboard and Buggy tour here.
#2 Sandboarding
You can also go sandboarding in Huacachina with kids without a tour. You can rent a board in several places in Huacachina and it only costs a few euros to rent such a board. You can then go up the mountain by yourself and then slide from the mountain. Of course, this is quite a bit more tiring because you have to walk back up by yourself after each slide.
We have gone sandboarding several times in the dunes and our daughter is usually done with it after 2-3 slides, because of the hike up. By the way, make sure the kids really keep their arms and legs on the board, otherwise you have a chance of getting scrapes or even burns from the sand.
As with the baby carriage tour, it is of course highly recommended to climb the sand dunes towards the end of the day, as that is when the colors of the desert are really beautiful and you can take great photos with the family in the desert!
#3 Nazca lines
Surely the Nazca lines are one of the most special places we visited in Peru. These mysterious lines made far in the past are still a great mystery to researchers. You do have dozens of huge figures in the Nazca area, and surely it is very special to view these lines from a plane.
The village of Nazca is a 2.5-hour drive from Huacachina, so it is great to do in a day trip. If you leave a little early in the morning, you can be back at the pool of your hotel in Huacachina by late afternoon. A flight costs around 100 euros per person, so it is not very cheap if you are with a whole family. It is, however, enormously special experience.
A small plane can accommodate a family of 6 and do keep in mind that you can get quite nauseous. The plane makes all sorts of turns and you are busy spotting the lines from the plane and possibly taking pictures. You may get nauseous as a result. We ourselves, by the way, had little trouble with this.
A flight takes about 30 minutes. You have several airlines that fly over the Nazca lines and inquire ahead of time in Huacachina what is a reliable airline. Usually people in the region know this best.
#4 Paracas National Park
Another fun day trip you can take from Huacachina with kids is to Paracas National Park. This national park can be reached by car or bus and is just over an hour’s drive from Huacachina. From the town of Paracas, you can take a boat trip with the family to Islas Ballestas.
Islas Ballestas are several islands off the coast of Peru, where you can spot different animals such as penguins and sea lions. You also have lots of different birds and pelicans to spot in this region. By boat, you can get close to these animals found on these islands.
In Paracas, there are super many places where you can book a tour to these islands, so it’s fine to take a cab from Huacachina to Paracas. A tour is very affordable. If you ask around in Huacachina, tours to this national park are also offered from there.
#5 Lake Huacachina
The village of Huacachina is located around a lake and you can also visit this lake with kids. The lake is not super large, but it is fun to explore this lake with kids on a pedal boat, for example. You can rent those here, in fact. Our daughter always enjoys exploring a lake this way.
By the way, you can also swim in the lake with kids. Of course, this can be an option if you have accommodation without a pool and still want to cool off at the lake with kids on a hot day.
By the way, many accommodations do have swimming pools. Below, in the child-friendly hotel Huacachina section, we have listed all family-friendly accommodations with pools. This allows you and your family to make a nice combination of seeing things and relaxing by the pool during your stay in Huacachina.
Family-friendly restaurant Huacachina
You unfortunately have only a few restaurants located in Huacachina, so there is not a lot of choice in this village. The restaurants we are going to name below are not specifically family-friendly, but you can obviously eat just fine in Huacachina with kids.
La Casa de Bamboo: This is one of the better restaurants in Huacachina. You have a wide choice of dishes here such as a curry, nachos with guacamole and a pasta. They also have delicious desserts here, including ice creams. The restaurant also has several vegan options and you can come here for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Wild Olive Trattoria & Guest House: this is an Italian restaurant where you can eat a variety of pastas and pizzas with kids. The restaurant has good value for money, and kids can possibly put together their own pizza here. This restaurant is located by the lake.
Desert Nights: if you are looking for a restaurant in Huacachina where you can eat fries with a burger, this restaurant is a good option. You can sit on the roof terrace on the second floor at this restaurant and you will have a beautiful view of the lake and dunes. This restaurant also serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Family-friendly hotel Huacachina
You can certainly stay overnight in Huacachina with kids, but the options are not too broad. Of course, the village is not too large, so there are not very family-friendly accommodations available.
We list some family-friendly options for different price ranges that all have pools. Can you also easily spend a day relaxing by the pool with the kids! Click on the blue link for more information.
Budget accommodation: Ecocamp Huacachina
Mid-range accommodation: Carola Lodge
Luxury accommodation: DM Hoteles Mossone – Ica
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Huacachina, take a look here.
