Ica Private City Tour: Wine, Museum & Lake Huacachina

A pisco distillery that has been making award-winning spirits since 1856 opens the morning.

A private tour of Ica covers a celebrated pisco and wine producer, the Regional Museum of Ica with artifacts from five ancient cultures, the sanctuary of the Lord of Luren, and Lake Huacachina ringed by sand dunes. A bilingual guide leads the route, which runs about three and a half hours and includes tastings at the winery, museum admission, and hotel pickup and drop-off.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Ica's culture and nature

• Visit pisco producer
• Tour Regional Museum of Ica
• Visit sanctuary of Lord of Luren
• Visit Lake Huacachina oasis

The experience

The tour starts at a pisco distillery that has operated since 1856, known for award-winning spirits made from carefully selected grapes grown in the Ica valley. You taste both wine and pisco there before moving on. The Regional Museum of Ica, founded in 1946, holds two exhibition rooms: one displays archeological goods from the Paracas, Nasca, Wari and Inca cultures. The other shows funeral customs, cranial deformations and human remains with evidence of ancient medical procedures. The scope is regional rather than narrow: five distinct cultures represented in one stop.

Next is the sanctuary of the Lord of Luren, a dark-skinned saint venerated in Ica since a carved wooden image arrived from Spain in 1556. The image is kept in the church year-round except on the third Monday of October, when it is carried through the streets accompanied by hundreds of devotees. Lake Huacachina, the final stop, began as an oasis in the middle of the desert and remains one of Ica's major attractions. Large sand dunes surround it, and the lake itself offers optional activities (food, drinks, or sand buggy rides if you want them), but the tour itself is the visit to the water and the landscape.

A professional bilingual guide (Spanish and English) leads throughout. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, so you do not arrange your own transport to the starting point. The whole route takes about three and a half hours.

What’s included

• Wine and pisco tasting at the distillery.
• admission to the Regional Museum of Ica.
• a professional bilingual guide in Spanish and English.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday to SundayDepartures at 09:00 and 14:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (6 and older) · Child (3 to 5 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 16 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortInfants must sit on laps

Operated by LimaTours

Is this one for you?Book this private tour if you want a guide-led route through Ica's cultural and natural landmarks in one morning, with tastings and museum entry built in. Children from age three are welcome, though the pisco and wine tasting is for adults only.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 5 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

What is the Regional Museum of Ica, and what cultures does it cover?

The Regional Museum of Ica, founded in 1946, displays artifacts from five regional cultures: Paracas, Nasca, Wari, Inca and Ica Chincha. One exhibition room holds archeological goods. The other shows funeral customs, cranial deformations, trephinations and human remains with evidence of ancient medical conditions.

Do I get to taste wine and pisco, and where does that happen?

Yes. Wine and pisco tasting takes place at the distillery that opens the tour, a producer operating since 1856 known for award-winning spirits. The tasting is included in the tour price. Note that it is for adults only.

What is Lake Huacachina like, and what can I do there?

Lake Huacachina is an oasis surrounded by large sand dunes in the middle of the desert and one of Ica's major attractions. The tour includes a visit to the lake itself. Optional activities (food, drinks and sand buggy rides through the desert) are available at extra cost if you want them.

How does hotel pickup work?

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. You need to provide the name of your hotel when you book so the operator can coordinate the timing and location.

What is the sanctuary of the Lord of Luren?

The sanctuary holds a carved wooden image of a dark-skinned saint venerated in Ica, brought from Spain in 1556. The image stays in the church except on the third Monday of October each year, when it is carried through Ica's streets in a procession with hundreds of devotees.