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Lima to Nazca Lines, Paracas & Huacachina: Flight, Dune Buggy, Pisco

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.75 (725 reviews) 82% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/11

Duration2d

GroupUp to 40

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Ballestas wildlife cruise, pisco tasting and sandboarding adventure from Lima

You’ll wake before sunrise in Lima and end up flying above ancient geoglyphs by midday—the kind of day trip where sea lions bark at your boat near Paracas, you taste fiery pisco straight from an Ica vineyard barrel, then race dune buggies across Huacachina’s golden sands before sleeping under desert stars. It’s two days that feel oddly bigger than they are.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Lima to Paracas and Huacachina

Depart Lima early morning
Travel south along Pacific coast
Arrive in Paracas beach town
Boat tour to Ballestas Islands
See sea lions and penguins
Spot Candelabra geoglyph
Visit Ica vineyard and distillery
Guided pisco tasting session
Arrive at Huacachina Oasis
Free time to explore oasis
Dune buggy ride on sand dunes
Sandboarding down dunes

Day 2 — Huacachina to Nazca and Lima

Depart Huacachina early morning
Travel to Nazca desert region
Flight over Nazca Lines geoglyphs
Optional visit to Cantalloc Aqueducts
Return trip to Huacachina
Short break in Huacachina
Board bus to Lima in evening
Arrive back in Lima late night

The Experience

I didn’t expect the bus to be so quiet at 6am—everyone half asleep, clutching coffee or just staring out at Lima’s foggy streets. But as we rolled south along the Pacific, our guide Carla started telling stories about Paracas fishermen and how they read the sea (she swears they can smell a storm coming). By the time we reached Paracas, the sun was up and I could actually smell salt and diesel from the harbor. The speedboat out to the Ballestas Islands was loud—wind in my face, birds everywhere. Sea lions barked at us like grumpy old men. Someone pointed out a penguin waddling between rocks. I still hear that sound sometimes when I close my eyes.

Afterwards we drove inland to an old vineyard in Ica—dusty air, grape vines tangled everywhere. Our host poured pisco into tiny glasses and explained (with a lot of pride) how each batch is different. I tried to say “salud” in Spanish and everyone laughed—not sure if it was my accent or just the mood. The pisco burned but left this sweet aftertaste. Then Huacachina appeared out of nowhere—a green lagoon surrounded by monster sand dunes. It looked fake for a second, like someone dropped an oasis in the middle of nowhere. We climbed into dune buggies with engines that rattled your teeth and shot up dunes so steep you couldn’t see over the edge until suddenly you were flying down. Sandboarding is harder than it looks—I ate sand twice before figuring it out.

The next morning came too early (I barely slept—dunes outside my window looked silver in moonlight). We piled into a shuttle for Nazca. The drive felt endless but watching desert colors shift was weirdly calming. At Nazca airport, there’s this nervous energy—everyone clutching passports and peering at little planes lined up on cracked tarmac. The flight itself? Wild. The pilot banked hard left then right so both sides could see giant shapes carved into earth—monkey, hummingbird… even hands waving up at us? You get this strange feeling: who made these? Why? The desert below looked empty but alive somehow.

On the way back to Lima I scrolled through photos—sea lions mid-yawn, sand stuck to my shoes, those impossible lines in Nazca—and realized I’d squeezed three worlds into two days without feeling rushed (though my legs disagreed). Carla said Peru always leaves you with questions; she’s probably right.

What’s included

Your two-day adventure includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Lima, all air-conditioned transport with onboard Wi-Fi for those long stretches south, a speedboat cruise around Ballestas Islands with wildlife spotting, guided vineyard visit with pisco tasting in Ica’s heartland, an adrenaline-filled dune buggy and sandboarding session at Huacachina (with sunset views), private shuttle transfer to Nazca for your scenic flight over the famous lines (just remember your passport), plus bilingual guides throughout most segments so you never feel lost—even when you’re staring down endless dunes or puzzling over ancient geoglyphs from above.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Peru Hop