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Lima: Paracas, Ica & Huacachina Private Day with Wine & Sandboard

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1/42

Duration16h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Penguins, Pisco & Sand Dunes: A Private Loop South of Lima

You board a yacht to the Ballestas Islands to see penguins and sea lions, then taste wines and Pisco at a local winery before lunch at a restaurant in Ica. After visiting the Huacachina Oasis, you ride a desert buggy through the dunes and sandboard down the slopes yourself. Hotel pickup and drop-off, lunch, and an official guide are included; the full day is private except for the yacht, which requires a minimum of 15 passengers for safety.

16h

Step-by-step itinerary

Board boat to Ballestas Islands
Visit winery for wine and pisco tasting
Lunch at Catador Restaurant
Visit Huacachina Oasis and take photos
Ride tubular vehicles in desert dunes
Sandboarding in desert dunes

The Experience

The boat engine cuts through the Pacific and suddenly the water moves — not waves, but bodies. Humboldt penguins surface in clusters, sea lions bark and slip under the hull, and you realize the Ballestas Islands are not a postcard, they're a working colony. The yacht holds at least 15 passengers for stability (if fewer book, you share the boat with other travelers for safety), and the guide points out the guano deposits, the breeding ledges, the animals that have lived here longer than anyone's been counting. After an hour on the water, you head back to the pier and the day splits into four more stops before you return to Lima.

The winery comes next — a local operation where you taste several wines and different Piscos, the grape brandy Peru is known for. The owner or staff walks you through the processing, and it's the kind of place where you can ask questions without feeling rushed. Then lunch lands at the Catador Restaurant: a starter, main course, soft drink and a Pisco toast included. Vegetarian options are available if you've flagged that ahead. You eat slowly here because the afternoon still has two major moves left, and the air-conditioned vehicle gives you time to settle before the next leg.

Huacachina Oasis appears like a mirage that actually exists — a lagoon ringed by palms in the middle of the Ica desert, and you get time to walk around, photograph it, and browse the small shops. Then the real adrenaline: you board a tubular buggy (also called a bugoui) and a driver takes you through the dunes at speed, the sand flying, the engine loud. After that ride, you switch to a sandboard — essentially a snowboard on sand — and slide down the slopes yourself. It's the kind of thing that sounds simple until you're doing it and your legs are burning and you're laughing at how hard it is to stay upright.

The whole day is private, meaning your own vehicle and your own pace, though the Ballestas boat is the one shared element for safety reasons. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, as are snacks on the road. Wear light clothes, bring sunscreen and sunglasses — the sun reflects off the sand and the water, and you'll feel it. The drive south takes a few hours each way, so it's a full commitment, but you're not arranging transport, tickets, lunch or timing yourself. Everything is coordinated in one vehicle with one guide.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel or address pickup and return, an air-conditioned private vehicle, an official tourism guide, a yacht tour to the Ballestas Islands (shared only if your group is under 15 people, for safety), wine and Pisco tasting at a local winery, lunch with starter, main course, soft drink and Pisco toast at the Catador Restaurant (vegetarian options available), entry to the Huacachina Oasis, a desert buggy ride through the dunes, sandboarding down the slopes, and snacks during the drive.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomeNot for pregnant travelers

Operated by Master Tours Perú

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see penguins, taste Peruvian wine and Pisco, eat lunch, and ride dunes and sandboard all in one day without arranging transport, tickets or timing — the private vehicle and official guide handle the logistics so you focus on the experience.