Huacachina

Welcome to the oasis in the desert.  I’m told that this oasis is the last one in Ica province.  At first I thought it was perhaps a mirage, but it also had good mobile phone reception!

The main reasons people come here are to see the oasis, but also to go on buggy tours and go sandboarding.
Buggy tours are a rather interesting activity.  You can strapped into a buggy while somebody from Huacachina practices driving like he is driving in Lima!  Basically he goes really fast up a hill and then plummets down the other side.  The buggies have large tires and a roll cage (although I would still not like to be upside down in one) so they are pretty stable in the sand.  You can to stop a few times for photos and to watch the sunset.
After this, they have a selection of older snowboards that they wax and then you lie down on them (or, if you want, you can try standing up) and go down the hill.  Some of the dunes are quite steep and you can pick up some good speed!

Paracas

About 3.5 hours from Lima, through the sandy desert, you arrive in Paracas, a quiet beachside town and the gateway to Islas Ballestas.


This photo was taken from one of the waterfront restaurants that serve fresh fish that came in the same day.  Paracas is very small and pretty walkable.  The major attraction here is Islas Ballestas which has 2 tours per day – one at 8am and one at 10am.  I was told the earlier tour was better since the ocean was calmer.

My main goal was to see penguins, but I also saw lots of sea lions and plenty of birds.

The people in this area harvest the guano of the birds and sell it as a fertilizer.  Apparently it’s quite expensive.  The tours last about 2 hours and give you a good view of the wildlife in the area.  The boats are speedboats without a cabin, so I suggest a windbreaker as it can get quite windy and cold.

Lima by bike

I made it to Lima 2 days ago and I have been really enjoying the city.  The weather is nice, the people are friendly, and (at least around Miraflores) it’s quite safe.  Above you can see people paragliding from the cliffs in Miraflores.  There is a park (one of many in Miraflores) that runs along the cliffs.
I think it’s important to remember that Lima has a desert climate.  All the green that you see has been planted and continues to be water.  Lima gets very little rain throughout the year.
I always like to explore a city on foot, but this time I decided to join a bike tour.  The company I used was called Lima Bike (http://limabike.pe). To my surprise, it went up to Cruz del Papa, a cross on the top of a large hill with a great view of the city and the ocean. It was a fantastic tour.  The guides were friendly and knowledgeable and the pace was good for everyone.  The hill was certainly a challenge but it made the tour into a bit of an adventure.
This was the other surprise.  Almost at the top of this hill, you can see Jesus.  Apparently this was given to the city by a Brazilian company.  Can you spot the desert climate now?  On the opposite side as Jesus, you can see the cross.  It lights up at night and can be seen from quite a ways away.
If you don’t want to bike up, you can take a taxi or uber instead 😉