The Huacachina means ‘weeping woman’ in Quechua. According to the Legend the Huacachina lagoon is born from the tears of a beautiful green-eyed woman, who wept for the death of her beloved.
But the Huacachina lagoon is full of life: from its palm trees and huarangos, to the birds that rest in its waters, its fish and the inconspicuous creatures of the surrounding dunes.
A very rich biodiversity and now protected, by declaring the Huacachina and the subtropical desert around it as a Regional Conservation Area.
The Huacachina lagoon is an oasis located at five kilometers west of the Peruvian city of Ica, in the middle of the Pacific coastal desert. With emerald green waters, it arose due to the outcropping of underground currents.
Around it there is an abundant vegetation composed of palm trees, eucalyptus (introduced species) and the species of carob tree known as huarango, which serves as a resting place for migratory birds that pass through this region.
All this contributes to making Huacachina one of the most colorful and beautiful places on the Peruvian coast.
It’s main attraction is the warm weather and the sunny sky during the most part of the year.
One of the biggest tourist attraction of the Huacachina oasis is the sandboarding, which does not come from the water but from the desert.
Tourists arrive with their boards to «surf» and descend the dunes at full speed.