Copacabana is located on the shores of breathtaking Lake Titicaca, providing a crossing point between the Peruvian and Bolivian border. This small, charming town can only be reached by land with the following 2 options for those traveling:
Peru Hop is the only direct bus to Huacachina, with buses going from Lima to Huacachina and Cusco to Huacachina, as well as from Paracas, Nazca, Arequipa, etc., saving you the hassle of taking a taxi with all your bags from and to Ica.
If taking a public bus, you would need to take a bus from Lima to Ica or Cusco to Ica. Once in Ica, you would need to find a local taxi to then take you to the oasis of Huacachina. To leave Huacachina, you would need to do the same.
This tiny village is home to less than 1,000 local people, but every day fresh influxes of travellers arrive to do one of THE must-do activities in Peru… sandboarding down the famous Huacachina dunes! The local guides take travellers on a tour of these dunes on incredibly powerful (and safe!) dune buggies, flying over large humps in what seems to be a never-ending desert of sand. This in itself is awesome, but it gets even better as the travellers have the option to sandboard down some of these huge dunes! This can be exciting as well as nerve racking and often you will end up with a face full of sand but it’s nothing a quick shower won’t fix! Snowboarding is world famous, but sandboarding is thrilling, faster and much much cheaper… an absolute must do for anybody who visits Huacachina.
As well as Huacachina, Ica is also famous for its Pisco and wine vineyards. Pisco is the national drink of Peru, and Ica is often called the home of Pisco. We take you to a Pisco Vineyard tour where you will discover the history of Pisco, see how it is made, as well as getting to try a few samples of this deliciously refreshing drink. Peru is very proud of it’s Pisco and you simply cannot come to Ica without having a few glasses of Pisco!
The incredible view of the sunset from the sand dunes is one you should not miss if you make it to Huacachina. Climb up the dunes on foot or catch the sunset at the end of a dune buggy tour.
Pack for all types of weather
During the day lather on your sunscreen, Lake Titicaca sits at over 3,800m and you’ll burn like a crisp in no time. At night temperatures drop dramatically so you’ll need to wrap up… Time to pull out that llama jumper you just bought in La Paz!
Carry Bolivianos
Whilst there are a couple of ATMs in Copacabana they can be a little temperamental, so bring cash with you, if possible. If you only have dollars, there are a number of ‘Casa de Cambios’ to exchange your dollars but the exchange rate will be less than what you find in big cities.
Views from El Calvario are stunning throughout the day but especially so at sunset
It is believed by ancient Incan tradition that Lake Titicaca is the birthplace of the sun, and therefore, where the world began. When you take in the beauty of this lake, it becomes evident why these theories exist. The shimmering blue of the lake is in sharp contrast with the intense green and yellow fields that it surrounds. It is simply heavenly.
Thousands of people come to Copacabana every year to pour beer on their cars! Yes, you read that correctly. It is a Bolivian tradition that when you buy a new car, your first road trip must be to Copacabana to have it blessed for safe future journeys. The blessing to Pachamama, or Mother Earth. First, the vehicles are blessed by priests but after, owners and locals pour beer on the cars to quench the thirst of Pachamama.
