Huacachina, "Oasis in the middle of Peru Desert"

Oasis in science or geography, is a fertile
area secluded in the middle of the desert, and usually surrounds a fountain or other water sources.



And Huacachina is a village located in the Ica
Region, in south western Peru. Located in the Ica Province, near the city of Ica in the Ica District. Huacachina a population of 115 (1999).



Huacachina is built around a small natural lake in the desert. Called oasis "of America," it serves as a resort for local families from the nearby city of Ica,



and increasingly as an attraction for tourists who are attracted by sports Sand boarding and dune buggy rides take on sand dunes that stretch several hundred yards.



Legend states that the lagoon was created when a beautiful native princess was detained in the bath by a young hunter. He fled, leaving a puddle of water he was bathing in the lagoon.



Folds of her coat, the trail when he ran behind
him, became the surrounding sand dunes. And
the woman herself is rumored to still live in the oasis as a mermaid.



Today, private land owners have installed wells near the oasis, to access the land. This has the effect of drastically reducing the level of water in the oasis.



To offset this water loss, and preserve the oasis as an aesthetically pleasing destination for tourists, the city began the process of
artificially pumping water to the oasis of
Huacachina is a beautiful and impressive place.



With sand dunes about 300 feet, and a large
oasis filled with palm trees in the middle,
Huacachina desert oasis looks like a classic you might expect to find in Saudi Arabia or North Africa. This is probably the most famous oasis in South America.