Legend claims every year a mermaid living in the laguna takes one man. The inability of certain Peruvians to swim seems a more likely explanation of the yearly drownings. Other people speculate that the cause of the frequent drownings is swimmers muscles cramp when the warm water on the top of the oasis mixes with cooler water below.
Getting to Ica is easy from Lima, as most bus companies including Cruz del Sur and Soyuz have frequent trips along the route.
This oasis is only a few kilometers from the bustling city of Ica. There are no longer municipal bus routes to Huacachina, but it is very easy to find taxis during the day (4~5 soles one way) and at night (8 soles one way).
Taxis are used to travel from Huacachina to sites in Ica, and moto-taxis can be used within Ica to affordably travel to locations that are too far too walk. Most taxis charge 2.5 or 3 soles for trips from one location in the city to another. Most taxi-motos charge 1.50 soles, making it a very cheap way to get around.
Tours of the Bodegas and Wineries: in Ica there are about a zillion different bodegas and wineries that produce pisco and sweet red wine. These bodegas range from the small family-run "artesanal" bodegas to huge industrial bodegas that supply the entire country with pisco and export to Europe and the US. Perhaps the best artesenal bodega is "Catador" and the best industrial bodegas are probably "Tacama" and "Vista Alegre"-
Watch the sunset from the rim of the dunes. Amazing colours and views. You although can walk up for the sunrise but be careful as no marked paths for walking up.
Museums:
There are two museums in nearby Ica, but the one that is of most interest to visitors is probably the archaeology museum, el MUSEO REGIONAL DE ICA. The museum is full of clay pottery, mummies, and trepanned human skulls (skulls that have had holes drilled into them for surgical reasons, while the person was alive) and textiles from the various indigenous groups that have lived in the Ica region for thousands of years. The dry sand from the desert preserves the bodies and fabrics in impressive condition. The museum costs 10 soles, and is worth a visit although superior museums can be found in Lima, Arequipa, and the north of Peru.
The other museum is rarely open because the building it is located in, and its exhibits, where heavily damaged during a 2007 earthquake. It is the Museo de Piedras Grabadas, the museum of recorded stones. It is a large collection of round, smooth stones with images of fish, dinosaurs, and people carved on them. The creator of the museum claims they are thousands of years old, but virtually all scientists hold a skeptical opinion of the rocks and strongly suspect they are modern hoaxes. It is not recommended to visit this museum because to do so supports scientific hoaxes and is a waste of money.
The only ATM in the town is located at the Huacachinero hostal. Ica, located a few kilometers away, has a number of ATM machines as well as money-changers who will convert your dollars into soles and vice versa in exchange for a small commission.
The Casa de Avinoam, the restaurant located in the Carolas del Sur Hostal, has delicious thin-crust pizzas. Pizaa prices range from about $6 USD for a personal pizza to $15 for a large family-sized pizza.
The restaurant at Desert Nights Youth Hostal is quite popular too.
For those craving tasty ethnic food, head to Bamboo Cafe, located in a small lot in between Carola del Sur and Hosteria Suiza. They serve a flavorful Thai curry, decent falafel (popular with the Israeli and Arab travellers), and other ethnic and peruvian dishes.
In Ica, there are quite a few decent restaurants. One of these is the restaurant "El Otro Penoncito" which has a very pleasant, upscale decore and serves a variety of italian and peruvian dishes. It is slightly expensive by Peruvian standards, unsurprising since much like the restaurants in Huacachina it exists to serve food to tourists.
A great, cheap restaurant to eat lunch is McGrille, on Avenida Cutervo. It has cheap but tasty menus at lunch time (from around 12:40 to 3:00pm) that only cost 7 soles per person during the week and 9 soles on weekends and holidays.
Valentino's Cafe-Bar, across the street from McGrille, has tasty fixed-price lunches for 9 soles and free WIFI for customers. The lunches here will be higher quality than similarly priced lunches in huacachina.
Like just about everything else, the alcohol is overpriced in Huacachina.
Most of the larger hotels have their own bars, including Casa de Arena and Huacachinero. One of the only bars that is not associated with a hotel is Da Silva House, located alongside the Casa de Arena hostel. Cocktails here cost between $3 and $5, and the owner prepared many types of mixed drinks and cocktails.
Many visitors to Huacachina decide to visit the wineries and pisco bodegas that are located all over Ica. These wineries grow their own grapes, crush them, and convert them to wine or pisco. They will show you their vineyards, their fermentation machines and wine-making process, and then give you a small sample of their products. You are of course encouraged to then purchase the wines and piscos. Many of these tours are free (the bodegas make their money from wine sales), but your taxi driver or tour guide will charge you to take you around to various bodegas.
During late February and early March, is the grape harvest when grapes are crushed by foot. Visitors are encouraged to take off their sandals and shoes, wash their feet, and then help crush the grapes. While perhaps not the most hygienic method of alcohol preparation, this is a very popular activity.
Bodegas are split into two categories: artesenal and industrial. Artesenal bodegas are small, family-run operations that only produce a small amount of wine or pisco. Industrial bodegas produce large quantity of product that is intended for national distribution or international exportation.
Taxis leave Huacachina at all hours of the day and night. If you plan on leaving the area in order to go to Lima, ask the driver to take you to the bus station for Soyuz (cheap but mediocre, ask for the "boleto economico" and they will often give you a discount just for asking) or Cruz del Sur (expensive but nice). If you are going to Arequipa, options are Cruz del Sur and Cial (the budget option).