Ica, Huacachina Oasis

On the route through the Peruvian desert

Situated on the Ica River, the city of Ica lies about 300 km south of Lima, along the desert coast of southern Peru, on the Pan-American Highway. Ica is the capital of the region that shares its name: the area was inhabited by various indigenous cultures long before the Spanish conqueror Gerónimo Luis de Cabrera proclaimed its founding in 1563.

The Paracas and Nazca cultures

Two of the most important cultures to develop in this region are the Paracas and Nazca cultures. The Paracas excelled in medical research, practicing skull trepanation with obsidian (a volcanic rock) knives to treat brain-related ailments, and also achieved a high level of skill in the art of weaving. The Nazca culture, meanwhile, is known for its advanced knowledge of hydraulic engineering and the construction of underground aqueducts and canals, reinforced with internal stone walls and wooden roofs.

Wine, pisco and the Nazca Lines

The famous Nazca Lines are located in the Ica region. Ica is also Peru's most important wine-growing region, as well as the center of pisco (grape brandy) production, used in Peru's famous national drink, the Pisco Sour.

Vintage Festival (March)

The Vintage Festival celebrates the grape harvest and wine of the Ica region. During the festival, horse shows and music festivals with Afro-Peruvian rhythms follow one another, while the central event is the crowning of the Queen of the Harvest Festival: the elected queen, along with her court, is the first to press the grapes, extracting the juice that will later be turned into wine.

Huacachina

Located 5 km west of Ica, this relaxing oasis is made up of elegant palm trees, exotic flowers and buildings that reflect the opulence of Peru's elite. Huacachina is one of the few oases in South America, surrounded by immense sand dunes that stretch toward the Pacific Ocean: it's famous in Peru as the ideal place for thrills like sandboarding and dune-buggy rides, or for renting a 4×4 to explore the dunes on your own.

Regional Museum of Ica

The most notable part of the museum's collection is the enigmatic textile exhibit from the Paracas culture, featuring a wide range of colors and patterns. The first room houses a striking display of mummies, trepanned skulls, tomb artifacts and battle trophy heads representative of Paracas civilization, while the main room is almost entirely dedicated to pre-Columbian ceramics and textiles, perhaps the finest collection outside Lima. Typical Paracas urns, exquisite Nazca ceramics and beautiful Ica-Chincha artifacts are on display in the museum, including a feathered headdress with multicolored plumes still in near-perfect condition. The museum also holds a faithful, scaled-down reproduction of the Nazca Lines.