Huacachina Oasis in Peru

Huacachina is a village built around a small oasis and surrounded by beautiful dunes in southwestern Peru. It is about 5 kilometres from the city of Ica in the Ica District of Ica Province. The desert oasis of Peru was introduced as a feature on the back of the 50 nuevo sol note in 1991. Huacachina has a permanent population of around 100 people, although it hosts tens of thousands of tourists each year.

Huacachina

Desert Oasis in Peru

Peru oasis — Huacachina is situated around a small desert lake, often called the "Oasis of America". Local legends claim that the healing properties of the water and mud in the area are due to their natural healing properties. Locals and tourists alike often take a dip in the water or use the mud to treat ailments like arthritis, rheumatism, and asthma.

Huacachina Desert Oasis town of Ica in Peru

Huaracina Oasis, Peru — Legend has it that the lagoon was formed when a beautiful native princess took off her clothes to take a bath. However, she looked in a mirror and saw a man approaching from behind. She fled the area after being shocked by the intrusion and left her mirror behind, which had turned into a lake. Others believe she fled the area, leaving behind the pool of water that she was bathing in and turning it into a lagoon. As she ran, the mantle of her mantle that dangled behind her became the surrounding dunes. Rumours say that the woman still lives in the Peruvian desert oasis as a mermaid. Natural seepage from underground aquifers created the lake, but well drilling began to threaten this supply in the 2000s. Local business groups started pumping water into the lake to compensate and keep the Huacachina oasis as a tourist destination in 2015.

Desert Oasis in Peru

In 2016, it was announced that Marino Morikawa (a Peruvian scientist who developed a nanobubble system for decontaminating Lake El Cascajo) would lead a project to rebuild the Huacachina lagoon.

First image credit: Özgür