Huacachina and Paracas are two locations that are typical getaways from Lima. They are 3-4 hours away from the capital city and are great places to spend 2-4+ days. Huacachina provides visitors with many opportunities to adventure in the desert with different activities that range from relaxing, to culturally informative, to extreme and unique sports. Paracas is an oceanside town that is great for nature exploration and beach-side relaxation. There are a few options for transportation to Huacachina and Paracas from Lima.
The options depend on your timeline, budget, and desire for independence. The following possibilities range from the least independence (and as a result, the least amount of planning for you to do) to the most independence (and as a result, require the most planning and flexibility on your part).
Using a Tour Group to Visit the Nazca Lines, Huacachina and Paracas
Your first option for transportation to Huacachina and Paracas is through a tour group that takes you to both destinations in one or two days, depending on how much time you have.
One Day Tour
With this type of tour, you will get to do the following in one day:
- visit the Ballestas Islands from Paracas
- participate in a Pisco tasting in Ica
- ride a dune buggy ride in Huacachina
You can talk to travel agencies in Lima or search online for 1-Day Paracas and Huacachina Tours.
Two Day Tour
With this type of tour, you will get to do the following in two days:
- visit the Ballestas Islands from Paracas
- explore the Paracas National Reserve in a group tour or Nazca Lines depending on the tour you reserve
- participate in a Pisco tasting in Ica
- ride a dune buggy ride in Huacachina
You can talk to travel agencies in Lima or search online for 2-Day Paracas, Nazca, and Huacachina Tours. Pay attention to if accommodations are or are not included in the tour so you can prepare to reserve that yourself if needed.
The advantage of these tours is that all the planning and transportation are provided for you. It allows you to relax and enjoy the destination and experience completely. However, it removes any flexibility that you may want to see the region deeper.
Using Peru Hop for Transportation to Huacachina and Paracas
Peru Hop is a travel company that is intended for local tourism in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. The routes and times that they provide are designed for tourists to take advantage of different parts of each country in a comfortable way. The company has designated routes that take people to the highlight destinations of the country. You can take the bus as transportation between two cities (such as between Puno and Arequipa) or as a tool to explore different towns within Peru through multi-day trips that could be round-trips or one-way experiences. For example, you can go from Lima to Arequipa and visit Paracas and Huacachina on the way or you visit Paracas and Huacachina and return to Lima.
The advantage of using Peru Hop is that at every stop, you can choose the amount of time that you stay at that stop before continuing on the itinerary. It’s a hop-on/hop-off service. With their route from Lima to Huacachina and Paracas, you can extend your time in either of these towns to accommodate additional tours or interests that you want to explore.
You can explore the Peru Hop experience with predetermined tours and itineraries from Lima to explore Huacachina and Paracas here. They range from one-day trips to 4-day opportunities to explore the towns.
You can add additional experiences directly within the Peru Hop platform or independently, keeping in mind the departure times of the buses. Peru Hop does not include accommodations in each of the towns that you stop in but they do provide suggestions that you can reserve directly through them.
The advantage of using Peru Hop is that it is a reliable resource through a plug-and-play model that can help you semi-customize a trip to Huacachina and Paracas. However, they are not the most cost-effective option. They are a great way to get inspiration for what you can do in Huacachina and Paracas.
Using a Bus Service for Transportation to Huacachina and Paracas
If you are looking for independence and a cost-effective option, you can reserve your buses between each of these towns through an independent bus service, such as Cruz del Sur. Cruz del Sur is the most reliable and reputable bus company leaving from Lima. Bus tickets can be purchased at the Cruz del Sur bus station in each town or through a third-party website such as Busbud. (We were unable to reserve our bus tickets on the Cruz del Sur website.)
Cruz del Sur has several departure times between each town, allowing you to design your transportation based on your personal schedule. To add to this flexibility, we found there to be sufficient availability that we could purchase a ticket directly at the bus station on the day of our trip. The following is our bus time suggestion based on the Huacachina and Paracas itinerary developed here:
- Day 1: Bus that leaves from Lima before 8:30 AM to get to Ica before 1:00 PM. This will give you sufficient time to reserve a Nazca tour, take a taxi to Huacachina, check into your hotel, and go on the buggy and sandboarding tour
- Day 2: Remain in Huacachina, no transportation required. You will use a tour group to get to the Nazca Lines
- Day 3: Bus that leaves from Ica around 1 PM, giving you sufficient time to tour a Pisco distillery in Ica in the morning and arrive in Paracas around 2 PM. If you are not visiting a bodega, you can leave earlier to take advantage of the seaside town of Paracas.
- Day 4: Bus that leaves from Paracas to Lima whenever you are done with all your tours. The last bus leaves Paracas around 6 PM.
