Dune Buggy and Sandboarding
I was a little nervous about the Dune Buggy and Sandboarding Tour in Huacachina. It was well outside my comfort zone. But isn’t that one of the reasons we travel? Steve was all for it. I booked the tour while we were on the bus.
We put on some sunblock and bought gaiter-style bandannas from a street vendor in front of our hotel. Our Peru Hop hosts Deborah and Paul walked with our group past the lagoon to a sand dune. We learned to climb the dune by stepping in the footprints of the people in front of us. Soon we were surrounded by dunes!
We were shown to our dune buggy, and I embraced my fear and sat in the front row, next to the driver. Deborah made sure we buckled our seat belts - “Just like baby carseat straps!” laughed our friend from Canada - which were purposely loose. I pulled my new bandanna up over my cap as well as over my nose and mouth. In the middle of the front seat, there was nothing solid for me to hold onto, so I mentally shrugged and hoped for the best.
And then we were off on a rollicking ride! Sometimes we’d race straight up a dune at top speed - then just before reaching the top, we’d pull a u-turn. Other times we’d continue over the crest of a dune and plummet down the other side. We crossed dunes at crazy tilted angles, and did a lot of drifting. It often felt as if we’d roll right over! Our driver did everything he could to make us scream even more. WOO-HOO! It was FUN!
We joined other dune buggies at the top of a very high, wide dune. The view was incredible - sand dunes as far as the eye could see. We took turns getting our photos taken with the dune buggy, and then Deborah had us yell “Huacachina!” for the group photo.
It was time for some sandboarding! We learned how to hold the straps, keep our elbows on the board, and steer and brake with our toes. The driver waxed our boards for us and then pushed us down the hill. We did a short practice run and then two longer runs. I skipped the last run so I could take a video of Steve. A brisk wind kept blowing sand in my face, and I was glad for my bandanna. The sandboarding was fun, but I liked the dune buggy better.
We reboarded the dune buggy for another crazy ride, this time to a spot for watching the sunset. The skies had been gray, but now they turned a brilliant orange. Deborah spread a blanket on the sand and had us all sit together. She had brought some red wine, and taught us a Quechua toast. It was a lovely sunset.
Our dune buggy driver surprised us with a wild ride back to Huacachina, IN THE DARK. It was both scary and exhilarating! I’m so glad we had this unforgettable adventure!
