I thought that finding an oasis in the middle of a desert was something really impossible, just an illusion or maybe a paradoxical phrase we would use in order to express the idea of how great it is achieving something truly difficult. Fortunately, I learned today that this miraculous place is not a dream, in Ica, Peru, 300 km south of Lima there is Huacachina, a true paradise town in the midst of one of the driest climates in the world.
The small town has hotels, shops, trees, and even an oasis library, surrounding a quiet lagoon
This “Oasis of America” is home to 96 residents, who live around the lagoon
They make their living basically from tourism by hosting guests coming from all around the world, and also renting sand-boards or dune buggies
In the 1940s, wealthy Peruvians would travel to the lagoon to bathe in its waters as it was said it had healing powers
The “Oasis of America” is located just 4 kilometers from the city of Ica, a former Spanish colonial town situated on the borders of the desert
Residents run small businesses taking advantage of their greatest resource: sand
One of the greatest attractions of the oasis is to climb to the top of a wind-sculpted sand dune and watch the sunset illuminating the magnificent landscape
You don’t have to worry about carrying your umbrella. Except during winter time, between May and August, which is also the “High season”, the temperature is normally hot, dry, and sunny with very little rain
The town is also beautiful at night
This unique place was declared by the National Institute of Culture as a national cultural heritage site
(Image credits, h/t: dailymail.co.uk)
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