For many people, the town of Huacachina with its cool blue water and lush trees is a miracle in the middle of the Peruvian desert.
Nestled among towering sand dunes in the Atacama, the world’s driest desert is an oasis. When first desert travelers discovered this place, with its overflowing lagoon and lush vegetation, they couldn’t help but rejoice.
In the 1950s, this place gradually became less crowded and seemed to be abandoned for many decades afterward. (Photo: Culturetrip).
Although scientists have proven the lagoon to be naturally formed , Peruvians still pass on a myth.
Legend has it that once a beautiful Inca princess came to bathe in the oasis area. While taking a shower, she accidentally discovered that a hunter was sneaking up on her. Confused, the princess ran away from this place. The mirror she was carrying was broken, the pieces creating the lush desert oasis it is today. The cloak she forgot turned into giant sand dunes.
Peruvians believe that the princess has turned into a mermaid and is still living at the bottom of the lagoon. Sometimes on cool, windy moonlit nights, she will appear on the water and sing her beautiful, clear voice to everyone.
This place is one of the tourist attractions of Peru. (Photo: Culturetrip).
The town of Huacachina began to be built in the 1940s. At that time, the wealthy class in Peru chose this place to relax and cure diseases. In the 1990s, locals became interested in this oasis. They pour money here to invest in business, attract tourists, according to Culturetrip.
Today, Huacachina is a prosperous oasis, with a large number of visitors. Around the lagoon area are restaurants, hotels, convenience stores and travel agencies. Hundreds of residents in the town all live mainly on the tourism service industry.
This place is also associated with legends. (Photo: Culturetrip).
Coming to Huacachina, visitors will have the opportunity to play games in the desert such as sandboarding, off-road driving… However, tours like these are not for the faint of heart. One of the most popular adventure games here is climbing to the top of a sand dune, then standing on a skateboard called a sandboard and sliding down.
It is also because of the large number of tourists coming to Huacachina in recent years, so the water level in the lagoon is decreasing significantly. The reason is largely due to the fact that hotels and restaurants dug underground wells connected to the oasis to get water. Besides, it is due to the amount of water evaporation and less rain. However, this does not reduce the ambition of investors. They planned to draw water from the nearby town of Ica with a pump to supply the town with water.