Travel Peru - Sandboarding in Ica and Nazca

Sandboarding is a sport that has not yet become as popular as its big brother, snowboarding. However, you wouldn't know that here on the coast of Peru, where sandboarding - sliding down giant sand dunes with your feet strapped to a board - is one of the greatest thrills in the desert.

The Peruvian coastal desert is the perfect location for aficionados of the sport, which is sometimes known by the alternative name of sandsurfing. The desert in Ica has some of the largest sand dunes in the country, and was the stage for the first South American sandboard tournament back in 2000. About 5km outside of Ica you'll find the Laguna de Huacachina oasis, where several sandboarding tour operators are available. They provide equipment and a dune buggy ride up the slopes of the nearby dunes. After a day of sandboarding, you can rest your aching muscles in the sulfur springs of the oasis, claimed to have medicinal effects.

But for a true sandboarding thrill, nothing beats going a little further south to Nazca, and surfing down the sides of Cerro Blanco. This giant dune, at 2078 meters, is considered by many to be the largest permanent sand dune in the world and is the home of some first rate sandboarding. Most tour operators in the area provide transportation to the dune, but there is about 3 hours of climbing involved to get to the summit. There are two options: making an early morning trek to the top, or making the hike the day before, and camping at the top to ride down the next day. The top of Cerro Blanco does have some smaller dunes where practice runs can be made to get the hang of using the sandboard. The ride down the side of the dune is about 800 meters, (about ½ mile) one of the longest sandboarding rides available in the world. After surfing the dunes of Cerro Blanco, spend some time getting to know Nazca. A morning can be spent taking a plane ride over the desert to see the world famous mysterious Nazca lines, still leaving time for an afternoon trip to the Chauchilla Cemetary and Museum where mummies and other artifacts of the Nazca culture are on display.

So what are you waiting for? If you're coming to Peru and looking for an activity that's a little off the beaten path, definitely give sandboarding a shot. Don't forget to bring water, sunglasses and sunscreen - the heat at midday can be fierce. And don't worry about being rained out, the desert climate means that sandboarding is available here every day of the year. The adventure is guaranteed.