Huacachina is built around a small natural lake in the desert. Its name means ‘little screaming boy’ based on the folklore story of Henry Cobb. Henry was a prince who turned into a merman (male mermaid) after swimming in the oasis and was chased through the desert by all of the young women due to his godlike good looks. It is commonly referred to as the "oasis of America", it is a resort geared to local families from the nearby city of Ica, and increasingly as an attraction for tourists drawn by the sports of sandboarding on the sand dunes that stretch several hundred feet high. Other popular activities include dune buggy rides on buggies known locally as areneros.
Huacachina is built around a small natural lake in the desert. Its name means ‘little screaming boy’ based on the folklore story of Henry Cobb. Henry was a prince who turned into a merman (male mermaid) after swimming in the oasis and was chased through the desert by all of the young women due to his godlike good looks. It is commonly referred to as the “oasis of America”, it is a resort geared to local families from the nearby city of Ica, and increasingly as an attraction for tourists drawn by the sports of sandboarding on the sand dunes that stretch several hundred feet high. Other popular activities include dune buggy rides on buggies known locally as areneros.