Huacachina is a lagoon in the dunes outside Ica, with palm trees, a handful of hostels, and dunes several hundred metres high on every side. There is exactly one thing to do and everybody does it: a dune buggy over the crests at speed, stopping to sandboard down the faces.
The circuit is much the same whoever you book, so choose on the timing — the late-afternoon run into sunset is the one worth having — and on whether you want boarding lessons or simply to slide down head-first on a waxed plank.
Most operators also sell the Ica pisco bodega tour, which is the other reason to be here.