Guide · Packing

What to wear sandboarding in Peru's desert

Sand gets into everything, the sun is fierce and the evenings turn cool. The right clothes make a dune session more comfortable, and a few items can save the day.

Check availabilityfrom $23 · free cancellation

Editorial team, perusandboarding.comUpdated October 26, 2026about 6 min to read10 sources

The matching tour Dune buggy and sandboarding at sunset, Huacachina 4.9 (543 reviews) 2 to 3 hoursSandboards and a bandana includedPickup in Huacachina or Ica from$23per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

What to wear, in brief

01Clothes: Light, comfortable layers; the listings ask for comfortable clothing.
02Feet: Sports shoes, or the snow boots that gear outings supply.
03Eyes and skin: Sunglasses, a sun hat and sunscreen.
04Evening: A windbreaker: PromPeru puts it on its essentials list.¹
05Leave behind: Large bags and oversize luggage.

Dress for sand, sun and speed

Knowing what to wear sandboarding is mostly about sand, sun and the cold that follows sunset. Sand works its way into pockets, shoes and every seam. The sun on the coast is strong for most of the day. And once the light goes, the desert loses its heat quickly.

PromPeru's short list of essentials for a visit to Huacachina sums it up: sun cream, clothes for walking, gear for hot weather, a windproof jacket, a camera and some cash.¹ Add what the tour listings ask you to bring and you have a simple kit that works for every dune in the country.

Dress for falling, too. Even on a sled board you will roll in the sand at some point, and on a snowboard you will fall often while you learn. Choose clothes you do not mind getting full of grit, and nothing you would be sad to wash again and again. Old sports kit is ideal; whatever you wear will come back a shade sandier than it left.

From hotel to sunset

When each layer comes into play

At the hotel

Sunscreen on

Before the pickup; the sledding tour asks you to bring it.
On the buggy

Bandana up

The sledding tour supplies a sand bandana.
On the runs

Sunglasses or goggles

Included as goggles on the snow-gear outing.
After sunset

Windbreaker on

On PromPeru's list of essentials.¹
Back at the hotel

Shake out the sand

Empty shoes and pockets before you go inside.

Clothes that work on the dunes

The listings keep it simple. The most reviewed tour at Huacachina asks guests to wear comfortable clothing and to bring clothing suited to the weather. The 4-hour snow-gear outing lists comfortable clothes among its things to bring, and a Lima sandboarding tour asks for clothes and shoes suitable for sandboarding.

In practice, light trousers or leggings beat shorts. They protect your knees and shins when you fall, keep the sun off your legs and stop the sand from scouring your skin on a slide. A close-fitting top with long, light sleeves does the same for your arms, and it dries fast if you sweat on the climb.

Avoid anything loose or flapping. Wide sleeves and long scarves catch the wind at speed and can snag on the buggy. Skip jewelry, and tie long hair back. Dark colors get hot in the sun; light, breathable fabric is far more comfortable in the afternoon heat. Swimwear under your clothes is a bad idea on the dunes: sand gets inside and stays there for the rest of the evening.

Cold after dark

Mean night-time low near Ica

°C

Mean nightly lows logged by SENAMHI at San Camilo in the Ica valley, 1991 to 2020: pack a warmer layer from May to October.²

Kit list

What to wear and bring, item by item

Item	Why	Named by
Comfortable clothes	Falls and climbs	Huacachina tours
Sports shoes	Hot sand, the walk	Sledding tour
Sunglasses or goggles	Blowing sand	Both Huacachina tours
Sun hat & sunscreen	Strong sun	Sledding tour
Windbreaker	Cool coast & evenings	PromPeru
Daypack & water	Nothing on the dunes	Snow-gear outing
Cash	Fees and tips	PromPeru

Each item as the listing or PromPeru names it; the reasons are ours.¹ ³

Gear supplied

What each trip hands you

Dune Buggy Sightseeing Tour in the Huacachina Desert, Sunset, and Sandboarding-Sledding

Bring sports shoes

Buggy & sledding

Board and a sand bandana

Supplied: Board, bandana
Bring: Hat, sunscreen
Price: from $23

See the trip

Huacachina: Real Sandboard|Sandski, dune buggy, après-ski, bonfire at sunset

Bring thick socks

Snow gear & bonfire

Boots, helmet, goggles

Supplied: Boots, bindings
Bring: Daypack, water
Price: from $48

See the trip

Sandboarding Experience Lima Includes Boots, Bindings & Helment

Near Lima

Punta Hermosa dune day

Snowboard, boots, helmet

Supplied: Gear, snacks, water
Bring: Sunscreen
Price: from $199

See the trip

Decision helper

What should you pack for your trip?

Start from the board you ride and the hour you go

I am going sledding at sunset I am riding on snow gear I am riding near Lima I am climbing Cerro Blanco I am going in July

Sports shoes and a layer

The tour asks for sports shoes and weather clothing.

Thick socks and sunglasses

Boots, bindings and goggles come with the outing.

Sunscreen and clothes for sand

The helmet and the snow gear are supplied for the day.

Hiking shoes and water

Water and snacks are not included on the half day.

A fleece for the evening

Night lows near Ica average 10.3 C in July.⁴

Bring a windbreaker, as the temperature is lower near the sea, especially during the morning hours.

PromPeru (peru.travel)Source 3

Shoes, boots and bindings

What goes on your feet depends on the board. The sledding tour asks you to bring comfortable shoes and sports shoes; its boards are ridden lying on your belly or sitting. Closed shoes keep the hot sand out and protect your feet on the walk to the buggy, which takes 10 minutes on that tour.

Stand-up riding needs boots. The snow-gear outing near Huacachina supplies full ski or snowboard equipment, boots and bindings included. So does the top-rated dune day near Lima, which hands out snowboards, boots, bindings and a helmet. Bring thick socks: rental boots fit better and rub less with them.

A Lima half-day tour takes another approach. Its boards have velcro bindings that work with athletic shoes, so your own trainers become the riding boot. If that is your trip, wear sturdy sports shoes that lace tightly, not soft canvas pumps that twist in the strap.

Checklist

Your sandboarding packing list

Wear

Light trousers or leggings
A close-fitting top with long, light sleeves
Sports shoes that lace tightly
A sun hat with a strap

Bring

Sunglasses or goggles and sunscreen
A reusable water bottle
A windbreaker or fleece for the evening
Cash in small notes

Cost calculator

Price the trip you are packing for

Enter your group size to compare three outings.

Buggy & sledding2 to 3 hoursfrom $23 Snow gear & bonfire4 hoursfrom $48 Punta Hermosa dune day6.5 hoursfrom $199

People 2

Total from$46

per head from $23

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals are each outing's from-price times the number of people you enter, turned into your currency with that day's ECB rate; checkout shows what you actually pay.

Video

Sandboarding in Peru

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Protecting your eyes, face and skin

Sunglasses are on the bring list of both main Huacachina tours. On a fast run, goggles are better still: the snow-gear outing includes goggles with its helmet and bandana. Sand thrown up by a board or a buggy wheel stings, and in the eyes it ends the evening.

Cover your face too. The sledding tour gives each guest a sand bandana, which you pull over your nose and mouth on the buggy and the steep runs. A buff or a light scarf does the same job if your tour does not supply one. Keep it handy rather than packed away; the wind can lift the sand at any moment, not only on the steep runs.

For skin, the sledding tour asks for a sun hat and biodegradable sunscreen. Apply it before you leave the hotel and again on the dunes. The air is dry: at San Camilo near Ica the year brings just 10.6 mm of precipitation, and the sun meets few clouds.⁵ A reusable water bottle is on the same list. Lip balm is worth adding.

Layers for the evening and the coast

Sunset outings end in the cool. At San Camilo the mean daily minimum is 17.8 C in January but only 10.3 C in July.⁴ In winter a fleece or a warm sweater for the ride back makes a real difference; in summer a light long-sleeve layer is enough.

The coast adds wind. PromPeru tells Paracas visitors to pack a windbreaker, as the sea air is colder, especially early in the day, and gives temperatures there of 18 to 23 C.³ ⁶ A thin windproof jacket packs small and helps everywhere, from the boat to the dune crest.

On Cerro Blanco the climb warms you and the summit can cool you fast. The top sits at 2078 m, far higher than the lagoon at Huacachina at 406 m.⁷ ⁸ Carry a layer for the summit and take it off before the run down, so you do not overheat on the way back.

What to carry and what to leave behind

A small daypack is enough; the snow-gear outing lists it among the things to bring, with drinks, water and sunscreen. Keep the bag light and closed. The sledding tour does not allow oversize luggage or large bags, so leave suitcases at the hotel or the bus company.

Bring cash in small notes. PromPeru lists cash among its essentials, and the entrance to Huacachina costs PEN 8.10 for foreign visitors.¹ ⁹ On the Cerro Blanco half day, water and snacks are not included, so pack both for the climb.

Leave valuables behind. Carry your phone zipped into a pocket or a little strap bag, and several tours take photos and videos for you; the sledding tour includes them. Cameras with interchangeable lenses hate sand: change lenses only inside the buggy, or not at all. A simple zip bag around your phone keeps grains out of the ports and still lets you take pictures through the plastic.

What to wear for each kind of trip

For a sledding tour at Huacachina, wear comfortable clothes, sports shoes and a sun hat, and bring sunglasses, sunscreen and a water bottle. The bandana and the board are supplied. Add a light layer for the sunset and the ride back.

For a snow-gear outing, wear clothes you can move in and bring thick socks for the rental boots; the helmet, goggles and bandana come with the tour. For a dune day near Lima, the gear and a helmet are supplied, and even on a grey day sunscreen still matters.

For Cerro Blanco, dress like a hiker: sturdy shoes, long trousers, a hat with a strap and a warm layer for the top. The trip asks for a moderate level of fitness, and the climb on foot takes about 1 hour 45 minutes.¹⁰ Whatever the trip, pack water first, then sun protection, then the layer for the evening; everything else is optional.

Your sunset