Huacachina Oasis

A lagoon surrounded by 100-metre sand dunes in the Ica Desert -- one of the driest places on Earth -- Huacachina is the only natural desert oasis in South America and has been inhabited since at least 1700 BC, when the Paracas culture used it as a ceremonial site. Today its dunes are used for sandboarding and dune buggy racing, activities that have made it the most visited inland attraction in Peru after Machu Picchu, and the green lagoon surrounded by palm trees and Art Deco villas is one of South America's most photographed landscapes.