5 Best Spots for Sandboarding in South America

The village of Huacachina, located about 4 hours from Lima, is built around a small lagoon and surrounded by towering sand dunes—and we seriously mean towering. Huacachina has some of the largest sand dunes in South America—up to 1,600 feet tall! The surprising natural beauty in the middle of the desert draws thousands of visitors a year.

Aside from the natural beauty, Huacachina is also a world-famous hub for adventure sports—from sandboarding (obviously!) to sand skiing, dune buggying and more. This desert oasis is one of the best places for world-class sandboarding and has plenty of dune buggy tours and sandboarding tours available.

You can go there as a day trip from Lima, or make it your home base for a few days and explore nearby Paracas, Nazca and the Ballestas Islands too! Remember, Peru is south of the Equator, so December – March are summer months in Huacachina—remember to plan accordingly!

• • Where to go: W67P+C65, Avenida Malecon de, Huacachina 11000, Peru

• • What to bring: sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat! Oh, and your camera, obvs.

• • Popular tour operators: PeruHop and Inca Trilogy Tours are two of the most popular tour operators. Both have day trips as well as multi-day trip options from Lima!

San Pedro de Atacama is one of the best destinations to go sandboarding—the nearby Atacama desert (aka “Valle de la Muerte,” Chile’s Death Valley) has stunning scenery and plenty of sand dunes for riding. From salt flats to hot springs, pink-tinged mountains to endless desert sand dunes, you’ll find beautiful views here for your adventures.

Here, you can join a sandboarding tour or go on your own, by renting a sandboard from a local shop. Although joining a tour comes with a bit of an extra cost, we really recommend joining one (unless you’re a professional already, in which case, have at it). By joining a group, you’ll have all your equipment and transportation sorted out for you, instructions on how to properly sandboard, and some fun travelers to surf with!

For a real midnight adventure, consider going moonlight sandboarding—the thrill of sand boarding under the starlight is simply incredible.

• • Where to go: San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile

• • What to bring: plenty of water! If you’re not joining a tour, be sure to bring a helmet and wax for your board.

• • Popular tour operators: Sandboard San Pedro is one of the most popular tour operators in the area, or you can plan a DIY trip.

La Paz, a coastal town in Baja California Sur, is known for its beaches, nearby island excursions, and its incredible snorkeling and sailing in the Sea of Cortez. However, it’s also an amazing destination in Latin America for sandboarding! At the nearby El Mogote Dunes, you can learn to sandboard on smaller sand dunes—perfect for beginners.

Pro tip: book the sunset tour! Not only will the weather be cooler, but the amazing sunset views will be on full display as you ride down the dunes. What could be better?

To get here, there’s a small international airport you can fly to from Mexico City or Tijuana. You can also fly into the San Jose del Cabos airport and drive from there (or hire a driver). Either way, it’s about 2-2.5 hours away from Cabo, so it makes a great day trip!

• • Where to go: El, Mogote, 23000 La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico

• • What to bring: lightweight clothing and sun protection

• • Popular tour operators: You can find tours with Baja Desconocida or OnBoard Baja.

If you’re a real adrenaline junkie, raise your hand and take out your bucket list, because we have a fun one for you: sandboarding on the highest sand dune in the world.

Cerro Blanco is located on the southern coast of Peru, near the Nazca Valley (also worth a visit!). At around 2,000 meters above sea level (that’s 6,800 feet!), this is not an adventure for the faint of heart! You’ll need to get an early start—the climb to the top of the sand dune takes about 3 hours, plus you’ll need to carry your board up with you.

Once you’re near the top, your hard work will be rewarded with stunning views of Nazca Valley. On clear days, you can even see the Andes and the Pacific Ocean in the distance! After you’ve had your fill of the views, you can do a few short practice runs on your board, and then surf your way down.

Cerro Blanco isn’t far from the famous Huacachina, so you may want to visit there first to practice, then top it off with a heart-racing descent down Cerro Blanco.

• • Where to go: 45H7+XXH, Nasca 11400, Peru

• • What to bring: plenty of water! Plus, don’t forget your sand protection.

• • Popular tour operators: Check out Peru Dream Travel, Peru Adventure Tours, or Expedition Travel Peru.

Want to try sandboarding in the place where it got its start? Then head to Florianopolis, Brazil!

While some people think that sandboarding may go allll the way back to the Ancient Egyptians, modern sandboarding most likely traces back to Florianopolis, where Brazilian surfers would occasionally surf the dunes on the beach in between waiting for good waves to surf. The Dunes of Joaquina are a popular spot for beginners, but many of the beaches around Florianopolis—and elsewhere along Brazil’s coastline—have dunes perfect for buggies and boards.

We recommend booking a combined sandboard and dune buggy tour—you’ll get two adventures for the price of one, and get a chance to experience the dunes in different ways. Plus, climbing up the dunes over and over again to surf down can get tiring—so a buggy ride is a great way to give your legs a break while still getting an adrenaline rush!

• • Where to go: Lagoa da Conceição, Florianópolis – State of Santa Catarina, Brazil

• • What to bring: snacks and sun protection—surfing on the dunes can get hot and toasty!

• • Popular tour operators: Lagoa Sandboard or Adrenailha Aventuras both offer sandboarding tours.