When Peru is mentioned, for many people, only Machu Picchu comes to mind, or maybe not even that. However, Peru actually promises much more than that. In the northeast of the country, there are the Amazon rainforests, fishing villages in the west, the Colca Canyon which is the world's deepest canyon in the south, the magnificent historical texture of Arequipa, and the Nazca lines whose origin is still uncertain, are just some of them... Huacachina (pronounced Huakaçina) that you see in this photo was a complete surprise to me. Before going on the tour, I didn't have time to research where to visit, where to stay, transportation, etc. in the country. I completely entrusted myself to <a href="http://www.peruhop.com" target="_blank">PeruHop</a>. I'm glad I did. They have created a very nice tour system where they take you to the must-see places in the country by bus, allowing you to get off at any stop, stay as long as you want, and then continue your tour with the next buses. Huacachina was one of these stops. It is a small lake in the middle of the desert (yes, I checked, the lake is real not a mirage) and a special area consisting of 15-20 small hotels around the lake. The most important activities are the crazy tours with desert cars called Buggies, which have extremely powerful engines and can carry 8 people. You can see these cars in groups in the top right of the photo. Not afraid of cars and speed, I found myself screaming many times. But what's even better is that these cars drop you off at some hills and you do sandboarding in the desert with snowboards you take from the car's trunk. It was an activity where fun and adrenaline peaked. To take this photo you see, I had to leave my hotel below and climb up and down in the desert for about an hour. It was a moment that truly filled the meaning of being drenched in sweat.