7 Real Life Oases That Will Take Your Breath Away

Five hours south of Lima, Peru, sits the extremely tiny town of Huacachina, which surrounds a glimmering oasis. According to legend, the oasis was formed due to jealousy and lust.

You see, a beautiful Incan girl once lived in the area. She had long promised herself to a god, telling the god she would never fall in love with anyone else. But, one day, as she gazed in a mirror while brushing her long hair, she caught sight of a hunter behind her and fell instantly in love. Jealous, the god cast a spell on her and turned her into a mermaid, to live out her days in the oasis of Huacachina.

Beyond hunting for mythical mermaids, visitors can go on a number of adventures in the area including sandboarding down the dunes surrounding the lake, wine tours of local vineyards and fly high above the famous Nazca Lines on their own chartered flights.

While there, stay at Desert Nights Ecocamp, a luxury glamping space ready to host any and all visitors in its 13 all-white canvas tents that come complete with plush bedding, a nearby pool oasis of its own and a restaurant ready to cater to your hungry traveler whims.

“All around us we saw tier on tier of lofty sand-hills, giving the lie to our quest, yet when, with a final desperate effort, we hoisted ourselves over the last ridge and looked down on what lay beyond, we saw the lake below, and its beauty was entrancing." These are the words authors Mildred Cable and Francesca French used in their book, The Gobi Desert - The Adventures of Three Women Travelling Across the Gobi Desert in the 1920s, about their first glimpse of Crescent Lake in the Gobi Desert. Indeed, the tiny oasis, located near the city of Dunhuang in northwest China, is truly a sight to behold.

As the Travel China Guide explained, it’s best to visit the lake in the early morning or late afternoon when the temperatures are a bit cooler. Guests can arrive via bus, or take a camel ride through the dunes. While in the region, book a stay at the The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel. There, guests can dine on traditional cuisine on the hotel’s rooftop terrace as they plan their trip to the lake, or the nearby Shazhou Night Market and famed Mogao Caves.

Deep inside the highlands of Iceland, next to Herdubreid mountain, sits an oasis known as Herðubreiðarlindir. As Guide to Iceland explained, the magical oasis is home to 72 different plant species including the bright pink flowers known as Epilobium latifolium, along with a variety of birdlife including pink footed geese, harlequin ducks, Arctic terns, swans and red-necked phalaropes, which each help brighten up an otherwise barren landscape.

In the area guests can take a guided tour, which will bring them to the oasis, along with stopping in at “the stretches of lava and black sands where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin prepared for the 1960s moon landing,” according to Guide to Iceland. After your visit you’ll even get to walk right up to the edge of a nearby volcano, making it both a beautiful, and thrilling journey.

While visiting, guests could choose to stay at the Brærðarfell hut (yes a hut) to get extremely up close and personal with nature as you’d have to hike in and out to get there. The extremely bare-bones hut can sleep up to 16 guests and “has a oil-operated stove for cooking and for the heating of the hut. During summer time drinking water is collected from the roof into reservoirs on the sidewalls of the hut,” according to the touring club Ferðafélag Akureyrar. However, be forewarned you can only camp during July and August and reservations must be made in advance. Even then, the touring company explained, it’s best that guests bring their own drinking water and supplies. But, if you’re game for roughing it, odds are this experience would be the story of a lifetime.

Hidden inside the western corner of Oman, in a region known as the Empty Quarter, rests an oasis like no other. Known as the Wadi Bani Khalid, the oasis is a welcome sight for weary desert travelers. As visitors come around the bend they are greeted by a blue lake surrounded by date palms and lush greenery.

As Never Ending Voyage explained of their own journey, visitors can simply drive up to the oasis, dangle their feet over the edge and touch the crystal blue waters. Or, they can jump right in for a swim, but be warned: the fish will follow you.

Next, visitors can check out the upper caves, which attract fewer tourists but are just as stunning.

After taking a dip, visitors can then dine right at the oasis at its own restaurant, where they can munch on the lunch buffet. Visitors are also welcome to bring their own bagged lunch. Then, lay your head down at night at the Desert Retreat Camp, a luxury glamping site located about one hour from the oasis. There, guests will sleep in plush beds, eat fresh local cuisine and watch the sun rise and set over the stunning desert dunes.

Agua Caliente, located in Pima County, Arizona, is a natural spring that ebbs and flows with the whims of nature. If there’s a drought, you may not be lucky enough to see it, however, when there’s enough snowback and rain the oasis will not only make an appearance but help to swell the surrounding lake.

Visitors can just drive up to the oasis, which sits inside a 101-acre park, exit their cars and spend the entire day hiking around the lake, where they’ll get both stunning views of the water and of the wildlife calling the area home.

But, if hiking doesn’t sound appealing, guests can also explore the park’s Ranch House Art Gallery Exhibit, where local artists display their work.

After visiting the park, stay at the nearby Hacienda Del Sol, a luxury resort offering well-appointed suites and guest rooms, two restaurants, a full service spa, horseback riding and guided hiking adventures.

In northeastern Brazil sits the Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses. There, visitors will once again come upon high sand dunes stretching as far as the eye can see. And usually, this is all they will see, save for a few months a year, when the area experiences monsoon rains, which sculpt hundreds of gorgeous blue lagoons throughout the park, some as big as 10 feet deep.

And, because these lagoons also link into nearby rivers they even harbor a few species of aquatic life during the rainy season, according to Smithsonian Magazine. However, once the lagoons dry up after the rains they are gone until the next year.

The best time to visit is during the summer months from July to September, when the lagoons hit their peak. To get there, book a tour with a guide, as it’s not only easy to get lost in the park, but the guides will also take you to other nearby natural attractions as well. Next, book a stay at the Gran Lencois Flat Residence, where you can sit by the pool, dine in its restaurant or get a spa treatment after exploring all day.

Inside the tiny town of Morigerati, Italy, which is home to fewer than 1,000 residents, sits one of the world’s great natural treasures—Grotte del Bussento Oasis.

The oasis forms thanks to the Bussento River, which falls into a large sinkhole and later emerges into the town of Morigerati, according to the town’s site. The resulting slice of paradise, which is tucked inside Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park, is home to a vast array of wildlife including Trouts, freshwater crayfishes and freshwater crabs, occasional otters and sometimes even a wolf or two, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

To get to the area, you must book a guided tour through the WWF, though visits are possible year-round. The visitor’s center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily to provide more information.

After your journey to the oasis, stay a night or two at the Casale Cellito B&B, a local, and incredibly charming bed and breakfast located just minutes from the town. There, guests can sip wine on the lawn, sunbathe on the deck chairs or simply sit and take it all in.