Zorbing or UTV with kids in Huacachina?

If you're in Huacachina with kids and torn between zorbing or a UTV tour, the answer depends more on your child's personality than on their age. The UTV suits children who like car rides, looking out of the window and stopping to explore: they ride as passengers with a helmet and harness, and the adult driving sets the speed. Zorbing suits children who love rolling, spinning and laughing out of control, and who are fine being inside something enclosed. In both, age and size matter, with no fixed number: tell us each child's age and height and we'll tell you what's possible. And you can do both on the same day.

We've spent more than 12 years on the Ica dunes with families. The parents who get it right have usually asked themselves one question first: does my child like to be in control of what happens, or do they like things to happen to them?

Zorbing or UTV with kids: how to choose by personality

Think of a theme park. Some kids head straight for the bumper cars; others never leave the bouncy castle. That clue works here too.

The UTV kid is the one in the passenger seat asking about everything. "Is that dune taller?", "why is the sand that colour?", "can we stop here?". They like car trips and don't get carsick. They want to climb out at the top of a dune, sink their feet in and look down at the oasis. And if they get anxious when they don't know what's coming, in the UTV they see every slope before you go over it, with mum or dad right beside them. They do need to sit strapped in without fighting the harness, though.

The zorbing kid is a different animal. They're the one who reaches the top of a dune and throws themselves rolling down it before anyone can say a word.

Zorbing is the better fit if your child:

• Rolls down every grassy slope they find.
• Giggles at that stomach-drop feeling on a swing.
• Doesn't need to see what's happening to feel calm.
• Gets bored with anything slow. The ball is intense: in, roll, out laughing.

And then there's the kid who wants to do whatever their big brother or sister does. With that one, personality matters less than size, and safety decides, not enthusiasm.

Something the brochures leave out: zorbing is more disorienting than the UTV. Inside the ball, up and down stop meaning anything on the way down. Lots of kids love that. Others, especially those who get carsick, not so much. The CDC notes that susceptibility to motion sickness is higher in school-age children. That's general information: if your child gets very motion sick, talk to their paediatrician before the trip and tell us when you book. If your child throws up on winding mountain roads, keep it in mind for both activities, and read how to do the tour without feeling sick.

What each activity requires: age, size and safety rules

In the UTV

Children always ride as passengers, never at the wheel. Each one in their own bucket seat, with a 4-point harness, helmet and side nets, inside a factory ROPS roll cage. An adult drives behind the guide, after a briefing and a practice run on flat ground.

The condition that matters most: the helmet and harness have to fit properly. If the straps don't sit on the shoulders or the helmet wobbles, they don't ride that day. The full detail is in our guide to a UTV tour with kids.

In the zorb

The ball has two layers with air between them, and our team releases it down a dune picked for the purpose. There's nothing to learn and nothing to drive. But some rules aren't negotiable:

• You go in barefoot. No trainers or sandals inside.
• Nothing hard or pointed: earrings, rings, bracelets, keys, phones, watches, glasses.
• Minimum age and size. We don't publish a number because we look at each case. That's why we ask for height.
• If the child has any back, neck or joint problem, better not.

Our team takes the photos and videos from outside. You get to watch without a phone in your hand, which with small kids is a relief. Everything about the activity is in what zorbing in Huacachina is, and who can and can't do it is in zorbing: who can take part.

What if my child is scared?

Depends what scares them. They're not the same thing.

If speed scares them, the UTV often works better than you'd think, because you control the speed and can go slowly. The guide drives ahead, there are radios between vehicles, and you can stop whenever your child asks. In the zorb there's no speed to control: gravity takes the ball down.

If enclosed spaces scare them, zorbing probably isn't for them. Inside the ball you're shut in, however much air there is between the layers. The UTV is open-air, with the landscape all around.

If the unknown scares them, let them watch first. With zorbing, have them see someone else in the group go down before deciding. With the UTV, let them watch the flat-ground practice. Plenty of kids say no and then, after seeing a sibling tumble out of the ball in fits of laughter, change their minds. Others don't. Both are fine.

We never push a child into the ball or into the vehicle in tears. A bad memory on the sand outlasts the whole holiday. If the grown-ups are nervous too, have a look at scared of a UTV tour?.

Can you do zorbing and a UTV tour with kids on the same day?

Yes, and with children it often works really well, because the two balance each other: the UTV is exploring, the zorb is letting go. If you're looking for things to do in Huacachina with kids beyond the lagoon, this pairing makes a good family plan for the afternoon.

What works best: UTV first, zorbing after. Our meeting time for zorbing is 4:30 pm (16:30), when the midday heat has eased off and the light is better for photos. With the UTV beforehand, kids arrive at the zorb buzzing but already fed and a little rested. How to fit both in is explained in zorbing and UTV on the same day.

Zorbing means bare feet, and that changes how you prepare. By late afternoon the sand isn't as hot as at midday, but even so, don't let your kid wander around barefoot while waiting their turn; shoes come off right before they climb into the ball and go back on as soon as they're out. Closed trainers they can pull off without untying are ideal, because sandy laces plus an impatient child is a small war.

Before they go in, empty their pockets (there's always a toy car or a pebble from the oasis) and take off earrings, bracelets and watches. Keep all of it, plus their cap and sunglasses, in a parent's backpack, not lying on the sand. The light still bounces at that hour: the NHS points out that children's skin is much more sensitive than adult skin and that sunlight reflected off sand is particularly harmful. Put sunscreen on at the hotel and have a water bottle ready for when they tumble out of the ball, sweaty and grinning.

If the wind lifts sand or visibility drops, we reschedule either activity, no argument. The rest of our procedure is on our safety page.

What to send us on WhatsApp

Message +51 967 564 701 with:

• The date, and whether you're coming from Lima or elsewhere in Peru that day.
• How many adults and how many children.
• Each child's age and approximate height.
• Whether you want the UTV, zorbing or both.
• Whether any child gets motion sick, is scared of something or has a back or joint issue.
• Your hotel, so we can look at transfers (not included, we can check).

We'll tell you what each child can do and how to plan the day. Both activities in detail: UTV tour and zorbing.

Frequently asked questions

How old do you have to be for zorbing in Huacachina? There's a minimum age and size, but we don't give a fixed number because we look at each case. Tell us your child's age and height and we'll tell you what's possible.

Is zorbing or a UTV safer for a child? In both, what matters is following the rules: in the UTV, a well-fitted helmet and harness; in the zorb, bare feet, no hard objects and the minimum size. What really differs is which kind of child enjoys each one more.

Can I do zorbing and a UTV tour with kids on the same day? Yes. The usual plan is the UTV first, then the zorbing meeting time at 4:30 pm, with cooler sand and better light.