Are you looking to find the best beaches in northern Peru? We’ve been there… Our goal for a lazy, relaxing beach vacation was realized after a whirlwind visit to Cusco, the Sacred Valley and the mystical lost city of Machu Picchu during rainy season. After journeying through the Andes mountains by bus, train, and on foot, we were eager to relax by the ocean with our feet buried in the sand! Our town of choice: Máncora. A quaint surf town nestled along the Pan-American Highway, famed for its turquoise waters, expansive soft sand beaches, vibrant nightlife, and charming boutique hotels.
How to get to some of the best beaches in Northern Peru:
To get to Máncora you must fly into Lima, and then catch a short domestic flight to Talara, and get transportation from there. Since we were planning and booking our domestic flights on the fly, and coming from Cusco, it was cheapest for us to fly to Piura and take the longer car ride up. Much to our luck (again), the amazing airline Avianca, boarded us AND took off early. Somehow again, we received complimentary upgraded seats in first class with free cocktails and lots of leg room in the first row. On top of this we boarded and departed early! It isn’t likely that all of that will ever happen again!
After our short flight, the sight of the ocean greeted us as we descended, filling us with excitement. We walked out of the airport and hired a taxi to take us on the three-hour drive to Máncora. Our cab driver happily stopped to let us pick up beer and snacks for the ride, and off we went along the Pan-American Highway, which would alternate between paved road with streetlights, to a dark, pothole-riddled, dirt road once you got out of the towns. Stu dozed in and out of sleep while I chatted with our driver in Spanish for the practice. It was a lot easier to understand and communicate out on the coast rather than in the Cusco region, where I was having a much more difficult time (in that region the Spanish often blended with the ancient language, Quecha). With time, the distinct silhouettes of gas plants became familiar, and I learned the purpose behind the bright flares that pierced the darkness of the night.
Since we had arrived in Máncora in the evening; the town was buzzing with lights, music, and people filling the streets. Dirt bikes, motorcycles and tuk tuks lined the highway that passes directly through the town. Numerous charming little restaurants and stores were lined up as far as the eye could see . We thanked our driver and got out in the street with our packs, on a mission to find a place to sleep, some food and a cold beer. We walked down a pedestrian-only street that people were barbecuing on and playing lively music. All the surf shops were still open, and people were chatting and enjoying drinks and food al fresco, and at the end we found the beach! We took the seaside road and checked out a couple hostels, and settled on Hostel California. It was across the street from the beach. It was small, as were the rooms, but they were private, clean, had their own bathrooms, and a palm-tree surrounded pool. We walked the streets and people watched, had a couple rum and cokes, and a bite to eat, and made our way down to the beach. We were quick to find out that we had found the party town! Bars and clubs situated directly on the beach were alive with music, and surrounded by people having a good time.
Once we’d worked up an appetite, we stumbled across a long line of young people at a food truck called Burger Beach, comically, with a logo identical to Burger King, and decided to join in… it ended up being the cheapest and most delicious hand-made burger, with fresh bacon and awesome homemade sauces to choose from. It was the best thing we’d eaten so far in Peru!
Day Two
After a hot, sweaty sleep, we put our bathing suits on and sat by the pool with a coffee, utilizing the hostel’s wifi to find out where we’d spend the next night. We found a beautiful-looking place right on the beach which we were able to walk to. We strolled down a dusty alley lined with charming boho-style cafes and apartments until we came upon our hotel, Don Giovanni. It’s a Balinese style place with your classic white and teak decor, with large sliding doors that opened up to view the ocean and the beach below while white linen drapes fluttered in the ocean breeze. Just what the doctor ordered!
Once we’d unpacked, we did what became one of our favourite things to do while wandering town: get a frozen mango blended with white rum for the equivalent of $2 on the street. You’ll see the vendors with an array of fresh and frozen fruit which you can choose to have blended for a nice, refreshing treat (the booze is optional, hehe). We walked to the north end of town and cut down to the quieter Las Pocitas beach to sit in the sand and enjoy the view. This is where I would recommend staying to get yourselves away from the noise, or even a little further north at Playa Del Amor. The hotels we saw were right on the beach, and gorgeous, and you wouldn’t have to hear the late night music. We spent a good chunk of the day here, had a good afternoon nap and set out in search for dinner!
Wandering along the main drag you’ll stumble across so many options for a meal. We chose a steakhouse for the most amazing meal: fresh salads, huge cuts of perfectly-cooked, tender steaks, desserts, good wine, scotch. When the bill came we had to laugh because it was $40 CAD. We’d thought it would be at least 4 or 5 times what it was. We were totally shocked. With full bellies, we went to bed and attempted to sleep despite the massive party raging at Loki, the nightclub next door.
Day Three
We woke late in the morning to the sound of waves crashing against the beach just outside our room and decided to sit and watch the beginner surfers try their luck from the balcony while sipping mimosas. Later, we enjoyed the simple, but fresh complimentary breakfast downstairs beside the beach, and followed it up with a walk. We stumbled across a tour company advertising swimming with sea turtles. I’ve always loved these sweet creatures, and it only cost about $45 for the two of us. We had some time before we had to leave, so we packed our bag for the day, and found a nice restaurant nearby that was owned and run by an old married couple and ordered seafood and rice for lunch and made our way across the street to hop on our bus.
Our experience swimming with turtles…
I will start off by saying: I wouldn’t recommend this activity… we were taken to a small bay with a marina and a pier, and loaded into a small boat. What we expected was a scenic ocean boat ride, to a nice remote lagoon or something, where we would be interacting with the turtles in their natural habitat. Where our boat took us was about 60ft from the pier, into the oil-filled bay where they lure the turtles over with hunks of raw fish. They then provide you with life jackets to bob around in while the turtles swim around you gobbling up their daily treats. This was a learning experience for us in that when animals are involved in some kind of “tour” or “experience”, do your research first and ensure it’s ethical (and not gross).
Since we were already there we decided to make the best of it, and I do have to say, seeing them up close and realizing the size of some of them was pretty cool. They are so big and silent, and sometimes you would turn around and there was one coming up right behind you, while cool, could also be a little freaky! When we were finished we loaded back into the bus and went to another beach for some fresh ceviche and a stunning, west coast sunset.
After we returned home we showered up and arranged our plans to continue on our journey to our next destination first thing in the morning. Stay tuned to see where we went next!
Thanks for reading, and stay itchy!
If you enjoyed reading The Best Beaches in Northern Peru and are interested in reading about the beginning of our Peru travels to Cusco, the Sacred Valley & Machu Pichhu, find the article here:
If beautiful beaches are what you’re after you may enjoy this one:
