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Beaches in Peru
Magic, sand, waves and relaxation summarize the feeling of the beaches located in the north department of Piura and Tumbes, north coast of Peru.
This useful guide includes information about everything from the warm beaches of Zorritos (90 kms north from Mancora) to the surfer beaches of Lobitos (80 kms south of Mancora).
All of these beaches have in common several characteristics that make this area and beach paradise:
- Sun all year long
- Beautiful beaches, perfect for swimming and relaxation, many with good tourist services.
- Nice temperatures without humidity
- Warm sea in summer and in some winter months (especially on the beaches located north of Cabo Blanco).
- Incredible waves for surfing and good wind for kitesurfing and windsurfing.
- Amazing marine life, perfect for those who practice diving and fishing.
Mancora and its surrounding beaches have changed little by little into the most attractive beach destination for tourists from all corners of the planet.
Ceviche de Mero, perfect barrels, sun and cold beer are the words that we hear daily from Peruvian tourists (mostly from Lima) as well as foreigners who are impressed by the friendly and down-to-earth people of northern Peru.
“Perfect beaches with magical sunsets” and “sunny beaches with incredible waves” are only some comments that perfectly describe the area of Mancora and its surroundings.
Tourists who visit these beaches vary widely; from families looking for extraordinary vacations to the simple backpacker passing through who, without realizing it, stays for weeks as if trapped by the magic of Mancora and surrounding beaches.
For the traveler in transit from the border in Huaquillas-Aguas Verdes (Peru and Ecuador), Mancora is the perfect place to rest and relax for days.
BEACHES ON THE AREA |
Piura Beaches
(from Mancora to the south) |
Tumbes Beaches
(from Punta Sal to the north) |
| Name |
Approximate kms of the Panamerican Highway |
Name |
Approximate kms of the Panamerican Highway |
| Mancora |
km 1165, Mancora District |
Punta Sal |
km 1187, Contralmirante Villar District |
| Pocitas |
km 1160, Mancora District |
Zorritos |
km 1241, Contralmirante Villar District |
| Vichayito |
km 1155, Los Organos District |
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| Los Órganos |
km 1150, Los Organos District |
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| Cabo Blanco |
km 1137, El Alto District |
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| Lobitos |
km 1100, Lobitos District |
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Beaches we recommend from MANCORA to the SOUTH
(beaches located at Talara province, Piura department)
MANCORA BEACH
District: Mancora.
Location: km 1165
Panamerican Highway |
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Mancora is the beach that brings more tourists from all the north of Peru, all year long.
Located on the kilometer 1165 of the Panamerican Highway (Panamericana Norte), this little fishermen village is on the north limit of Piura Department. Mancora offer hotels, hostels and restaurants for all pockets and tastes.
In Mancora you will find everything necessary to satisfy a wide variety of tourists: ATM machines, hospitals, bank, local police, Internet, parking, garages and mini supermarkets.
On the main road, the Panamerican Highway you can find many little craft stores, boutiques and some stores that rent surfboards and accessories. There are surf teachers, private taxi service, buses agencies and almost everything that a tourist could need.
The beach of Mancora is a long beach that projects to the north; kilometers of sand without people and no too many houses.
The nightlife in Mancora is sometimes intense and really fun. The majority of bars and restaurants are located in one zone in which sometimes you can be dancing really “early” in the morning with reggae music and maracuya daikiris.
Punta Ballenas
To the south of the surf point of Mancora (we can say that this is the central area of the beach) it gets you to the beach call Punta Ballenas (Whales Point, only 200 mts), a beautiful beach with an incredible tranquility, located in front of other surf point with the same name as the beach. The name of this beach is because at some season of the year, from Punta Ballenas Hotel, you can see whales.
Heading south, crossing the pier of Mancora, you will get to Pocitas beach (3 kms south of Mancora). | 
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POCITAS BEACH
District: Mancora.
Location: km 1160
Panamerican Highway |
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Located only four kilometers south from Mancora’s downtown with a total length of six kms approximately.
Las Pocitas (“Little Wells”) is one of the most beautiful beaches from the coast of Peru. You can get there from Mancora, Los Organos or Vichayito walking, by taxi or in a moto-taxi, the most used type of transportation on the zone.
Here at Las Pocitas the ambience is quiet and exclusive, thanks to the relative distance from downtown and to the price/quality of their hotels.
The curious name comes from the natural pools that form inside the craters of rocks on the beach at low tide. This characteristic, unique to the coast of Peru, along with the beautiful houses and hotels that line the shores, makes this place paradise and a safe heaven for the whole family to enjoy.
Las Pocitas beach has only one central road (which was originally the Panamerican North Highway) that goes between the beach and a beautiful sloping hillside.
Asphalt doesn't exist in Las Pocitas and the green vegetation surrounding the houses in this beachfront community demonstrates the care of the inhabitance: many palm trees at seashore with an spectacular turquoise sea and white sand give the tropical ambience that many people love it.
Las Pocitas offers everything for the tourist; good quality hotels, nice Hawaiians cottages bars and restaurants. All good quality services waiting for your visit to one of the most interesting tourist centers on the coast of Peru. |
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VICHAYITO BEACH
This beach belong to Los Organos district, and it’s located between Los Organos (south) and Pocitas (north).
This zone enjoys of an absolute tranquility; this beach is a delight for swimming, because it has no rocks. In regard to its infrastructure, it has some hotels and restaurants, some stores and also a modern beach spa. Nice houses and bungalows for rent adorns this beautiful beach.
This area promises a good tourist activity on the next years. Vichayito has grown a lot on the last years, thanks to investors and people that love this beach and decided to buy land and build houses, cottages and hotels.
Perfect for kitesurfing and windsurfing, the wind blow up strong between April and November.
The area have some “bajos” (diving spots) like the one know as “bajería Peña Mala”, located on the north side of the beach.
Vichayito has two access routs, via Pocitas and the other by the entry to the old North Pan-American Peru Highway ("Antigua Panamericana Norte"), at the 1155 km of the North Pan-American Highway. This entrance has a little sign with green letters that say "Vichayito". |
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LOS ORGANOS BEACH
District: Los Organos.
Location: km 1150
Panamerican Highway. |
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Located at only 13 kilometers south of Mancora, Los Organos is a tempting option for those who are searching for a quiet place and nice beaches too.
The most visited beach at Los Organos is Punta Veleros, in which is located a little private condo with beautiful bungalows and houses at seashore that are for rent all year long.
Los Organos offer three surf points, locally known as: Casablanca, Organitos and Los Organos (one of the best waves of Peru).
There are many new hotels, hostels, bungalows and restaurants in Los Organos and near Punta Veleros.
Los Organos is becoming a tourist town thanks to the beautiful beaches far away from the Panamerican highway and their interesting prices conquer tourist that search for less noise and more silence. |
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CABO BLANCO:
District de El Alto.
Location: km 1137
Panamerican Highway. |
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The literature Nobel Prize winner in 1954, Ernest Hemingway used to come to this beach looking for the fishing of the Black Merlin.
The natives say that this beach was the divine inspiration for its novel "The Old Man and the Sea". Cabo Blanco is known worldwide for its fishing (with a lot of world records) and for its big waves for surf, catalogued as "for experts only". Panic Point is one of the best-catalogued beaches of Cabo Blanco by the surfers and their boards.
You can get there via El Alto town and now, there is a new road that connect El Ñuro and Cabo Blanco.
Located on the 1137 km of the North Pan-American Highway.
Cabo Blanco is a little fishermen village and it only offers two hotels for tourists.
LOBITOS
District: Lobitos.
Location: km 1100
Panamerican Highway. |
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Located at 65 kms south of Mancora, Lobitos and surrounding beaches differ from the rest of the beaches at the north, mostly for its weather and sea temperature, both colder than the other beaches.
This beach is no so perfect for family holidays; there is permanently a strong wind and there is no good hotels o restaurants.
But Lobitos have an important factor for many of us: the waves. With more than four different points, Lobitos is a surf paradise, the quality of the lefts waves is superb but you sure need a long wetsuit, except some days in summer time.
There are only a couple of simple hostels and we usually go from Mancora or Los Organos beach for the day. By private transportation is about one hour. You can go also from Talara city. Is recommended to go with someone that known the zone and the road.
Beaches we recommend from MANCORA to the NORTH
(Beaches located at Contralmirante Villar District , Tumbes district)
PUNTA SAL
District: Contralmirante Villar.
Location: km 1187
Panamerican Highway. |
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Located 79 kilometers south of Tumbes and 23 kilometers north from Mancora, Punta Sal is in only a few worlds, a tourist center with some good hotels and nice houses.
It has more than five hotels and some good restaurants. Its warm and crystalline waters attract people from Lima in the warm months of January and February.
The entrance to Punta de Sal is located in the 1187 km of the North Pan-American Highway. From Mancora its only 15 minutes in a private vehicle.
ZORRITOS
District Contralmirante Villar.
Location: km 1241
Panamerican Highway. |
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Beach and fishermen town, Zorritos is located 28 kilometers south Tumbes. Here the warm Equatorial or El Niño Current, don’t let the seawater get any cold. Also there is a tropical sensation on the air, much greener and warmer than Mancora and other beaches to the south. Has a nice boardwalk, the beach is nice and cozy.
Many hotels, hostels and restaurants offer their services, some of them at seashore. Zorritos can be a good option: a warm and nice beach really close to Tumbes, Tumbes Airport and the border with Ecuador. From here you can access to Hervideros: little pools like thermal baths with natural underground hot water.
On summer months (November to April) there are some interesting surf points, usually with few people surfing, a weird and exciting fact on these days.
Zorritos offer buses agencies, drugstores, mini super markets and usually all the basic stuff you need. Zorritos is waiting for you to enjoy some holidays in a tropical and relaxing way.
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