| By :
Gary Sargent
Peru is well known for its Inca and Colonial history, the home of the potato, and Machu Picchu. Peru's more than 1,800 miles of western coastline along the Pacific Ocean generally do not make for many great beaches as most of it is the upper stretches of the Atacama Desert. While there may be a great deal of very pretty scenery and wildlife most visitors head straight up to the Andes or the Amazon Jungle. Generally only Peruvians use their beaches in the summer and the best beaches in Peru start at the country's northern border and follow the coast south to Lima. January, February and March are the months when they get their greatest use and the South American summer is when these beaches are filled with locals from cities like Lima, Trujillo and Piura. Surfing is the most popular water sport and other activities such as sailing and wind surfing can be practiced. The cities of Piura, Tumbes, Lima and Trujillo have the best beaches. Peru has the longest wave in the world it is rumored and the city of Trujillo holds a huge surfing competition every March to take advantage of the swells. The beach resort and fishing village of Huanchaco is located close to the city of Trujillo and has some excellent hotels. Beach resorts and other similar accommodations are beginning to spring up along the country's coast in other locations. Asia for example is a resort around 90 minutes drive from Lima where well to do Limeñans go for the weekend. The best beach in Peru according to many is Punta Sal, located near the border with Ecuador. Puntal sal has a wide, clean sandy beach perfect for relaxing in the sun and has many nice hotels and a very laid back feel. In recent years the village of Mancora has grown as more and more hotels are built, the climate here is good all year round offering wealthy people the chance to escape the Lima weather. The Punta Sal and Mancora area is perfect for deep sea fishing and scuba diving in addition to surfing. The best time for these passtimes is from December to March when sunbathing and simply relaxing on the beach is a real pleasure. One of the local hotels also offers horse rides on the shore, visiting other beaches and tours of the nearby mangrove swamps. Punta Sal is only an hour's car ride from Tumbes and less than two hours by plane from Lima. Mancora is located less than an hour from Punta Sal. It is extremely popular among surfers as waves can get as high as six feet and even taller from December through March. In addition, surfing lessons are available from the surf shops along the shore front. The soft, white sand make the beach good for simple strolls while rock formations can be explored and serve as relaxing swimming pools. There are many other nice beaches in the north of the country such as the lovely fishing village of Colan near Paita. Lima is a city that has a dense fog covering it for about nine months a year but in the summer months, the fog rolls away, the skies clear and the sun shines brightly. As with the rest of the Peruvian coast, December to April is when summer hits and a great deal of activity happens on the beaches of Lima. The beaches of Lima are very different from each other, some offering shores that are sandy while others are more rocky. Miraflores, Barranco and Chorrillos are neighborhoods of Lima and have beaches where one can cool off take a dip in the Pacific Ocean. South of the city is where the best beaches are located and are known as El Silencio, Señoritas, and Caballeros, plus Asia mentioned earlier. Not only are the waves good for surfing but there are many excellent bars and restaurants in which to dine and watch the Pacific sunsets.
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