When one thinks of Peru, sandy beaches don’t often come to mind. Ancient ruins and incredible landscapes maybe, but not cocktails and sun-loungers. Peru does, however, have it’s fair share of pleasant beaches.
If you’re looking for a Peruvian seaside town there are a couple of options, including Huanchaco, Mancora and even Lima (if you like to surf in the smog). We opted to stop over at Mancora for a couple of days R&R to break up our gruelling schedule.
We stayed for all of two days. In typical Backpack Diary fashion we got restless and wanted to move on, but for those wanting to stay longer there is a lot on offer:
- Surfing / Surfing Lessons (check out Laguna Surf Camp)
- Jet skiing
- Banana boat / Inflatable boat rides
- A relaxing beach (the tide hides most of the beach after midday during October)
- Lively nightlife
- Affordable restaurants (8,000 – 12,000 soles for a set menu)
If you’re looking for a super chilled out experience, we would recommend visiting Misfits Hostel – it’s a 15 minute walk from town but you get to sleep in a cool beach hut. Be warned, though, the showers use saltwater! If you want nightlife and boozing, there is also a Loki hostel in the centre of town.
