Peru is a vast region where the traveler will always find sunshine, the landscape he always dreamed of, or the ideal spot to practice a wide variety of adventure sports: rafting down raging rivers, mountain biking through breath-taking landscapes, fishing in emerald-green lakes or gliding amongst the condors.

Whether swimming in crystal-clear seas, trekking through glaciers along ancient roads or through steamy jungle, no matter what the season, the visitor will always find some ideal spot to enjoy a unique and unforgettable stay.

Because Peru lies near the Equator and is split in two from North to South by the Andes, creating two major watersheds, the Pacific and the Amazon, the country is able to boast the greatest biodiversity on the planet. Peru is also home to a wide range of climates and micro-climates as well as to diverse geographic scenarios.

Winter drapes the central and southern coast in a thick layer of clouds, the northern coastline is drenched in brilliant sunshine, inviting visitors to flock to the region's fabulous beaches and taste the superb local cooking.

Travelers avid to explore mountains, peaks or thick rainforest, will always find that either the highlands or the Peruvian Amazon are ideal to enjoy a visit, since the summer rainy season in one region will always coincide with the dry, sunny season in the other.

The great thing about Peru, is that one can enter a thousand countries without crossing a single border.

What is more, this scenario of pure nature and unique landscapes blends together customs from a number of different linguistic groups and cultures, whose past steeped in history astounds locals and visitors alike.

This diversity has given life to one of the world's richest gastronomies, and to a land of contrasts that invites visitors to discover its essence. Peru awaits you.

With the exception of the 52 rivers that split the narrow sandy coastal strip on their way down to the Pacific Ocean, the Peruvian coastline is an arid desert that fringes the sea with sweeping beaches, hidden coves, rocky cliffs and towering rock formations carved out by the wind and waves. In some areas, armies of sand dunes march down to the sea; in others, meanwhile, the sun glitters on the saltflats in a world by the sea that appears to be uninhabited. However, the landscape gives way drastically and definitely to one of the richest oceans to be found on Earth, a world teeming with life.

The Peruvian coastline offers lovers of the sea many advantages: a stable climate that seldom sees rain, no hurricanes and slight variations in temperature during the daytime and throughout the year; beaches bathed by cold waters and others that feature warm waters; solitary beaches where dolphins and sea lions are the lone companions of the visitor; waves so long-running and perfectly shaped that they never seem to come to an end; and, by combining the right time and place, there's the chance to acquire that perfect tan or practice water sports practically 365 days a year.

The Peruvian coastline offers water sports fans a wide range of possibilities, or perhaps just go fishing, try the local cuisine or take in the surroundings, ruffled by a gentle sea breeze. We invite you to discover Peru's beaches for yourself.

Peru has been doted by Nature with more than 3,000 kilometers of coastline. Peru's beaches link up, one after another, in an endless chain of natural scenarios and physical characteristics that will delight travelers from all walks of life: some are dusted with pure white sand, blown in from distant sand dunes; others are filled with thick grains of sand which do not stick to the skin; some are made of dark sand, pebbles, covered in mangroves or studded with prickly cacti; some are lapped by tranquil seas, while others are pounded by huge waves of staggering beauty. Some beaches have been turned into modern ports or picturesque, sleepy fishing villages. Others, meanwhile, have kept their pristine beauty and the enchanted air with which Nature endowed them thousands of years ago.

So come and explore the beaches of Peru. The Pan-American Highway runs parallel to the coast, providing access to all beaches. The northern stretch sets off from Lima and runs up to Tumbes, on the Ecuadorian border, while southwards the highway runs from Lima down to Tacna on the Chilean frontier. The road is in excellent condition from Trujillo to Tacna (some 1,900 km) and fairly good from Trujillo to Tumbes (some 700 km).

Punta Sal
Possibly the most heavenly beach on Peru's north coast. The beach resort of Punta Sal or Punta Sal Grande, as it is known locally, is one of the most spell-binding beaches on the Peruvian coast, and enjoys peace and sunshine all year round. There is excellent fishing and diving to be found in its warm and clear waters. Seafood lovers will appreciate the local shrimp, lobsters and the finest fresh fish to be found up north.

Access and services: the beach is reached via a 2 km detour off the North Pan-American Highway at kilometer 1,188. The area teems with hotels and restaurants that throb with activity during the summer season. Apt for all vehicles.

Máncora and Las Pocitas
Wedged into the Piura coastline, Máncora has become the main hotspot for surfers each summer. From December to March, the quiet streets of the village burst into a non-stop party. Nearby, further south, the area of Las Pocitas features a rocky beach where low tide forms a series of natural rock pools which are a favorite for swimmers. The fine sandy beaches are lapped by clear, warm seas.

Access and services: Located at kilometer 1,164 of the North Pan-American Highway, the area features several hotels and restaurants. Apt for all vehicles.

Colán
The traditional summer resort for Piura residents. Built in the 1950s in the style of the old coastal residences, the village is known for its typical mansions with terraces raised on wooden beams, shaded by decades-old palm trees. The sea is clear and warm, while every evening provides a fabulous sunset. Stingrays are common here, which is why visitors are advised to enter the water dragging their feet (a practical local solution).

Access and services: the beach is reached via a paved detour off the Pan-American Highway north of Piura at kilometer 989 headed for Paita. What better than to try a ceviche (raw fish marinated in lemon juice) by the sea together with traditional tamales (cornmash pastries). Apt for all vehicles.

Bahía de Nonura
The beaches of Bayóvar are Peru's last virgin beaches, and without a doubt, the most beautiful. Made up of sweeping, open bays or white granite rocky outcrops that spring out of the sand dunes, the beaches boast an extraordinarily clear blue sea teeming with dolphins, turtles and flocks of seagulls. Fishing here is superb, and sundown will enchant even the most seasoned traveler.

Access and services: To enter the area, travelers will have to drive down a detour off Kilometer 886 of the North Pan-American Highway. The detour leads down to Bayóvar and then along the coast. A special permit, which is easy to get, must be obtained from state oil firm Petroperu S.A. at company headquarters in Lima or Piura. The wind picks up somewhat in the afternoons, so travelers are advised to pick a sheltered area to camp in. Apt only for 4WD vehicles.

Casma: Culebras, Corralones, Tuquillo and La Gramita
Easy to reach, this part of the coast is split into dozens of sheltered striking beaches, rocky cliffs and islands. Some areas are sheltered from the wind, with calm seas, good fishing and bright sunlight all year round. In summer, campers flock to this area in search of peace and quiet. Further north, lies the lagoon of Playa Chica, a haven for a vast variety of wildlife. The area can be windy in the afternoons.

Access and services: Wedged between the Las Salinas saltflats of Huacho and the town of Huacho itself, the area is reached by a detour from kilometer 135 of the North Pan-American Highway. Apt for all vehicles.

El Paraíso
The peninsula and beaches of El Paraíso (El Palmero, Tilca, Tocay and others) meet every requisite to honor their Spanish name of Paradise: numerous beaches where no human being treads, a calm and always clean sea, good fishing and bright skies in summer. Campers and holiday makers flock to Paraíso beaches in summer looking for calm and a natural scenery of great beauty. Nearby to the north the lagoon at Playa Chica provides shelter to varied animal wildlife. Windy in the afternoon.

Access and services: Located betwen Las Salinas and Huacho, El Paraíso beaches can be reached off a detour at kilometer 135 of the North Pan-American Highway. Apt for all vehicles.

Chepeconde
Formerly called La Barca, the beach was discovered by campers two decades ago. Since then, its popularity has increased to the point where it has become one of the most heavily visited campsites during the summer. The fine sandy beach runs down to a superb, clear sea.

A series of natural rock towers split the beach into three well-defined areas, of which the northernmost one draws the biggest attention.

Paracas: La Mina, La Catedral and Mendieta
Without a doubt, Paracas is blessed with the most spectacular stretch of coast along the Peruvian shoreline. The unique landscape features a salt-laden desert that runs down to a deep blue sea through horseshoe-shaped beaches, gigantic cliffs and rocky bluffs carved out by the wind and waves. The National Reserve, which stretches across 335,000 hectares, is one of the country's best beach destinations, and ideal for activities such as diving, fishing, windsurfing, surfing and photography. Worth a visit are the Ballestas islands, a 1-3 hour boatride depending on the craft. The area is also home to huge flocks of guano birds and sea lion colonies, and is a refuge for migratory birds and rare species such as the Humboldt penguin and the marine wildcat.

Access and services: A paved road leads down to the reserve and its beaches from the town of Pisco at kilometer 234 of the South Pan-American Highway. Once past the guardpost, the road turns into a packed dirt track. In the nearby resort of Paracas and El Chaco beach, one can find hotels, restaurants and boats for hire. Apt for all vehicles.

Jiway and Champeque
Jiway is a nice bay bereft of houses, ideal for swimmers and fishermen. It boasts deep blue seas, white sand and good fishing. Just like nearby beaches, the area is riddled with pre-Hispanic archaeological remains of great value. Visitors are recommended to enter the unique Ayparipa citadel. To the north lies the picture-pretty beach of Champeque.

Access and services: Located at kilometer 594 of the North Pan-American Highway (La Libertad), the beach can be reached via a dirt road which can at times be somewhat covered in sand. Apt mainly for 4WD vehicles.

Puerto Inca
For many, Puerto Inca is the finest beach on the south coast. Formed by two perfect bays, the area looks down onto a clear, calm sea which is ideal for children. There is excellent fishing and diving to be found. The area known as Quebrada de la Huaca was one of the sites that provided fresh fish for the Inca ruler in Cuzco. Nearby, one can still find remains of the Inca road system that linked the coast to the highlands, as well as dozens of ancient storerooms and other pre-Columbian stone constructions.

Access and services: The area can be reached via a 3 km dirt road that detours from the South Pan-American Highway at kilometer 603 and runs down a narrow gully. The beach features a small shelter for visitors. Apt for all vehicles.

In addition to the above, the coast features thousands of beautiful beaches and special attractions, whether for water sports lovers, fishermen or simply visitors looking for somewhere to get some rest and fresh air. The map in this section includes a selection of around 30 of the country's best beaches, with information on services, possibilities for the visitor and characteristics of the sea.

We recommend using the map, especially when hunting for beaches close to city areas or when looking to tour groups of beaches near a certain area.

Accessibility
Several of the beaches along the Peruvian coast lack services for visitors, which for many is part of their charm. So when visitors travel to unfamiliar beaches, they should always bring enough food and water. Don't forget sunblock and a light windbreaker for the afternoon winds, as well as plastic bags for garbage.

Driving
Do not venture onto dirt or sand roads unless accompanied or experienced in rough terrain driving. When driving on sand, let out some air from the car tires to avoid getting stuck in a rut.

Services
For those who are fond of their creature comforts, many beaches, especially those located near the big cities, feature restaurants and lodgings that are generally open from December to March. Visitors should bear in mind that these spots are packed with visitors during national holidays, so make your bookings with anticipation.

Stingrays
On some beaches, such as Paracas bay and some further north, swimmers risk being stung by stingrays, known locally as pastelillo. In these spots, the best thing to do is to enter the water dragging one's feet, which frightens them away, or to use closed rubber sneakers. If despite taking precautions you get stung, the best thing is to wash the wound with plenty of soap and water, and then bandage the spot. While the effect of the sting varies according to the person and the size of the ray, the local solution is usually the most effective: to bury one's foot immediately in hot sand or suck the poison from the wound.

Camping
Campers have a wide range of beaches to choose from. Excursionists are recommended to always camp in groups, especially when visiting remote or isolated beaches. The hundreds of fishing villages are good spots to rent boats and buy fresh fish and supplies, as well as for repairing outboard motors.

* Depending on their shape and breaking direction, waves are divided into normal or tubes, and left and right, respectively.

Cabo Blanco
For many, this beach boasts Peru's best left-breaking wave. It is a fast-moving, short wave (which makes a quick take-off mandatory) that carries one of the country's best tubes. It can rise to a four-meter-high wave, although normally it ranges from three to four meters. It is ideal between November and December. It can also be a fairly dangerous wave as it breaks near a reef, a risk which is accentuated by the sand dredging that occurs when the tide rises. The frequency of the breakers is directly linked to the swell that comes from the north (sparked by the North Pole and which runs through Hawaii).

Access: To reach Cabo Blanco, surfers have to take a winding paved road that runs down from the town of El Alto, located at kilometer 1,137 of the North Pan-American Highway. Apt for all vehicles.

Bayóvar-Nonura
A showcase wave. Long, left-running and stretching to a good height (up to 3 m), surfers compare it to a train for its size and force. The entry to the point needs a tough paddle out, with strong currents. The waves generally reach their peak during the summer.

Access: The area can be reached via a detour off kilometer 886 of the North Pan-American Highway, a side road which leads to the Bayóvar terminal and then heads along the coast. Apt only for 4WD drive vehicles.

Chicama
The world's longest wave. It breaks down into four sections known as the point, the cape, the man and the pier. Each section is a wave in itself, with its own character and speed. Surfers say that to surf Chicama, one has to bring along a spare pair of legs. A classic left-running Peruvian breaker, it swells with the currents that run from the south and west and reaches ideally some two meters in height.

Access: The cove -also known by the local name of Malabrigo- is reached by a detour that runs down from kilometer 614 of the North Pan-American Highway. Apt for all vehicles.

La Herradura
The classic point for Lima surfers. On its best days, the left-breaking waves can reach five meters in height. It breaks down into three sections, with the closest to the beach being a tough tube. It is a popular beach, where one can count up to a hundred surfers on a good day (an important additional difficulty if one considers that each series consists of just five waves). Reserved for experienced surfers.

Access: Located just a few minutes from downtown in the district of Chorrillos, on the southern outskirts of Lima.

Pico Alto
The largest and most spectacular wave to be found in Peru. It is a point break (with left- and right-running sections, although surfers tend to go more for the latter). Its perfect, long-running waves can stretch to 10 meters in height. Not for beginners. Surfers in the know compare the wave to Waimea (Hawaii) and Todos los Santos (Baja California). A long paddle out, as the wave breaks 1 kilometer out to sea. The beach draws a lot of visitors in the summer, when dozens of hostels and restaurants are open.

Access: Only 43 km south of Lima down the South Pan-American Highway. Apt for all vehicles.

Punta Rocas
The most famous surf point in Peru and home to international surfing championships (February). A big wave, which can run to five meters high. Surfers call this beach a "wave machine"; right- and left-running waves, not necessarily perfect, but constant.

Access: Located at Kilometer 45 of the South Pan-American Highway. Apt for all vehicles.

Isla San Gallán
Peru's best right-breaking wave. Thanks to its shape, the island features the only beach in Peru where one can surf right-running tubes that break to the West. A fairly long wave that breaks down into four sections. The sea is very cold and winds gust in the afternoon.

San Gallán is a unique landscape, where surfers take to the waves amidst hundreds of sea lions. The island, located off the Paracas peninsula, was recently included in the national reserve.

Access: One can only reach this spot by sea (one-and-a-half hours). Surfers tend to rent motorboats on El Chaco beach.

Fishermen cast their lines into the sea all along the vast Peruvian coastline, a sport that is split into two categories: fishing from dry land, whether from the beaches or the cliffs, and fishing from boats.

Fishing from the shore is most common in Peru. Species like flounder, Pacific Croaker and grunts are popular amongst fishermen along the sandy beaches of the central and southern coast. To the North, shore-based fishermen tend to haul in drums and pámpanos.

Fishing from the bluffs, meanwhile, goes on all down the coast, needing just craggy shores and rocky coves to go fishing. The most common fish species caught here include grunts, Peruvian rock bass and local species such as cherlo, tramboyo and pintadilla. Both types of fishermen use live bait, generally small shellfish to be found in the sand, known locally as muymuy, or wedge clams and seasnails.

Deep sea fishing also breaks down into two types: casting from an anchored boat or trawling from a moving boat.

Fish species caught from an anchored boat - along the central and southern coast - tend to be the same as those fished from clifftops, adding to the list of northern species the cuskeel, grouper and smoothhound.

Trawling, meanwhile, is generally done off the north coast with the aid of artificial bait, pulling in species such as tuna, cherelas, agujillas, sierras, plumas, pericos and marlins.

The Coast
The Cañete River is, without a doubt, the favorite rafting spot for Lima dwellers. The stretch generally rafted, located near the pleasant fruit-growing area of Lunahuana, 160 km southeast of Lima, includes rapids rating Class II and IV. The season starts up in October and runs until April.

The Tumbes River is the most torrential river found along the Peruvian coast. The stretch which is generally rafted, between the communities of Figueroa and Rica Playa, includes rapids rating Class II and IV, and involves a 2-3 day trip through the spectacular dry forests of the Northwest Biosphere Reserve. The area teems with crocodiles, giant otters and colonies of iguana lizards. The river is generally rafted between May and October.

The Highlands
The Santa River, located in the stunning Callejón de Huaylas valley, 400 km northwest of Lima, flows down to the coast between the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra massifs. The stretch that is rafted runs from the town of Caraz to Yungay, and features Class II and III rapids. The Santa is generally rafted from May to October, making it an ideal additional reason for visiting the region.

The Colca River is Peru's premier rafting river, and its rapids are ranked the world over as amongst the toughest. The river tumbles down the Colca Valley itself, 300 km north of Arequipa, but can be rafted with little danger along a 40 km-stretch between Cabanaconde and Tapay. It can be rafted from May to October and features Class II to IV rapids. Tours set off from the town of Chivay. The Colca Canyon, through which the river flows, is after the Cotahuasi canyon (also in Arequipa), the second deepest on Earth, and is twice as deep as the Colorado Canyon.

The Vilcanota, or Urubamba River, which runs through the heart of the Sacred Valley in Cuzco, features some areas that are highly popular amongst rafters: one stretch between Calca and Urubamba, and another between Huambutio and Pisac, both featuring rapids rating Class II and III. A third stretch, downstream from Ollantaytambo, features Class III and IV rapids. The river is rafted from May to October. The Apurimac River, which has only recently been added to the rafting circuit, is a unique experience for its landscapes and difficulty. The river features Class III and IV rapids, while the trip takes 3-4 days. Expeditions set off from the city of Cuzco. Recommended for experts.

The Jungle
The Mayo and Huallaga Rivers in the department of San Martín, are extraordinarily beautiful rivers which have only recently been added to the commercial circuit. These rivers feature Class II and III rapids which can be rafted from May to October. Tours set off from the city of Tarapoto. There is little doubt that the Tambopata River, wild and torrential, is the most spectacular rafting route in Peru. The tour starts in Puno, setting off from the community of Putina Puku (1,900 masl), and tumbles along through one of the richest and most exuberant tropical jungles to be found in Peru, winding its way into the Madre de Dios department (at an altitude of 200 masl on the Amazonian plain). The trip, which runs through the largest strip of uninhabited countryside remaining, takes 7-12 days and requires some complex logistics. The river features Class III and IV rapids.