Holidays in Huanchaco, on the coast of Peru

Just yesterday a French friend came home from a three-month tour of South America. He visited Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina and when asked about one of the destinations he liked the most, he answered without hesitation: Huanchaco.

huanchacho is the coast of Peru and it is a well known seaside resort. If you like surfing, meeting people from all over the world and beach life, Huanchacho is waiting for you.

Huanchaco

It's a coastal town near the city of Trujillo, cradle of ceviche and today part of a tourist route known as the Moche Route. The ugly It was an important culture in ancient Peru and the tour takes those interested through a trail of sites that were once part of the Chimú and Mochica kingdoms, in the north of the country, estimated to be about 700 kilometers from Lima.

The Peruvian Pacific coast is well known in the world of surfing and Huanchacho has managed in 2013 to be recognized internationally as a World Surf Reserve. There are not many beaches on the planet with that title, just five and this little Peruvian beach is already part of the select group, so… are you going to miss it?

You can go to know Trujillo, at least its historic center, and then do just 13 more kilometers to Huanchaco. This month is one of the hottest of the year as the southern hemisphere experiences summer but still temperatures are usually not much higher than 30 ºC. Of course, the humidity, being by the sea, is always high.

How to get to Huanchaco

The arrival point is Trujillo, the largest city in the area. You can get here by airport and then take a bus or minivan to join both points. Trujillo is about 560 kilometers from Lima so you can also take this little trip by plane. The cheapest option is the bus but it takes about eleven hours.

Backpackers do not usually take much plane so the most common means of transport is the bus to move from here to there. If you want independence, the tours are yours, otherwise Peru is super touristy so It is not difficult to find an already organized tour in one of the many agencies there are.

My friend was delighted with Huanchacho and he was there between November and December, although they say that the best season due to the weather and the state of the sea is between December and March. In winter there is more wind but that brings more clouds, although that does not scare surfers.

Huanchaco Attractions

It sounds kind of obvious but this is about to surf. If you know, excellent. Otherwise you can join a school and have fun. I don't know if in a couple of days you are going to learn something but surely you are going to make friends and laugh a lot. There are many stores that teach and rent equipment and boards.

But in addition to surfing, Huanchacho has some attractions that you have to visit. During the time of Spanish colonization it was a relatively important port but towards the end of the XNUMXth century it opened the new port of Salaberry and became obsolete. It was in 1891 a very long 108 meter pier was built that fortunately is still standing and nobody wants to get lost.

On the mainland there is a small square on the shore of the beach, which narrows until it forms the pier that little by little enters the waters. At the end of the hundred-odd meters there are two roundabouts with a platform on the right side, a little lower than the main structure. Walking around here looking at the sea, the surfers, the town behind you and the sun is wonderful.

On the coast of Huanchaco there are many food stalls and restaurants that are true masters of fish and seafood.. If you want to try and taste good ceviche this is a great place. On Saturdays and Sundays it gets even better because there are bars and more foreign tourists arrive. February is carnival month, another good and colorful time to visit.

Huancacho is also known for the "Caballitos de totora", a traditional raft of the area that is made with leaves and stems of reed, a plant. These rafts have been built by local people for two or three thousand years and have been the rafts of Peruvian fishing boats ever since. The raft is curved and narrow and can reach five meters long. A well made can carry up to 200 kilos of weight.

Beyond fishing, its original function, here in Huanchaco too They are used for fun in the sea, running and riding waves, as if they practiced surfing with these reed horses. You see them all the time, nailed vertically in the sand and if you ask you can experience traveling in one through the waters of the Pacific.

You can also visit the Temple of the Virgin of Perpetual Help, built on the top of the hill, with a virgin inside that was a gift from Carlos V, made in Seville and with the face of Juana la Loca's mother as a model. He arrived here in 1537.

Excursions from Huanchaco

Peru is a land full of treasures so wherever you are you always have more to see and know. A few kilometers from Huanchaco are the Chan Chan ruins, for example, built by the Chimu culture which is prior to the Inca culture. It is estimated that in its best times some 60 people lived here, so it was a city with all the letters. Since 1986 it is World Heritage and today they can be traversed through a network of paths that bring us closer to part of the nine citadels that make up the place.

Chan Chan, it is believed, It was built about 1300 years BC and the ruins are impressive adobe structures full of reliefs with geometric designs, representations of birds and fish. Today they make up an archaeological site of several citadels located at the mouth of the Moche Valley and it used to be the capital of the Chimor empire before the Incas incorporated it into their growing empire. The water here came from the Andes so the journey of the waters and their control was made thanks to a interesting irrigation system that is still visible today.

The Incas first and then the Spanish, with the sword of Pizarro, made the culture and the city go to the farthest corner of history, not without first looting a tomb that threw a real treasure in gold objects. The excavations that allow us to know it today date from the 60s of the XNUMXth century.  The buses that leave from Huanchaco leave you here without problem and they all depart from the main street near the beach.

There is a museum, too. The entrance to the main site and the museum costs about 3 euros and allows you to see the ruins and two other sites. There are guides too, but you must tip them if you want their help. These ruins can be seen both from Huanchaco and from Trujillo. Other interesting ruins are those of Huacas del Sol y Luna, several centuries older than the ruins of Chan Chan. They are Moche ruins and it is best to have the help of a guide to understand everything and not leave anything in the pipeline.

Mosaics are a beauty, brilliantly preserved because they were under the earth and sand for centuries. What color is! You arrive by bus / bus from Huanchacho to Trujillo. Here you get off at Plaza de Almas and walk down Huayna Cuapac street for about ten minutes to Avenida Los Incas. Many buses pass over this avenue and those that go to Las Huacas del Sol y Luna pass. The journey takes about 20 minutes and leaves you at the entrance. The entrance is around 3 euros per person and includes a guide because it can only be covered with a guide. There is a museum that is paid separately.

Trujillo itself, as I said above, is another possible excursion from the spa we are talking about.


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