In addition to impenetrable jungles and ancient monuments, Peru also boasts comfortable modern beaches, one of which is Mancora, with its sandy beach with yellow-gold sand.
How to get there
The city is located next to the Pan American Highway, so you can get here from Lima by any land transport. Then the travel time will be 17 hours, and the trip will cost about 150 PEN. By plane Lima – Piura, the flight lasts about one and a half hours, Lima – Tumbes – about 2 hours. It is only 120 kilometers from the border with Ecuador. From Chiclayo, the journey takes 6 hours. Check animalerts for overview of South America, covering list of all countries in the continent.
Mancora Hotels
Hotel Las Olas is designed primarily for surfers: its owners themselves are not averse to conquering the wave, so they often organize tours from Mancora to Cabo Blancio and Lobitos. The hotel is located directly opposite the reef spot. Room rates range from 350 to 650 PEN, breakfast included. All equipment can be stored directly at the hotel in a special place or in the room. Another small hotel, Sol y Mar, is somewhat simpler and cheaper than the previous one: only 70 PEN for a double room without breakfast.
Living right on the beach is more expensive, the room costs around 200 PEN. An amazing feature: a room for one will cost the same as for two or three. There are no single rooms at all!
Beaches and areas
Crowded in the most popular place on the coast – Las Pocitas, which is located 5 kilometers to the south. The beauty of the landscape is complemented by an abundance of great bars and clubs. If you go north, you will soon begin a long, wide and completely deserted beach, the existence of which few people know. If you drive 11 kilometers to the northeast, you can reach the famous hot sulfur springs of Baños de Barro, whose waters have healing powers.
In addition to surfers and sunbathers, hunters often drop in here, attracted by the closed hunting area of Coto de Casa el Angolo. True, a visit is possible only with a special permit from the National Institute of Natural Resources (INRENA).
Near Mancora, a two-hour drive away, is the town of Tumbes, bordering Ecuador, from where you can visit the picturesque Machala. The ticket costs 10-60 PEN.
4 things to do in Mancora:
- Arrange a horse ride during sunset along the coast – 20 PEN per hour.
- Take a trip to Puerto Pizarro by car. The journey will take about 2 hours.
- On the boat, take a tour of the mangroves to the crocodile nursery – better at high tide. At the same time, look at the island of Love, famous for its sevicherie restaurants.
- Purchase shark tooth souvenirs for 10 PEN at the local market.
Weather in Mancora
It is for the mild, dryish, tropical climate that tourists love Mancora so much. In pronounced summer months (December-March), the air temperature reaches +35…+38 °C, while the water warms up to +22…+27 °C. At night, short-term rains are called upon to cool the earth that has warmed up during the day. In winter, the air temperature stays around + 21… + 25 ° C, water – + 19… + 22 ° C. Fog and drizzle are faithful companions of the period from May to October. Cloudy weather is rare here.
Where to have fun
Mancora is one big party. The area of Malaya Mankora is the center of shops, restaurants, discos. The center is occupied by artesania – a vast market with an incredible assortment of handicrafts by local craftsmen. Arab tents are especially popular – a synthesis of a restaurant and a disco where hookahs are smoked.
Surfing
Surfers especially love this place for the good waves that Mancora is famous for from November to February. And if there is no wind, you can easily break into the neighboring beach of Cabo Blanco, which is 30 km to the north, where the wind is guaranteed to blow all year round. The wave tunnel is a landmark of the town of Lobitos, 60 km from Mancora to the south, here the wind is slanting, “squeezing”, and the waves reach 2 meters. Mancor has its own surf school. The initial course will cost 50-60 PEN per session. By the way, every year in March the best surfers of the world gather here to compete for the prestigious cup.
