A backpacker favourite, Peru’s coastline is up and coming, but still wonderfully undeveloped. This, combined with warm weather all year round, is great if you’d like a few days of R & R after a hectic Peruvian adventure. Think sleepy fishing villages with excellent seafood, fantastic surfing (the locals maintain the sport originated here, having invented reed surf boards), and dune buggy rides in the flanking desert. For stylish beach bums in search of a luxury surfing pad, check out the DCO Suites in Máncora.
With year-round sunshine and golden-hued stretches of sand, Máncora is Peru's most enticing beach destination. With fantastic surfing (the locals insist that the sport originated here, having invented reed surf boards), and dune buggy rides in the flanking desert, there's plenty of adventure to be had. However, if it's a few days of rest and relaxation you're after, you've come to the right place. The beach at Máncora sprawls for several kilometres and is peppered with an array of seafood restaurants and lively bars.
Trujillo is one of the three biggest cities in Peru and located on the northern stretch of the central coast. Founded in 1534 by the Spanish, Trujillo is now a key town on the Peru tourist trail, with loads of museums (Museo de Arte Moderno de Trujillo is a great contemporary art museum) and archaeological sites in and around the city.
There are around 3,500 archaeological sites in the valley outside Trujillo, including the Moche Pyramids, the famous Chan Chan ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and El Brujo, an archaeological complex with fantastic views of both the coast and the mountains.
The Huanchaco beach on the Pacific coast is a lovely spot to watch the fisherman pulling in their catch of the day from traditional reed boats - make sure you take the time to sample some of the seafood for yourself - and surfing the great waves that hit the coast.
