Mancora beach resort in Peru

Mancora is a small town on the Northern coast of Peru, which is becoming popular as a destination for surfing and  those who want to escape to a relaxing beach bungalow.

Mancora is still a relatively undeveloped resort with a population of around 9,000 the main businesses are fishing and tourism. Estimates are that in 2005 there were 340,000 tourists. Although there are hotels with tv and air-conitioning if you want them, there are also small and intimate bungalows with just the basics to let you really relax.

Getting to Mancora involves a long bus trip from Lima along the coastal Pan-American Highway, which takes about 18 hours, so you will have to travel overnight. I would really recommend getting a 1st class reclining seat with either Cruz del Sur or Oltursa.

A faster way to get there is to fly to Tumbes with Lan Peru (about 1 hour 45 minutes) and then get a taxi or a bus to Mancora (approx 1 hour 30 minutes by road) although the flights are quite late so you might have to stay one night in Tumbes.

Las Balsas, Mancora. Pool or the beach...?

There are many different beaches in the Mancora area. Some are better for surfing, some are full of rocks and have many interesting rock pools full of life.

The Pan American Highway running through Mancora

Some people predict that in the future Mancora will be a very busy beach resort, similar to the Costas in Spain but at the moment it’s a quiet place to enjoy a relaxing holiday.

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Sunset in Pocitas, beaches near Macora in the North of Peru

Peru has 1400 miles of coastline and many beaches. I used to live in the South of Peru, where beaches are nice during the Summer but in the Winter the weather can be very gloomy. Some small towns are like ghost towns during the winter months and in the summer they are full of people visiting the beaches.

Beach Lounge at Bungalows Soleil, Los Organos, Mancora

In the north of Peru however there are lovely beaches where even in the Winter the minimun temperature is about 25 C, and in the summer it’s very hot. These places used to be empty desert but some entrepreneurs decided to set up hotels in the 1980′s. They started by planting palm trees, then building the hotels and now there are many hotels along the different beaches (Mancora, Pocitas, Vichayito, Punta Veleros, Punta Sal, etc). Mancora is now a popular resort for surfers (we have some world class surfers like Sofia Mulanovich, a descendant of Croatian immigrants).

Me enjoying the pool at Bungalows Las Balsas, Pocitas, near Mancora

The hotels have all the facilities and lovely swimming pools and are cheaper than going to the Caribbean (especially during low season) and it’s very easy to get there, just get a bus and go. If you are a tourist visiting from Lima it’s about 18 hours by bus to Mancora. There is an airport as well not far from there (Tumbes) which is about two hours to the lovely beaches.

Middle class people from Lima and another parts of Peru can go there all year round and it’s extremely busy during the Summer and holidays like Easter, New Year, etc.