If you’re interested in a hearty dose of Peruvian history, check out Pueblo Libre. Spend an afternoon wandering through the quiet colonial streets, sipping pisco in historic bars, paying homage at ancient crossroads, and, of course, allow plenty of time for the museums.

Pueblo Libre is a quiet residential area just a short taxi ride from Miraflores or Downtown, just north of Magdalena del Mar. Today its citizens are beginning to promote their tourist appeal, with signs like “No tocando el claxon tendremos mas Turismo … Al Turista Pueblo Libre conquista!” (“By not honking our horns we’ll attract more Tourism … Pueblo Libre will conquer the Tourist!”). More power to them: their little neighborhood kicks ass, and has done so for centuries.

Pueblo Libre was founded in the 16th century, but was renamed “Free Town” in 1821 by Jose de San Martín, the same year that Peru was declared independent from Spain. Simón Bolívar and San Martín both lived in Pueblo Libre, and Bolívar’s mansion today houses the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Peru

The NMAAHP (en-mop) is probably the best place to go if you’re interested in Peru’s history, and if you can only see one museum in Peru, this has my vote for its sheer comprehension. The museum has a concise and well-organized display of ancient Peruvian artifacts, and is laid out to take the visitor on a tour from ancient history through Conquest, Independence, and on to modern day. You can also visit a Bolívar’s home and see a collection of his weapons, desk, uniform, etc.

Lima: A Cultural History (Citiscapes)
by James Higgins

Entrance is S/.11.50 ($4) for adults, and a guide is available (highly recommended) for S/.15 ($5.75) in English and Spanish.

The Museo Rafael Larco Herrera is also located in the area. Their several permanent exhibitions include a chronological display of pre-Columbian artifacts, a Gold and Silver Gallery said to house the largest collection of jewelry of pre-Columbian Peru, and a popular gallery of Ancient Peruvian erotic pottery. It’s housed in a 17th-century vice-royal mansion. They’ve got a great photo gallery on their website, as well as having all 44101 pieces in their collection cataloged online.

When you get tired of museums, Pueblo Libre has some great little cafes, including the historic Antigua Taberna Queirolo, owned by the same people that produce those fine wines and piscos. Particularly if you’re interested in seeing old photos check out this place, as the walls are full of old black and white prints. (106 Av San Martin).

The Traveler’s Cross (Cruz del Viajero) is another famous bit of history. Made in Spain and placed by Franciscan monks in 1672, the cross was an important stop for travelers heading out on a long journey.

Want more? Check out En Peru, and Wayward Winos and more of Robert’s Photos.

Related posts:

1. A closer look at Lima: Magdalena del Mar
2. La Punta, Lima: migratory birds and daytripping humans
3. Photo Feb. 11th 2010: La Punta Wildlife Reserve Lima

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Most tourists who come to Lima stay in the Miraflores district, and for good reason. With its cliff-side mall, high-end shopping, skyscraper hotels and British pubs, Miraflores tries to have all the comforts of home. And while that can be fun, sometimes it’s nice to stay in a neighborhood that resembles, well, Lima.

Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be profiling some of Lima’s lesser-known neighborhoods. Go ahead, branch out!

This week: Magdalena del Mar

Magdalena was by far our favorite neighborhood in Lima, in part because of its great location (just a quick bus or taxi ride to Miraflores, the airport, or Downtown), and in part because of its quiet neighborly feel. Magdalena’s not a hopping place when it comes to nightclubs and sightseeing, but it’s the sort of place where your neighbors will greet you on the street, where old couples go out for an evening stroll, where neighborhood kids play impromptu fútbol games in quiet intersections.

Shopping

The Magdalena Market (on the streets Galvez and Bolognesi, just west of Sucre) fills up in the evenings with young couples and families. If you’re looking for discounted clothes, shoes and movies, forget about overpriced, touristy Polvos Azules (near downtown): Magdalena’s Market is the place the locals get them. The market is open daily. The best time to go for fresh produce is in the morning, but the best time to go for people-watching and clothes shopping is in the evening when the rest of the neighborhood goes out to promenade in the market’s boulevard.

Lima: A Cultural History (Citiscapes)
by James Higgins

For traditional Peruvian handicrafts, try the numerous Artisanal Markets along Av. La Marina, just north of the neighborhood (technically in Pueblo Libre, which we’ll talk about next week). There are all the usual suspects of crafts from all over the country, and it’s a great place to go to get your last-minute gifts. The prices are slightly higher than they would be in a smaller town, but they’re lower than the artisan shopping area of Miraflores.

Visit metal artist Mario Torres Sánchez at his shop El Quijote (Av. Sucre 1198 – you can’t miss the whimsical front gate). Torres Sánchez has been making fantastical junk sculptures (go browse those photos a minute—we’ll wait) since the sixties. His store is stuffed full of sculptures both small and large, and he’ll take a break from grinding and welding new fantasies to come show you around. The sculptures are affordable, though a splurge on a backpacker’s budget. This would be a great place to visit right before you get on that plane—you don’t want to lug something that heavy all around Peru. If you go nowhere else in Lima, go here!

Sights

Iglesia Inmaculada Corazón de Maria (corner of Sucre and 28 de Julio) is the neighborhood’s main landmark. The church’s unique 5-story teal and pink dome is visible from most of the neighborhood, especially at night when the church’s facade is brightly lit. It is topped with a statue of the Virgin Mary by Ariquepeño artist Freddy Luque Sonco.

Magdalena’s Malecón is a work in progress, and although it’s not as beautiful as Miraflores’, it can be a pleasant place for a walk in the sunset—just avoid young necking couples and the kids on bikes, as it seems to be a popular place to go when you’re learning to lose the training wheels (take that how you will).

Lima is stuffed with old temples, and Magdalena has one of their own, the Huaca Huantille (at the corner of 28 de Julio and Castilla). It was closed the day I went, so if you’d like more information kindly step on over to En Peru, where Stuart as usual has put together a fantastic report.

Good Eating

There’s a lot of little places all through Magdalena, but these were some of our favorites:

Speciale Cafe – 1229 Jr. Libertad. This cutesy old-time ice cream parlor serves up almost 20 different flavors, including frozen yogurt, and has some of the best espresso in Lima. My tips: get a cup of coffee and a scoop of Cappuccino ice cream to go in it. Rob’s tips: try everything first and then try the Magdalena flavor (with figs, nuts, and chopped cherries) again. They also sell little frozen bonbons that are divine.

Chifa Brasil – Corner of Brasil and Junin. Chifa is chifa is chifa, but this place became one of our favorites, particularly for the zesty-sweet Chicken Limon Kai, the frozen beers, and the great prices. They’ve also got a couple big TVs that they’re happy to turn to whatever game you’re itching to watch.

Lorenzo – Corner of Sucre and Salaverry. They have both a set menu and a la carte items, and though their set menu is a few soles more than most it’s incredibly delicious and filling. These guys also provide some of the best table service in all of Peru (which was a rare treat to find).

Campos de Vida Natural Foods – Corner of Ugarte and L. Prado. A little cafe and grocery store serving up homemade yogurt and integral breads, as well as Peruvian health foods like quinoa.

Candy (corner of Brasil and Cusco) – This is the closest grocery store, although a quick taxi ride will get you to the posh Vivanda on Av. Javier Prado, or the small Plaza Vea on Av. Brasil. Candy is pretty bare-bones, but it’ll get you what you need. The produce section is a bit wilty, but why are you shopping for produce in a grocery store when you should be at the Magdalena Market?

Backpackers Accommodation

Tambopacaya Backpackers
Jr. Manco Capac 212, Magdalena del Mar
Tel: (+51 1) 261-6122 | Cel: (+51 1) 99714-5926
Has wi-fi, computer access, kitchen access, can arrange airport pickup.
Dorm – $7, single room $10, double/matrimonial $20.

For the record, this review will be totally biased. We stayed with Scott for about three weeks at the end of our trip, and he was amazing to us. We will forever recommend Tambopacaya shamelessly as the best hostel in Lima, and probably in the world.

Tambopacaya is like being at home. Our first morning there, Scott refused to let us leave without a cup of coffee and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. He speaks very little English, but he’s so expressive in his speaking that even those who are just learning Spanish (like Rob) can understand him. The hostel is really just a transformed home, with decent-sized rooms tucked into many different spaces, a Peruvian hairless dog (Daiya), a monkey living on the roof, and a radio that’s always playing Golden Oldies. Relax on the front porch with a beer, watch old Spanish Westerns on the shaky little TV, or pass the evening chatting with Scott. He’ll be happy to show you around the neighborhood, give you bus directions and recommendations, and just all-around be a gracious host.

Magdalen House
Jr Ayacucho 778, Magdalena del Mar
Tel: (+51 1) 461 6768
Has wi-fi, computer access, can arrange airport pickup
Dorm – $6, single room $15, double/matrimonial $20.

Magdalen House is a more traditional backpacker hostel that was built actually for that purpose. It seems quiet enough, with nice common areas and clean, new rooms. The staff is quite friendly, and their website is well done and full of helpful information on the area. Magdalen House can also do airport and bus reservations for you.

Megamar Hotel
Av. Sucre 175 (corner of Sucre and Diego Ferré)
Tel: (+51 1) 263-6081
Matrimonial room – $25-30

Megamar is a new hotel with a view of the ocean, and a great spot for an inexpensive splurge. For only a few dollars more than the average matrimonial room in a Lima hostel you can have a view of the ocean, huge, nicely decorated rooms with HUGE beds, a reasonably priced minibar, cute little tables and huge windows. The staff is extremely helpful and sweet. The hotel has only been open for one year, and they’re putting in a pool and a sauna, which should be open soon. They’re right above the Parrilleria Brisas & Brisas, a reasonably priced restaurant offering grills and ceviches. The service was pretty slow, but the food was tasty.

Related posts:

1. Magdalena, Lima Peru: Nuts and Bolts
2. A closer look at Lima: Pueblo Libre
3. La Punta, Lima: migratory birds and daytripping humans

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This is the last article in a four-part series on the fishing-and-surfing village of Huanchaco, Peru: how to find long-term housing.

Check out Part 1 (Introduction to Huanchaco), Part 2 (Surfing in Huanchaco), and Part 3 (Volunteering in Huanchaco).

Living in Huanchaco

If you can’t tell by how much time we’ve spent talking about it, Huanchaco is a great place. There are basically two options for long-term accommodation: staying in a hostel or renting a room. Whether you’re in need of a base camp for surf trips up the coast, wanting to volunteer in the nearby area, or just needing a break from traveling, here’s a guide to finding “home” in Huanchaco.

Hospedajes and Hostals

Huanchaco is home to many great cheap housing options. What is offered everywhere varies wildly, but the best options have a private, secure room with kitchen access and wifi.

Note that prices rise dramatically after December 15th as Huanchaco swings into high season. Rooms more than double in price at some places, and long-term housing can be harder to come by. If you arrive a few weeks early you’ll be able to lock in better rates.

DORM: beds for 10-15 soles a night (US $3-5). Discounts for longer stays can be pretty minimal, but go ahead and ask. A few places also offer use of the kitchen, including Chill Out (324 Los Pinos), Las Camelias (348 Las Camelias), and McCallum Lodging House (305 Los Ficus).

PRIVATE ROOM: Rooms range from S/.350-500 (US $125-180) a person, with better discounts for couples or pairs of friends. Prices vary wildly, and in the low season couples can find rooms with kitchen access, private bath and wifi from S/.400 (US $145) for two people.

Most hostals are located in the area of Los Pinos/Los Ficus. There are smaller options in the back streets throughout the city, and it may be easier to negotiate a lower monthly rate here.

Questions to keep in mind:

• Do you want to cook? Restaurants in Huanchaco are pretty inexpensive so long as you stay away from the seafood joints on the malecón, but kitchen access can be invaluable.
• How much privacy (and security) do you want? If you’re looking for some time alone search out something off the main strip. You can always stop by the livelier places for a beer.
• If you’re looking to meet people, look for something with a good common area. My Friend (533 Los Pinos) and Casa Suiza (308 Los Pinos) both have busy restaurants that attract partiers, while and others such as Chill Out and McCallum Lodging House have more mellow common areas that attracts fellowship.

Apartment

This is a harder section to write, since there are so many different options. Every week it seemed as though there were new signs advertising rooms for rent on doors and telephone poles.

Some are merely a room in a house, but there are great deals to be had for apartments. The best are rented furnished (amoblado).

Rob and I showed up from an overnight bus and had an apartment by 5 that afternoon. Basically we just walked down the main strip and asked respectable-looking business-owners (mostly surf-shop guys) if they knew of anywhere we could stay. Everyone made the effort to actually walk us to the location and introduce us personally to the people renting the place.

We were shown everything from a windowless room in an unfinished house (S/.600 a month) to a damp room in the back of a surf shop, to totally unfinished apartment (S/.400 a month if we’d help work on the place). We ended up in a fully furnished two-bedroom place with our own entrance, 6 blocks from the beach (about as far as you can get in Huanchaco), a kitchen, and a front porch. Total costs: S/.455 ($158) a month, including spotty wifi, electricity, and water.

If you decide to stay

• FOOD: Go to the market on Calle Manco Capac in the mornings for fresh fruits and vegetables, and most anything else you’d need. There are supermarkets in Trujillo, but try to support the little guys in the community you’ll be calling home.
• WATER: Save waste, money, and headaches by getting a 20-liter water bottle. For a deposit you can buy these at almost any corner bodega. You can also call for water delivery―ask at any restaurant or hostel for a recommendation.
• BUSES: Taking the bus into Trujillo is only S/.1.50 (US $0.50). There are four lines (A, B, H, and H with a heart). B goes north of the city on España, A goes south, and the two H buses head into the neighborhoods farther south of the city center. The combis of the same letter follow the same route. See Trujillo Nuts and Bolts
• MONEY: There are two ATMs by the municipality building on the waterfront, but both charge a pretty hefty withdrawal fee. Your best bet is to go into Trujillo and use a Banco Credito del Peru ATM. But remember that most small businesses in Huanchaco won’t have change for larger bills like 50’s and 100’s. Try to change those in Trujillo.
• BEER: If you enjoy a beer now and again (and have a fridge), the best deal is to buy a case of Trujillo for S/.36 (US $13), plus a S/.14 deposit on the bottles and the crate. Go to 406 Los Cedros (look for the big Trujillo sign) for your own personal beer case.

Related posts:

1. This is Huanchaco, Part 1
2. This is Huanchaco, Part 2: Surfing
3. This is Huanchaco, Part 3: Volunteering

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This is the third article in a four-part series on the fishing-and-surfing village of Huanchaco, Peru: Volunteer Opportunities. Be sure to join us next week to find out what to do if you fall in love and decide to rent an apartment in this town where five blocks from the ocean is considered by locals as too long of a walk.

Did you miss the introduction to Huanchaco (part 1), or surfing in Huanchaco (part 2)?

Why volunteer in Huanchaco?

Huanchaco’s proximity to Peru’s third largest city, Trujillo, makes it a good base if you’re looking to spend a few months (or even just a few weeks) making a difference in someone’s life. Trujillo has seen its population grow rapidly in the last few decades as impoverished rural farmers moved there looking for work, and the pueblos jovenes (young towns) that they built on the city’s edge often still lack basic infrastructure.

Enter Trujillo’s many NGOs, and the volunteers that keep them running. In this article, I’ve only included NGOs that we’ve had personal contact with, or which have been referred to us. If I’ve missed anything, give us a shout in the comments.

Fairmail

Free to volunteer. Fairmail is based out of Holland, and also has a branch in India. The goal of the program is to provide impoverished kids a focused activity, as well as a reasonably good income from the postcards they sell. Volunteers teach photography to a group of about 10 kids from ages 13-17, taking them on local field trips, teaching theory, and helping to choose the photos that will go on the postcards. The program is honestly and efficiently run by Renato Nuñez and Cynthia Vega (Cynthia is an ex-Fairmail student herself).

For some of the kids it’s a step towards a career in photography or design, for others it’s a way to pay for school and clothing and help support their families. For each postcard sold, 50% of the profits go into a fund for the student, which pays for anything from laptops to electricity and roofs for their homes.

You need to speak Spanish in order to interact with the kids. Long-term commitments are preferred.

More information: Website (You can order cards from the site if you can’t make it to Trujillo to volunteer) and Volunteer page

Mundo del Niños

Free to volunteer. Mundo del Niños is both a program for street kids and a home for boys whose families can’t support them. While living in the home, the boys get to see their families regularly, and are fed, clothed, and sent to school. From the website: “The boys placed in the home aren’t orphans, but almost all come from broken families living in the most absolute poverty.”

Ask for email addresses of former volunteers before you commit. It can be extremely hard to get the real characteristic of an organization through email communication. If you’re looking to volunteer for resume experience, be wary if an organization promises to provide you with a position that’s just too perfect a fit (especially if you’re paying them a fee). That said, keep in mind that this is Peru, and expect a fair amount of communicational chaos. Many volunteer opportunities in Huanchaco can best be described as “do-it-yourself:” be prepared to be your own boss most of the time.

The boys participate in the program’s candle-making workshop, and sell the candles in the nearby artisan markets. A few of the boys are also Fairmail students.

You need to speak Spanish to volunteer with them, and they have a minimum requirement of one month. Volunteers help with tasks around the home, supervise on outings with the boys, and also help the organization with their work with street children. They have two locations, in Huanchaco and Trujillo.

More information: Website.

Espaanglisch Language School

One-time administrative fee of $30 US. Espaanglisch provides English language classes to the childeren of El Porvenir, an impoverished neighborhood north of Trujillo, providing quality education to those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it. The idea behind the program is that English proficiency is a gateway out of poverty for many, who can find better jobs in tourism and other industries.

It’s helpful to speak some Spanish in order to volunteer, and they have a minimum requirement of one calendar month.

More information: Website

Supporting Kids In Peru (SKIP)

SKIP charges a contribution fee, which includes accommodation. SKIP works with kids in Trujillo’s El Porvenir neighborhood to make sure they have access to good education, and offers holistic support to families in order to help them improve their current situation through education of their children and to achieve social and economic stability.

They have various positions available working with kids as English teachers, nursery program instructors, or specialist instructors in their workshops, as well as a need for longer-term volunteers in administrative positions. Spanish is helpful for many of the volunteer positions, and a minimum of one month is required.

More information: Website, Volunteer Page, and Child Sponsorship.

Otra Cosa

Otra Cosa charges a contribution fee, and can help you find accommodation. Unlike other programs listed here, Otra Cosa is a volunteer agency that helps volunteers find placement in various projects. Because it is a placement agency, results can be a mixed bag, but they’re a good way to find smaller programs that don’t have the resources to get high up in the Google hits.

That said, they’re based locally and do have a good relationship with the programs they place people in.

Note: There is a delicious vegetarian restaurant of the same name on the north end of the malecón. They have fantastic coffee and falafal, and the owner, Barry, is a great resource. The restaurant and the placement agency were once affiliated, but no longer.

More information: Website

Thinking of volunteering elsewhere in South America? Here are a few websites to get you started:

Volunteer South America.net: free and low cost volunteer opportunities.
Heddwen’s Blog: more information about volunteer organizations in Trujillo.
Volunteer South America.com: a well-organized list of programs with small local organizations.
La Vida Idealist: a blog for and by volunteers in South America.

Related posts:

1. This is Huanchaco, Part 1
2. This is Huanchaco, Part 2: Surfing
3. This is Huanchaco, Part 4: Housing

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This is the second article in a four-part series on the fishing-and-surfing village of Huanchaco, Peru. Join us over the next few weeks to find out more about the two things that draw foreign travelers to Huanchaco—surfing and volunteering—and what to do if you fall in love and decide to rent an apartment in this town where five blocks from the ocean is considered by locals as too long of a walk.

Did you miss Part 1?


There are many who would claim that the Mochica fishermen of Huanchaco were the world’s original surfers, riding the waves on their caballitos de totora (“little reed horses”). While this may be debated, the Mochica’s legacy is living on in Peru’s growing role in surfing tourism. From the little-known beaches far from civilization to the crowded waves of Mancora and Lima, surfers won’t have a hard time finding the perfect fit.

Huanchaco draws its fair share of Peru’s surf tourists. With up to 7 left-breaking and 2 right-breaking waves of various skill levels, it’s a great place for both beginner and intermediate students, and a good jumping-off point for daytrips to more advanced waves like Chicama (the world’s longest left) and Lobitos.

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The lay of the ocean

Huanchaco’s malecón (boardwalk) follows the gently-curving beach, divided into north and south by the muelle (pier). Armies of surfers in gray wetsuits stomp barefoot along the sidewalk; some are old pros heading out to the more challenging southern waves, others are new students sticking to the sheltered waters of Playa la Curva just north of the muelle, grappling with their boards, leashes dangling awkwardly.

And among them all, darting through traffic with small boards tucked under their arms, bare-chested and impervious to the cold, local kids dive without hesitation into the waves of la Curva.

On the malecón you’ll find restaurant after restaurant serving delicious fresh fish during the day and parrilleras at night. Just look for the chef stoking the coals of an iron grill in the street: they’ll grill up just about anything you want, from fillet mignon to the day’s catch.

The malecón is also home to Huanchaco’s constantly shifting array of surfshops. They all run a similar rate: S/.40 ($15) for a lesson and S/.25 ($9) for a day’s gear rental. The lessons include: board, wetsuit, instructor, and full-day rental so you can go out later if you like.

Most of the surf shops have a similar carefree vibe with varying levels of attention, expertise, equipment and professionalism. Ask around and trust your gut as to whom you want to give your money and time, but there are two shops that stand out above the rest: Muchik Surf School and Indigan Surf School.

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Muchik Surf School

This tiny shop is run by three of eight Huamanchumo siblings; brothers Chicho and Omar are the surf instructors and sister Margarita is the backbone of the operation. Chicho and Omar have been in Peru’s surf scene for decades, and their experience has helped them create a teaching method that gets students on their feet the first lesson, or their money back. Lessons offered in both English and Spanish.

Muchik (named after the language of the Chimu culture) sits in the elbow of the malecón, just a few blocks north of the muelle. You’ll know it by the red-brick front porch and thatched roof, and, if Chicho’s there, by the bicycle with a custom surf-board rack parked out front. Chicho and Omar have been teaching lessons and winning competitions since the 80’s, though they’ve only been in this location for about three years.

Their price per lesson is S/.40 ($15), with a volunteer discount. The price includes video and photography (make sure to request this), so that you can examine your technique once you’re done with the lesson.

The Huamanchumos are among the oldest families in Huanchaco, and if history is your thing, Chicho can talk your ear off. He also repairs and shapes boards in his rooftop shop.

—

Indigan Surf School

Indigan is set a bit off the main road on Av. Dean Saavedra, with a view overlooking the ocean. This comfortable surf shop is run out of the Urcia family home by two of the Urcia brothers, Jhon and Giancarlos. They’ve been open for about six years, and they have an impressive amount of experience and professionalism for their youth. Lessons offered in both Spanish and English.

Giancarlos has been surfing for 16 years, and it shows in how knowledgeable he is about equipment, and how dedicated he is to the betterment, safety, and enjoyment of his students.

Their price per lesson is the standard S/.40 ($15), with a discount for volunteers. If you’ll be around town for a while, however, Indigan also offers a monthly package of S/300 ($110) which includes five lessons, unlimited equipment rental, and backup support.

Indigan also offers homestays in the rooms behind the shop, and if surf school students get hungry in between the morning and afternoon sessions, Mama Urcia will cook up an economical menú lunch.

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Surfing beyond Huanchaco

Footprint Surfing the World: (Footprint Activity Guide)
by Chris Nelson

Both surf shops also offer custom trips to nearby surf spots like Pacasmayo, Puerto Chicama, and Puemape, all of which have only minimal tourism infrastructure.

For more information on the surrounding beaches, and other surf beaches in Peru, check out these links:

• Global Surfers’ Peru Page
• Olas Peru Surf Travel
• Peru Surf Guides

Curious about what it’s like to surf on a caballito de totora? Watch Omar Huamanchumo of Muchik Surf School:

Want to do some good during your time in Huanchaco? Join us next week to find out about volunteer opportunities in the area.

Related posts:

1. This is Huanchaco, Part 1
2. This is Huanchaco, Part 4: Housing
3. This is Huanchaco, Part 3: Volunteering

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This is the first article in a four-part series on the fishing-and-surfing village of Huanchaco, Peru. Most days you’d never know you were 30 minutes to Trujillo, Peru’s third-largest city when walking Huanchaco’s nearly-empty beach and crumbling colonial backstreets, but on summer weekends the malecón (boardwalk) explodes with Peruvian tourists and foreign surfers. While its position in the Humboldt Current makes the water cooler and the skies cloudier than its famous northern neighbor Mancora, it also thins down the crowds to people serious about their surfing and their relaxing.



Join us over the next few weeks to find out more about the two things that draw foreign travelers to Huanchaco—surfing and volunteering—and what to do if you fall in love and decide to rent an apartment in this town where five blocks from the ocean is considered by locals as too long of a walk.

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Origin Story



Muchik Surf School sits in the elbow of Huanchaco’s malecón (boardwalk). The red-brick porch is a great place to watch the flow of people on a lazy afternoon, and an even better place to dry stacks of surfboards. Inside, Margarita Huamanchumo shares her office space with another dozen surfboards, a scale model of Huanchaco’s famous pier and Ro, the cat, who stretches lazily from his perch on top of the model as we talk.

Margarita is the informational face of Muchik, and her brothers Chicho and Omar are the “profe-surfs.” Together, Chicho and Margarita tell me the story of how Huanchaco was founded.

They say that the god Naylamp was sailing down the coast with his warriors, discovering new places and founding new cities. When he came to the peninsula of Huanchaco, he saw that the cove was filled with abuntant and delicious fish that they had never seen before.

Naylamp and his warriors made an offering to Mamacocha and Pachamama and called the place Wuankarute, which in Muchik means: “The Lagoon of the Golden Fish.” Naylamp went on to found other cities, but three warriors stayed to found the village of Huanchaco, and the civilizations of the Mochica and Chimu.

The warriors were Guaman-Chumum, Shilmaza, and one other whose line has disappeared. The descendents of Shilmaza live now in Huanchaquito (just up the coast) and those of Guaman-Chumum, or Huamanchumo, (“El-ave-que-vuela, The-bird-that-flies,” interjects Margarita), now run a surf school in Huanchaco.

Two Huanchacos



Recent years have seen a boom in Huanchaco’s tourism development, both for the Peruvians escaping to the coast and for the foreigners who come to surf. Hotels mushroom out of vacant lots, and the streetscape daily changes as stacks of bricks and cement-mixing piles move from location to location.

On summer weekends, Huanchaco is a sunny tourist resort town, a playground for local Peruvian tourists snapping photos of the local native fishermen, who still ply the waves in their caballitos de totora (little reed horses). On these weekends, the fishermen make a good portion of their earnings by ferrying tourists through the chilly waves at S/.5 ($ 1.75 US) a ride.

On the weekdays, however, the empty beach is strewn with nets as the fishermen check them for holes and mend them with wooden shuttles wrapped with translucent green filament. The ceviche restaurants are nearly empty, and the lone ice cream vendor on the curb hardly bothers to solicit the few people who wander by.



The tourism boom since the 80’s has drastically affected the little fishing village, both physically as marshes were drained to build hotel complexes and mentally as the influx of outsiders loosened the tight-knit community. Coky Burmester de Prieto remembers the days of her childhood in the 60’s, when “las puertas siempre estaban abiertas, the doors were always open.” Coky and her family lived in nearby Trujillo, but moved to their summer home in Huanchaco every January. Coky laughs. “I could walk into my friend’s house, open the fridge and make myself lunch just like it was my own home.”

Although crime is still next to nonexistent here, the general paranoia that haunts small towns exposed to the world makes itself known in the broken glass-topped walls and iron-barred windows, in the bodegas that operate through the grates on their doorways. “Thirty years ago, people slept with their doors open,” says Margarita Huamanchumo. “But in the ’80’s vandals began to come out and steal the fish that people left outside, and they would enter the houses to rob people.” The idyllic village was transformed, thrust into the tourism limelight.

Filling in the Totorales

Margarita pulls out a piece of paper and sketches me a map, a skinny triangle that is Huanchaco. “Here, where the stadium was, that was a laguna [lake]. People would keep their pigs in the reeds there, like a natural pen.” She draws a square near the center. “Here, in this bodega across the plazuela, there was another pool where people got their drinking water. When they filled in the lagunas and built these buildings, the water kept rising, and it swamped them. Eventually they built the drain into the ocean, so that the lagunas would stay gone.”

Huanchaco’s iconic fishermen build their caballitos de totora from the reeds that once grew in these lagunas. Today, all that remains are a few symbolic pools in the square Margarita has drawn for me, and the declining totorales (reed marshes) to the north of Huanchaco.

The government authority tried to fill in those totorales, as well, Margarita tells me. She has a small look of triumph on her face. “They tried to build houses there, but again the water rose and swamped the homes, so they gave up.” Today all that remains are the unfinished walls rising from the marsh, identical square walls half-finished and crumbling. They were never inhabited.

Always a Resort Town

Foreign tourism for surfing may only have arrived in the last decades, but Huanchaco has always been a resort town. Coky Burmester de Prieto and her sister Silvey Burmester rush over each other to relate the shenanigans they got into as children during summers in Huanchaco. They recall a time that sounds like a Jane Austen novel: an exclusive resort town, night gatherings at the pier with hot chocolate and cookies, day-long picnic outings to the Cerro de la Virgen (Hill of the Virgen) where they would find Chimu and Mochica arrowheads, ceramics, and jewelry.

Some aspects of their childhood remain Huanchaco tradition, such as the rich fish dishes, the chicharron de pescado, causa and ceviche that are still dished up in the restaurants along the malecón.



Something else will sound familiar to today’s tourists, as well:

“Fuimos a surfiar, tambien, we went surfing, as well,” Coky says. “Well, not surfing, but on pechitos [body boards]. We loved it, boys and girls both, we’d always say ‘vamos a correr pechito.’” She laughs, and mimes holding a board in front of her, pushing into the waves. “‘Vamos a correr pechito!’ We went out into Playa La Curva, just north of the pier. The waves were strong there, sometimes the boys would lose their shorts in the waves, it was so strong.”

Changing Lifestyles



Local children still bodyboard in the waves of Playa La Curva (the same beach that the Huamanchumos and their fellow surf instructors take beginning surfers). While the foreigners wade timidly into the water stuffed into wetsuits and booties, the children splash in wearing nothing but bathing suits, oblivious to the cold.

On the beach, the fishermen haul in their caballitos, aware that they may be the last of their generation as their children leave for university, and jobs in bigger cities. But Margarita still sees tourism as an improvement. “For good or for bad the children of the fisherman don’t keep the tradition. Not all, but many of them go to school and study, and they leave.” She shrugs. “But also the pueblo has advanced, it’s become semi-modernized. There are still a few things missing, but all in all we’ve made a new life with tourism.”

For better or for worse, the fishermen with their caballitos and the surf instructors with their tablas hawaianas (Hawaiian boards) will continue to draw tourists from Peru and from abroad. “People come for cultural tourism,” Margarita said. “They come to see the caballitos and the fishermen, to see how they work.”

It’s not a lifestyle that will be lost easily, so long as the ocean continues to provide the golden fish for the fishermen’s living, and the nine point breaks that draw surfers from the world around.

Join us next week to learn just why Huanchaco has built up a reputation as a surfer’s paradise.

Related posts:

1. This is Huanchaco, Part 2: Surfing
2. This is Huanchaco, Part 4: Housing
3. This is Huanchaco, Part 3: Volunteering

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