CITIES

PIURA

- Piura
- Cabo Blanco
- Bayovar-Nonura

Piura is such a merry city that its inhabitants talk in singsong tones. It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the first Spanish city in Peru, San Miguel de Piura, in 1532. The city's colonial churches house valuable collections of colonial art, while the town of Catacaos is famous for its fine straw and cotton arts and crafts, gold and silver filigree and delicious dishes served up at local eateries called picanterías.
The coastal stretch of the department of Piura provides a variety of circuits for visitors. Near Tumbes lies Mancora, a beach resort with pure white sand and a tranquil sea. Further south is Cabo Blanco, an ideal spot for surfing as it boasts some of the best waves in the Pacific Ocean. Cabo Blanco was famous amongst the US jetset in the 1950s for its world records in deepsea fishing, which attracted regular visitors such as novelist Emest Hemingway. Colán is the beach resort for the city of Piura, a resort where the homes stand on stilts by the sea. The town of Chulucanas, famous for its superb pottery lies higher up in the Piura highlands. The province of Huancabamba, meanwhile, is home to Las Huaringas, a chain of lakes whose waters are believed to have medical properties. The area is the capital of folk healing and traditional medicine.

Any time of year, is a good time to soak in the Piura sun and taste the local fermented maize beer chicha de jora. Visitors can gaze out over the Sechura desert, the largest in Perú, and practice water sports on rivers and lakes

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CABO BLANCO

Cabo Blanco, located in the department of Piura, is widely held to feature the best left-breaking wave in Peru. A rapid and short wave (which makes a quick take-off obligatory) and one of the best tubes in the country can reach a height of 4 meters (13 feet), although normally it ranges from 2-3 meters (6-10 feet). The best time for surfing is from November to December. It is also a dangerous wave as it breaks over a reef, which becomes more exposed when sweils wash away the sand. Wave frequency depends directly on sweils coming from the nortn (generated in the North Pole which pass through Hawaii).

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BAYOVAR-NONURA

The wave that breaks at Bayóvar-Nonura, located in the department of Piura, is a classic wave, running long and leftward reaching a height of up to 3 meters (10 feet). Surfers say it resembles a train for its size and force. Access to the point involves a tough paddle out against strong currents. The beach has swells generally during summer.

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