This paradise beach is located two and a half hours from Piura city. It includes beaches and coves, such as Colan, Punta Sal, Totoritas, Las Pocitas and Cape Blanco, amongst others. It has become a very attractive place to visit in recent times due to the abundance of things to do in Mancora, such as visiting the beautiful Punta Sal or simply enjoying the ocean by surfing in Mancora.
Mancora is characterized by its light beige and semi-orange sandy beaches, its crystal bluish green water during the summer, and its turquoise water during the winter. There are sandy hills, incredible wildlife, and tropical savannas a few kilometres from the coast.
It’s a popular tourist beach and a fisherman area. In recent years, it has become a beach frequently visited by Peruvian and foreign surfers. Mancora has a dry-tropical climate, which is not as humid as other tropical regions but always very hot. It is ideal for diving and surfing. Below is our Mancora travel guide with information on all the best things to do, places to go and what not to miss.
SURFING – Mancora is one of the best places to practice this sport. Here you’ll find really good waves, and even if you’re not an expert you can take a few beginners lessons.
ZIP LINE – If you like extreme sports and you don’t mind leaving the beach for a few hours, this is a good option for you. It is located at the plantation 'La Caprichosa', just half an hour from Mancora. Here there’s 4 lines, and for a total of 1600 metres! You can also do wall climbing and an adventure course. If you fancy something more relaxing, there’s 57 species of birds to spot, including white hawks and woodpeckers!
RIDE A HORSE BY THE SHORE – People like to see the sunset sitting on the sand or from the balconies of their hotel rooms, but an even better option is to watch it whilst riding on a horse and seeing all the animals in the ocean, which normally show up early in the morning or at night.
DIVE THE DEEP OCEAN AND DISCOVER A NEW WORLD – Don’t settle with just the surface of the ocean, diving is a great activity to see turtles and a variety of fish. There are many professional schools with all levels which can help you with a few lessons.
RENT A JET SKI – Go and explore the deep sea, ride on the ocean and enjoy a different view of the coast.
VISIT PUNTA SAL – Just 30km from Mancora is Punta Sal. You can hire a quad bike and go to a beautiful small beachside town a bit further up the coast. Less touristy than Mancora, it’s great for a few days to chill out.
MANGROVES EXCURSION – Just 2 hours from Mancora is the Mangroves National Sanctuary of Tumbes. This is a beautiful, protected aquatic environment with forests, and here you’ll find 2,972 hectares of mangroves. Many creatures live off these mangroves, and you may see a raccoon, or the endangered crocodile of Tumbes. Enjoy the amazing view from a boat on the river and see more than 200 species of birds in this area, at some point you can walk around and see other species such as red crab.
*** WHAT NOT TO MISS ***
Surfing in Mancora.
Go Diving.
Visit Punta Sal.
The northern seafood of Peru is one of the most varied of the coast as it has the privilege of having the two currents throughout the year: Humbodlt (a cold current) and El Niño (a hot current). The result is delicious seafood dishes like ceviche prepared with grouper, swordfish and shrimp, among other delicacies.
For first-class food, go to La Sirena d'Juan (Av Piura 316): the menu is delightful, and includes dishes such as curry, lomo saltado, risotto, octopus, and fish of the day. Though a little more expensive than the average place in Mancora, the food is so good you'll be tempted to come back the following day!
The nights in Mancora are always very intense. There are many bars and clubs in Mancora which are usually the most frequented by young tourists from around the world. On the other hand, Mamiferos (Av Piura 344) is a great place to enjoy pizza and a few drinks in a nice atmosphere.
Mancora has a tropical warm climate with an average of 26 degrees Celsius. The hottest months are from December to April (temperatures can easily reach 35 degrees Celsius), and are characterized by light rain in the night. From June to September, the nights are cool, windy and the minimum temperature drops to 17 degrees Celsius. Spring (November and December) and autumn (May and June) maintains temperatures between 30 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius respectively.
You can arrive by bus or by plane.
If you’re coming from Lima by bus is 17 hours.
By plane it's 1 hour 40 minutes to Piura, then you have to take another form of transport to Mancora, which is 2 hours and 30 minutes away. From here, the cheapest way is in a minibus, otherwise a normal bus is your best (and more comfy!) option, as a taxi will set you back around 200 soles.
If you’re coming from Ecuador it is 7 hours by bus from the border of Cuenca.
An abundance of hostels and small guesthouses are around the Boulevard and next to the sea. Loki del Mar (Av Piura 262) is the place to go if you want to meet new people and have a good time. This is a party hostel with a pool and bar, but there's also the opportunity to relax, with plenty of hammocks, and just a stone's throw away from the beach.
If you’re looking for a place away from all the partying, try going south to Las Pocitas, a small beach just 10 minutes from Mancora. Here you’ll find a variety of hotels.
As any other touristic place always be aware of your belongings.
Make sure that the sea food that you will eat is fresh otherwise you will get food poisoning.
Use a lot of sunblock, the sun is very strong.
Use repellent, especially at nights because of the mosquitos.
