Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [311]
Marlon (25-2437; Piura 520) The best general store; it sells phonecards and has several telephone booths.
Activities
There are remote, deserted beaches around Máncora; ask your hotel to arrange a taxi or give you directions by bus and foot, but be prepared to walk several kilometers.
SURFING & KITESURFING
Surf here is best from November to February, although good waves are found year-round and always draw dedicated surfers. In addition to Máncora, Los Organos, Lobitos, Talara and Cabo Blanco are popular surfing spots for experienced surfers. You can rent surfboards from several places at the southern end of the beach in Máncora (per day S15 to S20). Soledad (929-1356; Piura 316) sells boards, surf clothing and organizes lessons for about S60 per hour (including board rental). The friendly Pilar, at Laguna Camp (9-401-5628; www.vivamancora.com/lagunacamp), also does surf lessons for S60 for 90 minutes of instruction (including board rental). For something a little more extreme, you can get lessons in kitesurfing (per hour S120); ask about it at Del Wawa (25-8427; www.delwawa.com).
MUD BATHS
About 11km east of town, up the wooded Fernández valley, a natural hot spring (admission S2) has bubbling water and powder-fine mud – perfect for a face pack. The slightly sulfurous water and mud is said to have curative properties. The hot spring can be reached by mototaxi (S35 including waiting time).
TREKKING
To see some of the interior of this desert coast, hire a pickup (around S75, including waiting time) to take you up the Fernández valley, past the mud baths and on until the road ends (about 1½ hours). Continue for two hours on foot through mixed woodlands with unique birdlife to reach Los Pilares, which has pools ideal for swimming. You can also visit these areas as part of a tour.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Máncora Rent (Hospedaje Las Terrazas; 25-8351; Piura 496) rents off-road motorbikes (per hour/24 hours S18/95) as well as small quad bikes for teens (per hour S60) and jet skis (per 30 minutes S100). For transportation with a mind of its own, horses are available for hire along the beach for S18 per hour.
Tours & Guides
Ursula Behr from Iguana’s (9-853-5099; www.vivamancora.com/iguanastrips; Piura 245) organizes full-day trips to the Los Pilares dry forest, which include wading through sparkling waterfalls, swimming, horseback riding and a soak in the mud baths, for S90 per person. She’s also a professional rafting guide (she earned her stripes in Cuzco) and has set up a two-day class III river-running trip through the tropical forest at Rica Playa (per person about S300). Sea kayaking trips, ideal for bird-spotting, cost S110 per person for the day.
Sleeping
Rates for accommodations in Máncora are seasonal, with the January to mid-March high season commanding prices up to 50% higher than the rest of the year, especially at weekends. During the three major holiday periods (Christmas to New Year, Semana Santa and Fiestas Patrias) accommodations can cost triple the low-season rate, require multinight stays and be very crowded; this time is generally best avoided. High-season rates are given here. Many pricier hotels accept payment in US dollars.
BUDGET
Budget rooms are spendier here than other parts of the coast, but there are cheap beds in hospedajes in the center of town and the southern part of the beach. Most places offer triples and quad rooms for slightly less per person.
Hospedaje Don Carlos (25-8007; Piura 641; s/d S16/32) Of the many cheap places in the center of Máncora, this is among the best run, with helpful owners. Barely passable concrete rooms sleep two to six and have cold water showers and fans.
Laguna Camp (9-401-5628; www.vivamancora.com/lagunacamp; r per person S18) This laid-back pad is a hidden gem, sandwiched between the town’s lagoon and the ocean. Indonesian-style bamboo bungalows sit around a pleasant sandy garden right near the water and lots of swinging, shady hammocks will provide days of entertainment. There’s a small communal kitchen and the whole vibe is chilled and