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vibrant Afro-Peruvian music heard in the peñas (bars and clubs featuring live folkloric music) of the El Carmen district, about 15km outside town. The best times to visit are during the cultural festival of Verano Negro (late February/early March), Fiestas Patrias (National Independence, in late July) and La Virgen del Carmen de Chincha (the festival in honor of the patron Virgin, on December 27). During these times, minibuses run from Chincha to El Carmen all night long, and the peñas are full of frenzied limeños and locals dancing. One traditional dance not to try at home: ‘El Alcatraz,’ when a gyrating male dancer with a candle attempts to set fire to a handkerchief attached to the back of his partner’s skirt.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

In ancient times, the small Chincha empire long flourished in this region until it was clobbered by the Incas in the late 15th century. The best surviving archaeological sites in the area are Tambo de Mora, on the coast about 10km from Chincha, and the temple of La Centinela northwest of the city, about 8km off Carr Panamericana Sur. Both can be visited by taxi (about S15 one-way).

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AFRO-PERUVIAN MUSIC & DANCE

The mesmerizing beats and lightning-speed movements of this traditional art form are guaranteed to make you want to get up and dance. During the colonial period, when Spanish colonizers banned the use of drums, African slaves working on Peruvian plantations began using hollow wooden crates (now called a cajón) and donkey jawbones to create percussion that now forms the base of this distinct musical style. Often music is accompanied by an impressive flamenco-style dance called zapateo and impassioned singing.

Over the past few decades, groups such as Perú Negro and the Ballumbrosio family have garnered quite a following both nationally and internationally, making it their mission to preserve Peru’s African heritage through the performance of its music and dance. If you’re in the right place at the right time, you can catch one of these shows in the community that is famous for it, El Carmen (opposite).

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Sleeping & Eating

Bare-bones cheap hotels and chifas (Chinese restaurants) surround Chincha’s main plaza. Most fill up and double or triple their prices during festivals, though you can always avoid this problem by dancing all night and taking an early morning bus back to Lima or further south along the coast.

Hostal La Posada (26-2042; Santo Domingo 200; s/d S32/40) Run by a gregarious Italian-Peruvian couple, this simple guesthouse is one of the most secure choices in the city center, just a stone’s throw from the main plaza. The rooms are antique-looking, but decently kept. Ask for one facing away from the street.

El Sausal (26-2451, in Lima 01-222-0155; www.sausal.com.pe; Carr Panamericana Sur Km 197.5; d/tr S165/230; ) A surprisingly plush spot to kick back, right on Carr Panamericana Sur, this hotel has a spacious country-club feel with a big swimming pool, sun loungers, lush gardens, a billiards room and alas, a karaoke bar.

In El Carmen, a few local families will take in overnight guests and cook meals for between S10 and S20 per person per night – just ask around. Or you can stay in the town’s only hotel, the Parador Turístico (27-4060; Plaza de Armas; s/d S25/40).

Getting There & Around

There are many companies based on Carr Panamericana Sur with buses running through Chincha en route between Lima (S12, 2½ hours) and Ica (S10, two hours). If you’re headed to Pisco, most southbound buses can drop you off at the San Clemente turnoff on Carr Panamericana Sur (S4), from where you can catch frequent colectivos and combis for the 6km trip into Pisco (S3). From Chincha, combis headed north to Cañete (S2, one hour) and south to Paracas (S3, one hour) leave from near Plazuela Bolognesi.

Combis to El Carmen (S2, 30 minutes) leave from Chincha’s central market area, a few blocks from the main plaza.

The plaza is a short taxi ride (S4) from Carr Panamericana Sur where the coastal buses stop.

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PISCO & PARACAS

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