Huanchaco Surf Guide

A World Surfing Reserve and home to some of the earliest surfers in history, Huanchaco is an awesome and fun town with some decent intermediate waves.

Quick Facts

Important site in surf history

Several peaky beach breaks

Tons of schools and camps for beginners

Fun and active surf town with lots of history

Surf Season in Huanchaco

Huanchaco can truly be surfed any time of the year. Generally the best time is the winter season from May to October. You might get a few days with huge waves in the DOH range, but they will be fairly consistent in the OH range during this time of year. In summer months, you’ll still find surfable waves but with far less consistency. Still worth a visit in the offseason!

huanchaco pero surfing
 

Where to Surf in Huanchaco

Huanchaco is home to several different breaks, and there’s almost always somethign to surf. La Curvita is a great beginners wave, El Elio is the big point break, and El Boqueron is a rare righthander in Peru.

  • Crowds - Surprisingly quiet

  • Surfer Level - All levels

  • Ideal Swell - S, SW

  • Ideal Wind - E, Light

  • Break Type - Left Point and Beach

  • Consistency - 90% in Winter!

  • Be Aware: Nada

Surf Camps and Classes in Huanchaco

Here are a few options we like for surf camps and surf schools in Haunchaco:

  • Indigan Surf Hostel - The most solid surf hostel in Huanchaco, they offer options for any surf trip. They offer budget surf camps (3 days and 6 days), normal surf camps (3 days and 6 days), and private surf camps with Urcia (more below). They also offer a monthlong Spanish and Surf Camp for those wishing to stay a little longer.

  • Urcia Surf House - Urcia is located right near the beach, and offers everythign you could want in a reasonable surf camp. They have daily lessons, video reviews with a coach, healthy food, and include things like tours with the cababallitos de totora. Urcia also partners with Indigan Surf Hostel to offer 3 Day Private Camps and 6 Day Private Camps.

Other Things to Do in Huanchaco

Huanchaco is a small town with tons of history and other things to do. Here are a few things worth exploring:

  • Watch the caballitos de totora, the one mant reed boats that have been used for over 3,000 years. They ride the waves in from fishing in the morning, a sight definitely worth seeing.

  • Visit the temples of Huacas del Sol y La Luna. The Moche People built these temples about 2,000 years ago, and the archaeological zones are definitely worth visiting.

  • We say this for every spot in Peru, but try the food! Huanchaco has great street food, ceviches, and just excellent cuisine.

  • Go sandboarding! The sand dunes outside Trujillo have board rentals. To find out more you can check out the Laguna de Conache.

Getting to Huanchaco

The bus trip to Huanchaco will cost about $25-35 (USD), and will liekly be an overnight trip. You can also rent a car to take the same trip. If you do take a bus from Lima, you’ll end up in Trujillo. From there you’ll take a local bus into Huanchaco.

You can also fly directly into Trujillo from Lima, which is the easiest way to go. Flights are just about an hour or so, and should cost in the $100 USD range.

surfer in peru

More Peru Surf Spots

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