10 Things You Gotta Do In Huanchaco
Huanchaco, the 5,000-year-old birthplace of surfing is possibly Peru’s most charming and archaeologically significant coastal towns. Arrive on a Sunday to the bustle of ceviche restaurants, fruit-ice treat sellers, sweet potato donut carts, (picarones) and seaside selfie-takers, but show up any other day of the week and you’ll find a laid-back village with uber-consistent waves, a centuries-old sustainable fishery, wholesome eats and a lifetime of discoveries for history nerds. Don’t be surprised if the layers of Huanchaco’s character entice you to stay for weeks longer than planned.
Surf
Surf (or learn to) on Huanchaco’s long left-breaking point that has a variety of sections that make longboarders and shortboarders alike happy. Not only are there waves every single day, but there’s also the best beginner wave in the region — it peels into a small protected bay and is rideable about 360 days of the year. Here’s our video describing the surf breaks in Huanchaco and the setups.
Hike Cerro Campana
The Cerro Campana is the most sacred mountain in the region, which is littered with evidence of ancient sacrifices and the sacred trail of the Chimu and Moche people. Walk through fields of air-cactuses with local history expert Percy Valladares (ask for him at Sabores Tup Raspadilla Stand north of the pier) or find out when David Mercedes of Espaanglish might be summiting it on an overnight journey.
Ride a Caballito de Tortora
The world’s first surf crafts that have been used by fisher people in this region for 5000 years and they’re still used daily by subsistence fishermen in Huanchaco. Have a chat with the fisherman next to the pier in Huanchaco about taking you for a ride or showing you how they make them with a special reed that grows in the protected ponds at the edge of town.
Spanish Classes
Take a class with one of Huanchaco’s great Spanish teachers so you can strike up conversations with friendly locals. Look for signs around town for Manuel’s school or our fave: Sam of skyspanish.
Emolientes
Drink an emoliente at Vitor’s bicycle-cart of potions. If you can track him down on his daily route to the market you’ll be rewarded with a steaming elixir of roast barley, flax-seed, lemon, cat’s claw and fresh Aloe. A cup of delicious delicious health.
Surf Shops
Get the t-shirt (and stickers or fins) at the Huanchaco Surf Shop. You’ll find stylin’ original creations that are made locally. Bonus is Huanchaco Surf Shop has tote bags made by local women who are part of a skills development and economic empowerment project.
Huaca de la Luna
Marvel at the Huaca de la Luna and its 3000 years of painted temples being built on top of each other, each one covering up the bright frescoes of the previous dynasty. At the end of your walk around the complex where priestesses and priests did their drugged-up sacrifices, you’ll come to a 20-metre high wall with paintings of (ancient) sex, drugs, rock and roll with the occasional fishing trip — or at least that’s what it looks like to the untrained eye.
The Marinera Dance
Dance the Marinera or watch light-toed teenagers nail it at the national competition that happens annually in January, or barefoot ladies doing fancy-footwork instep with (cowboy-mounted) horses at one of the paso-de-caballo shows. Make sure you take a lesson from master-teacher Lamar in his Huanchaco IMR Dance Company studio or hit him up for salsa, bachata, festejo or fitness class.
Sandboarding
Sandboard down giant dunes in the nearby desert. It feels kind of like snowboarding but with a view of golden desert and hot sand, rather than snow, in your socks (or face in case you dig a rail too hard). Get your slide on via a tour at Lake Conache (about $25) or take a taxi there and rent the gear and climb the dune yourself.
Eat, Eat, Eat
Fill your belly with tasty post-surf eats including anise cakes with fig-honey filling, the best wood-fired pizzeria in Peru (possibly in the world), deep-fried sweet potato donuts, fresh-catch ceviche, plump kebabs, olive-sauce octopus sushi, soft and crispy Venezuelan arepas, thick and chewy brownies or grab your own fresh ingredients from the daily market in the old part of town or the weekly organic market across from the soccer pitch.
Want to learn more about our surf retreat for digital nomads? Visit our website https://unleashsurf.com or send us a message on WhatsApp: +19024523417.
