Autumn is officially underway here in Lima. The scorching hot days have turned into more pleasant ones, but that doesn’t mean beach season is over just yet. Semana Santa (Holy Week/Easter) is right around the corner and that means one last opportunity for a nice beach getaway. We’ve reviewed some of our favorite beaches in the past, like Los Pulpos, but everyone already knows about all of the beaches to the south of Lima. Over the past few years we’ve discovered a lot of great beach options to the north of Lima that are not only less crowded and more beautiful, but are more friendly to your wallet. Our breakdown of Lima’s northern beach getaways will consist of both a day trip option to Ancon’s Playa Hermosa and a 3-day weekend trip option to Huarmey’s Playa Tuquillo and Playa La Posita.
Ancon Beach Getaway
25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Centro de Lima along the Pacific coast sits the district (and town) of Ancon. The district features a number of nice beaches, but the one that offers the best all-around experience is Playa Hermosa. The area surrounding Playa Hermosa has traditionally been a popular spot for fishing and sailing. Today Playa Hermosa has developed into more of a resort and residential area with its modern beach front, high rise apartments, luxury homes, and yacht club. The beach at Playa Hermosa itself is a well-kept sandy beach with clear dark blue water. Since there is still a large fishing community, Playa Hermosa has some good cevicherias and seafood restaurants, specifically La Quinta 615!
Getting to Playa Hermosa
Playa Hermosa in Ancon is a great day trip beach getaway destination during the week between Monday and Thursday. On the weekends it tends to get crowded, but now with beach season slowly winding down weekends aren’t as bad as they were during the peak summer season. Without question, the best way of getting to Playa Hermosa is by car. If you do not have a car, don’t worry. There are minivans and small buses that operate out of the bus terminals at Plaza Norte in Independencia, Lima. Usually the operators offer daily or twice daily routes from Plaza Norte to Ancon and back. Unless otherwise noted, the buses will drop passengers off in the town center of Ancon and from there you will need to take a short 5-10 minute taxi ride to Playa Hermosa.
Huarmey Beach Getaway
While technically in the region of Ancash, the Huarmey District has some of the best beaches in the north central region of Peru. Huarmey is an easy trip up the Panamericana Norte roughly only 200 miles (320 km) from Centro de Lima. 6 miles (10 kilometers) to the northwest of the town of Huarmey exists the best beaches for those seeking solitude and tranquility.
Huarmey’s main beach, Playa Tuquillo is known as an “ecoplaya”, meaning that it receives special environmental protection and assistance with mitigating trash and pollution. To a large degree the district has been successful in maintaining the natural beauty of Playa Tuquillo, as the area has not suffered from too much commercialization or pollution like some other beach areas have. Playa Tuquillo is a tranquil sandy beach with small waves and clear, cold, and blue pacific water. An overall relaxing spot for both swimming and sunbathing.
Adjacent to the north of Playa Tuquillo is a real gem of a beach called Playa La Posita. Known as “La Piscina del Oceano Pacífico” (Pool of the Pacific Ocean), Playa La Posita is a natural shallow ocean pool. At low tide La Posita’s pool is fully clear, wave-less, and waist high at its deepest end, but this changes over the course of the day as the tide comes in. At high tide the waves enter the pool quite frequently and the water becomes less transparent. The best time to experience La Posita is right between low and high tide. At that middle point where there are only a few small waves and the pool is filled up to your neck/head, allowing you swim comfortably and still see the bottom of the pool. As a word of caution, while La Posita is safe and protected by its large rock barriers, the swells and waves outside of the barriers are exceptionally rough and dangerous.
Where to stay in Playa Tuquillo
As a beach area in a rustic and remote setting, Playa Tuquillo and its neighbor Playa La Posita do not offer a ton of options in terms of accommodation. There are a number of hotels and Airbnb options, but these quickly book-up during the peak summer months, especially on weekends during that time. Tent camping has become popular on the beach at Playa Tuquillo as it is free, and you can arrive by car and park a few feet from your tent. Due to its remote location, the accommodations at Playa Tuquillo and Playa La Posita are not connected to the electrical grid nor any public water system. All accommodations do have water tanks and some form of electricity via solar or gas generator, but depending on where you stay there will be shortages of these things from time to time. For a 3-day beach getaway we recommend bringing portable chargers for your electronics. All other necessities like toiletries and packaged food/snacks are available at a few stores in Playa Tuquillo, but it’s best to bring your own if you can. There are a dozen or so restaurants at Playa Tuquillo, so you won’t have worry about grabbing a bite to eat.
One of the better options in Playa Tuquillo is an Airbnb accommodation called Eco Bungalow Huarmey Playas. (Get a free $25 coupon for your first Airbnb booking of $75 or more).
Getting to Playa Tuquillo
For your beach getaway to Playa Tuquillo having a car makes the journey infinitely easier and more enjoyable, as it is only a 4 and a half hour drive direct from Lima. Especially if you plan on camping or doing any sort of excursion that would require you bringing a lot of gear. If you need to take a bus, the beach getaway to Playa Tuquillo becomes more complicated and a lot longer of a trip.
The bus terminals at Plaza Norte are your best option for finding a bus to Huarmey. There are only a few companies that offer direct trips to Huarmey and even then there are only few trip options available each day. The main bus company is called Erick El Rojo and it costs 40 soles for a ticket one way from Plaza Norte to Huarmey. As a secondary option you can use another bus company to go to Barranca, a city and district one hour south of Huarmey. From Barranca you can then catch a minivan or other form of “collectivo” (shared taxi or van) to go to Huarmey. Combined, this will cost you anywhere from 40-50 soles.
After arriving in Huarmey at the bus terminal you will still be 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Playa Tuquillo, so you’ll need to take a taxi or minivan direct from the terminals to the beach. The costs will vary widely depending on the vehicle and time of day. Returning to Lima from Huarmey is the exact same process, just vice versa. However the prices for returning with Erick El Rojo from Huarmey to Plaza Norte are cheaper at 20-25 soles a ticket.
Photo Album
Check out various pictures of Playa Hermosa, Playa Tuquillo, and Playa La Posita below, just click to enlarge! Or for high-res slideshow viewing, see our beach getaway photo album on the official Lima City of Kings Facebook page!
