HUANCHACO BEACH, WORLD SURFING RESERVE

 

  

 

 

For thousands of years, HUANCHACO beach has been a favorite spot for ancient civilizations such as the Mochica and Chimu. This picturesque tourist resort is located just 13 kilometers (30 minutes) from the city of TRUJILLO. This beautiful and peaceful town, where surfers from all over the world come in search of good waves and exquisite food, is located very close to CHAN CHAN (10 km), the largest pre-Columbian city built entirely of mud in the world. Huancacho was founded by the Spanish in January 1535 and from that moment on became the main port of the new city of Trujillo.

 

  

 

Huanchaco is also the setting for the most important legend that tells of the origin of the Chimu civilization, telling us that many years ago on this same beach a mysterious man from a distant place landed and who spoke a strange language, this man arrived on a raft and was named TAYKANAMO who would later become the first emperor of the Chimus whose descendants eventually conquered the entire northern coast of Peru and ruled this great empire until the arrival of the Incas in 1470 AC.

 

  

The first thing we see when we arrive in Huanchaco are relaxed surfers and tourists and elegant hotels with ocean views but without a doubt the real postcard are its famous CABALLITOS DE TOTORA ancestral boats that have been used for thousands of years with which the ancient Mochicas dominated the sea and also used them to enjoy the waves surfing in these fragile rafts in fact on October 26, 2013 Huanchaco beach has been recognized as a WORLD SOUTHERN RESERVE becoming the first Latin American beach and the fifth in the world to obtain this recognition and this only confirms the rich history of this unique resort that for thousands of years has witnessed how ancient civilizations that 3,000 years ago already surfed in the Peruvian sea.

  

Historians also agree on an important fact for Peruvian gastronomy and that the origin of Peruvian CEVICHE is attributed to the Mochica civilization, whose inhabitants had HUANCHACO as their main seaport, so this emblematic seafood dish of raw fish marinated with some citrus fruit (lemon, tumbo, etc.) was born thousands of years ago on the shores of this beach. Over time, CEVICHE has changed, transforming after hundreds of years into what it is today the flagship dish of Peruvian cuisine. Therefore, it is not so difficult to find the best ceviches in Peru in the many seafood restaurants of HUANCHACO.

 

 

For those who want to learn to surf, there are many surf schools along the beach where tourists can take one-day or longer lessons and quickly experience the sport under the guidance of expert instructors. In Huanchaco, given its good, flowing, medium-sized waves, they are ideal for practicing various water sports. Huanchaco is featured on the national and international surfing circuit for various championships, but probably the most important is the World Longboard Championship, one of the most important events held each year on this famous beach.