The best beaches in Peru are to be found between Piura and Tumbes, with virtually guaranteed sunshine all year, warm waters and sandy beaches. Some of the best are to be found in Máncora and Punta Sal, where there is also good surfing possible. The area is also a great sport-fishing region, being home to Marlin, Tuna and Swordfish. Ernest Hemmingway, during the filming of The Old Man and the Sea in Cabo Blanco, came here to fish marlin.
Sullana is a large city of 200,000, although it is of little interest to the traveller unless for bus connections to the Ecuadorian border at La Tina. The town is pleasant enough, although the area round the bus stations can be a bit dangerous. In the first week of January the Feria Internacional de los Reyes is celebrated. There are plenty of places to stay and eat in the town. Sullana has good bus connections to the north and south, as well as inland to Ayabaca and La Tina. All major bus companies have offices in the city, most of which are close to one another on José de Lama. Piura is 40 minutes south of Sullana, with combis and buses leaving constantly. Buses to La Tina take about 4 hours and buses to Ayabaca take 5 hours.
The area around Sullana is very fertile and there is much lush, tropical vegetation irrigated by the waters of the River Quiroz. Here there are many coconut palms, banana trees and paddy fields. However, as the road north turns toward Talara, and the ocean, the landscape once again becomes scrub vegetation. The area is very dry and receives little rain. Alongside the Pan-American Highway a pipe can be seen which brings water to Talara, one hour north of Sullana. This is a relatively large, rather ugly port with an oil refinery. There are a few hotels and restaurants in the town, including a relatively smart resort owned by the Grand Hotel Miraflores. There are also a couple of reasonable beaches nearby, although those further up the coast are better. There are good connections from Talara to Máncora and Tumbes to the north and to Sullana and Piura to the south.
El Alto, the next stop north, is an unattractive town housing oil workers. It is also the turn off for Cabo Blanco, where there is the chance to go marlin fishing. The Fishing Club Lodge can arrange boats and equipment for this, although it is rather expensive. The Lodge also offers accommodation. Cabo Blanco also has the best surfing on this part of the coast. Los Organos, another unattractive oil worker town, has some good beaches nearby, and there are few places to stay and eat in the town.
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