The city of Tumbes is not particularly attractive. However, the Plaza Mayor is pleasant, with an interesting giant mosaic of the local Indians fighting the Spanish invaders. There are also many shady trees popularly known as Matacojudos, which literally means Idiot Killers. This name is given because of the giant fruit with hard shells that hang from the branches. There are a couple of pedestrian streets, Paseo Libertadores and Paseo de la Concordia, which are popular meeting places in town. There are pretty sunsets from Malecón Benavides on the river.
The Santuario Nacional los Manglares de Tumbes is the only mangrove swamp in Peru, and is home to innumerable species of fish and molluscs, as well as much bird life. Tours to the swamps can be arranged through a travel agency in Tumbes, although it will work out cheaper if you do so in Puerto Pizarro on the coast.
The Parque Nacional Cerros de Amotape is a large nature reserve and contains four ecosystems: Very Dry Tropical Forest; Tropical Hills; Dry Tropical Forest; and Dry Tropical Hill Forest. There is much wildlife in the park, including deer, puma, jaguars, otters, parrots and condors. The flora is also very diverse. There are several archaeological sites in the park. The entrance to the park is at Rica Playa, south of Tumbes, from where you can choose one of three circuits in the park.
The Zona Reservada de Tumbes is an area of coastal tropical forest, home to much wildlife, including ocelots, deer, anteaters, iguanas, coatis, black howler monkeys and parakeet, as well as the white-winged Guan, which was once thought to be extinct. There are also numerous varieties of orchids, begonias and bromeliads. To visit the Zona Reservada, permission from the Inresa office at Tarapacá 401 in Tumbes is necessary.
Close to Tumbes is the archaeological site of Cabeza de Vaca. This was an important Inca centre when the Spanish arrived, although very little remains now. The Fortaleza de Tumpis is an archaeological site 5km from Tumbes.
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