Review of Mancora, Peru

So, we had been having some problems with our Ecuadorian visas and things kept looking up and then falling through at the last minute. When we realized we only had 3 weeks left on our visas for the entire year, we stored our stuff at the South American Explorers Club in Quito and headed down south to Peru. We were planning on going straight to Cusco to visit my lovely cousin who works and lives there and do a little Machu Picchu exploration, but then I developed a raging sinus infection (happens every single time I take a long bus ride), and then we saw the coast with its calm turquoise water and white sandy beaches and all our former plans became eclipsed by dreams of throat lozenges and soft beds, followed shortly by lounge chairs and pina coladas. So, we hopped off the bus for a little R&R.

The northern coast of Peru is hot and dry with a cool ever-present breeze and the combination pretty much makes the best weather a girl with a bikini can hope for. And since I have a bikini, there was really no other option but to stay near the beach for a much longer period than we had initially planned. We rented a house for the month five minutes south of the town of Mancora right on the sand. We can hear the waves all day long and our bedroom has French doors that we get to throw open in the morning before stepping onto the terrace with views of little fishing boats gently rocking and the white sand stretching on and on before it curves around bluffs in the distance. Mancora is pretty idyllic and it’s my favorite beach town so far.




The water is relatively warm and perfect for swimming, surfing, and snorkeling. Of course I got stung by a jellyfish the first time I swam and had to pee in a jar and pour my own urine all over myself, which slightly took away from the whole "I’m in paradise" feeling. Luckily the feeling came back soon.




Mancora is a resort town, but still full of locals, travelers from other SA countries, and foreigners. People seem to be mostly 20 to 30 and spend a lot of time on the beach surfing, kite-surfing, sunbathing and playing soccer. As far as nightlife is concerned there are bars along the beach and lining the main road in town that offer happy hour specials and are good for grabbing a drink. Mancora also has a variety of good restaurants, and occasionally on the weekends there are huge parties at The Point, a hostel outside of town.

The Point and Loki are two new hostels that are resorts for young backpackers with large pools, dorm rooms, private rooms, bars, etc. They are actually pretty swanky and if I was here by myself or with a group of friends I would definitely stay at one of them for at least a few days. Loki is right in town and the Point is a 2 sole ride in a moto-taxi to the north of town. I have heard that the dorm rooms are the best value and ladies can request women-only dorms if they prefer.

Before we rented the house on the beach we stayed at Casa Blanca, a hotel at the southern end of town on the main street. We got a matrimonial with a private bathroom and a mini fridge with tv and wifi for 40 soles per night. I think it’s the best deal around honestly and they let you use the kitchen which can save you a bunch of cash.




For those of you staying more than a couple days and who have access to a kitchen, there is a daily market in Mancora that sells fruit, veggies, fresh fish, chicken, homemade pesto, garlic paste, and curry, as well as pots and pans, clothes, and a ton of other stuff. It’s off the main road and it doesn’t seem like most of the tourists know about it. If you go to the CIFA bus station in town, cross the street and then go up one block on the side street you will find the market. It’s much cheaper than the fruit/veggie stands near Loki that most of the tourists frequent. The largest grocery store in town is one block before the National Bank and on the other side of the street. The best convenience store right in town is the one right next to Casa Blanca hotel. Even though it’s small, it has the best stuff and the cheapest prices.

As far as restaurants are concerned, we like Tao’s thai food a lot, but their Chinese food isn’t that great. I had chicken panang that was delicious and Zach had chicken pad thai which was also very good. They have huge portions and to go boxes, so even though it’s a little pricy, it’s really two meals. Angela’s, the vegetarian restaurant, has good food like quinoa with veggies, falafel, and homemade banana bread. Green Eggs and Ham located on the top floor of The Bird House has delicious breakfasts with bacon, eggs, sausage, home fries, pancakes, waffles, etc, really good sandwiches like turkey avocado or barbequed pulled chicken, fish tacos, and is overall a good, reliable place to eat. La Sirena is romantic and the perfect place to have dinner Friday or Saturday nights. They have a great menu with gnocchi, fish, tons of good wine, and inventive dishes. There is also a home-made ice cream place on the road that leads from Ave. Piura down to the beach that is to die for. They have all these tropical fruit flavors from the jungle that are delicious, but I think the mango and coconut are best.



We ate ceviche at the places on the beach and got really sick for a few days, like couldn‘t leave the bathroom sick, so I wouldn’t recommend eating there even though it looks tempting.

Probably nobody else will need this information, but in case you do, there is a veterinarian in town who has a clinic in one of the houses in the mouth of the currently dry river. It’s called Clinica Veterinaria Mancora, and her name is Dr. Frano Benko. Tel: 01-981050299 email: franobenko@hotmail.com

For those of you who know what a sucker I am for animals, no, I didn’t get another pet. The guardian at our house found a little puppy and then tied her to a tree in the backyard without any food and pays absolutely no attention to her whatsoever. Zach and I made a dog run for her in the backyard so she’s not perpetually pinned to the tree yelping, picked half a dozen ticks off her, gave her a flea bath, and have been feeding and training her, but despite our best efforts the poor thing was absolutely crawling with fleas.

It was incredibly inhumane and made training her difficult since she couldn’t stop scratching
for even 10 seconds, so we found this veterinarian and bought her flea prevention. I was hoping to find something like Revolution or Frontline, but instead we were given a syringe with a needle and a spray bottle. Once we got home we had to give her a shot in between her shoulder blades and then spray her entire body with a liquid. So far, she looks much better and doesn’t seem to be suffering anymore so it was definitely money well spent. She really is a sweet little puppy and I know I’m going to be sad leaving her knowing that she’s not going to be taken care of at all.