Machapu Adventures = Peruvian Surfing Expeditions

Surf with the locals!

• Peru is one of the world's great surfing destinations.
• Receiving year-round N/S swells, the coastline holds waves of every size, shape and dimension. 
• Peru also boasts a thriving local surf scene that is now welcoming limited numbers of travelers through Machapu Adventures.  
• Machapu Adventures offers customized tours, made to your standards.
• From hollow slabs, to endless point breaks, friendly rollers to tow-in mountains, the Peruvian coast always has a swell breaking in nearly every imaginable setup.

   

• We have waves to match any skill level: beginners, intermediate and experts! 
• With our local knowledge you will find the wave of your dreams! 
Machapu Adventures is for surfers that want to experience everything a destination has to offer and be welcomed by the locals in the lineup.  Surf with the locals!

NOTE:  Machapu Adventures is committed to putting you in the lineup of your dreams, since Peru is blessed with all types of breaks to challenge and be enjoyed by any skill level.  Tell us what types of waves you would like to ride and we will make it happen.  The waves described here account for the better-known spots that are no big secret.  There are more than plenty of other places...

 
The following are just a few of the better-known spots that should be experienced:
 
·         Cerro Azul:  This is one of Peru's classic surf towns that was made famous in the 60's as legendary surfers gathered from around the world to ride the perfect lefts that start at the point and rights that break along the pier.  Once visited by the Beach Boys in their heyday, this spot is mentioned in the song Surfing Safari.  The town still prides itself in a mural painted by Mike Love of the Beach Boys, back when they actually played a show here for the Peruvian surfing community in the 60s. 
 

This friendly fishing village offers great local cuisine, good accommodations, interesting culture and Pre-Colombian ruins offering depth to the community's history.  Located just two hours from Lima, it is a great spot for long clean lines and friendly locals eager to share their waves. Plus a very famous surfing Golden Retriever and several pods of dolphins that seem to continually congregate just off of the point.  The waves are nearly always perfect, offering a gentle inside section that is ideal for kids learning to surf.  Great for longboards and truly a nose-riding heaven.

·         Paracas Nature Preserve:  One of the most amazing locations in Peru, this trek takes you to the island of San Gallan offering one of the best rights point breaks in Peru.  The trip involves a 3.5 hour road trip, followed by a half hour boat trip to the island, passing the Nazca lines along the way.  This is a remote location, offering an empty line-up, save for the sea lions sunning on the beach.  The wave is heavy, often hollow and way overhead, for core surfers only.  We recommend leaving from Lima a day before and allowing time to check other quality breaks along the way. 
 
 
·         Puerto Viejo:  Just 1.5 hours from Lima, this is often the friendliest and most makeable wave along this part of the coast, because it can hold size and offers an easy tapered take-off.  Yet, on bigger days it can start off slow and tapered, but quickly jack-up into a solid wall that rifles down the point, barreling on the inside section as it hollows out in the shallows.  A classy left break that extends for hundreds of yards and is easily accessed with a relaxed paddle through a keyhole channel, although the rides can be so long that it is often more appealing to walk back down the beach to the channel than to paddle out from the inside. 
 
·         San Bartolo:  Just a half hour from Lima, this is Peru's premiere surf town.  San Bartolo is very versatile, since it offers five very different waves that break inside the shelter of a bay.  There are two jetties that produce friendly rights and lefts.  The bay's headland offers one of the best waves along the southern coast: Peñascal, a right that is as consistent as anywhere on the planet and holds some serious size.  Usually in the 6 to 8 foot range,  Peñascal can easily hold 12 to 15 foot swells or larger.  Around the headland and within easy striking distance from San Bartolo are three magnificent lefts that can also offer serious speed and size: Peña Rosa, Huayco and Santa Rosa.  These last three waves are true performance wedges that often barrel and get very hollow, especially just after the take-off near some large boulders.
 
·         Punta Rocas:  One of Peru's most famous breaks, this spot was the site of one of the first World Surfing Championships in the early 1960s.  Peru's legendary surfer, Felipe Pomar, earned his world title here, as did Paul Straunch from Hawaii.  This right can easily hold double overhead conditions and is a real slab of water that starts out soft and jacks up down the line.  Definitely world class, as witnessed and described by some of the great legends of surfing, including Greg Noll, Mikey Muñoz, Buffaloe Keaulana and others.
 
·         Punta Hermosa:  Another versatile location offering four very different waves.
>   Kontiki - An offshore A-frame wave that is best accessed by boat or strong paddlers and can hold 15 foot swells with ease.  The wave is created by an undertow current that rushes out of the Punta Hermosa cove, colliding with incoming swell lines to create a monster wave that has no bottom.  You are literally dropping in during the whole ride.  The undertow current also causes rocks on the bottom to grind against each other continually, creating an incredible sound that vibrates through the water  and breaks the stillness of waiting for a set.  This spot is for those with nerves of steel. 
>  La isla - Another heavy wave that offers a right break that forms next to an island and explodes in front of some massive boulders.  This is another heavy slab that tends to barrel at low tide and is recommended for core surfers only.
>  El paso - A long barreling right that gets super hollow and super fast, freight-training green rooms of double overhead dimensions.
>  Pico Alto - This is Southern Peru's Big Wave spot, Jatun Machapu!  This monster offshore bomb can hold 20 feet plus and is just now being explored as a big wave spot rivaling Mavericks, Todos Santos and Waimea.  Tow surfing is an option.  Paddling is for the truly heroic.  This spot is for experts only! 
 
·         Señoritas and Caballeros:  These two spots, known as Ladies and Gentlemen, break left and right from opposite ends of the same sheltered bay.  Both waves are consistently perfect and offer long rides on smooth open faces.  The left is a serious wedge that can be very hollow at the right tide. 
 
 
 
·         Isla ballena (Whale Island):  This spot must be accessed by boat, as it is located on an island not far from the coast and easily visible from the Temple of the Sun at Pachacamac.  As the name indicates, whales abound in the area and are often seen from the boat during certain months as you make your way to the island.  The island is actually composed of a large island of stone and a smaller one that creates the tail of the whale.  The large island contains a cave at the top that spouts water like a blow-hole on a whale with larger swells and is home to thousands of sea birds.  This is one of Peru's finest rights and offers a very heavy barreling wave that is often in the 12 to 15 foot range.  The remote location and large size of the wave means it is never crowded and you will usually be alone with the surf and your thoughts, well, there are thousands of sea lions and other wildlife to keep you company.  This spot is close to the accommodations, but still off the beaten path and getting there is also part of the adventure.
 

Lima:
 
·         The city of Lima itself offers a whole range of fantastic waves with an urban flair and crowd.  No worries, these are our home breaks and as a guest of Machapu, you are VIP.  Traveling the coast is fun, but urban adventures in Lima can also be fun, combining fine-dining, first-class accommodations, night-life and dawn patrols.  Just a few of the city breaks that are located in the central Miraflores – Chorrillos area:

>   Tres picos
>   Makaha
>   Barranquito
>   Waikiki
>   Punta Roquitas
>   La Herradura - one of the best waves in Peru.
>   Etc…

Don't forget the world's longest left - Chicama!!!