Peru: Border to Mancora & Lobitos
Apr 2026 |
Here's info on 2 rides from the Ecuador-Peru border at Huaquillas to Mancora for a few days, then to Lobitos for a few more.
Huaquillas > Mancora
After a headache-inducing border crossing, I cruised into Peru. After 1 month of riding through various landscapes of Ecuador, I was struck by a huge shift to a flat, desert, and bleak scene: welcome to the coast of Peru. The next thing that came to my attention was the amount of trash on the side of the road, something I had read about, and a standard feature of the country. My target destination was Mancora; I'd read it is arguably the best beach town in Peru, 3 hours away. On arrival, I stopped at a seaside restaurant and had my first order of ceviche, Peru's most famous dish (apologies, Guinea Pigs). While there, I booked an Airbnb, paid a bit more than my usual, but it looked nice. Per the 2-dimensional map on Airbnb, the place was really close to the resto. But what I didn't show was the fact that the place is beside the lighthouse (the town's most famous attraction), up a cliff. I rode my T7 up a dusty road, and then had to walk up a long, steep staircase -- and I had to do it 2 to get up there. But the stay was well worth it, a very decent place with incredible views.
I stayed a few nights. Mancora is renowned as a party town, but there wasn't much happening when I was there. The surf scene is big, and waves looked decent right in town. It was nice to walk on the beach every day. But otherwise, Mancora struck me as a bit run-down, and really dusty. It's definitely worth the effort to visit, especially if you cross into Peru at Huaqui;llas.
Ride: 146 km / 3 hrs
Stay: Airbnb ****
Short video on YouTube
Mancora > Lobitos
Lobitos was awesome; I could have easily stayed there much longer. Interestingly, when I departed Mancora, I had never heard of Lobitos, and was not riding there. My plan was to ride to Caso Blanco, the place Hemingway fished for Marlin. But I couldn't get there because the road was under construction. I got a good look at the spectacular desert coastline and wanted to see more. But I ended up riding back inland and heading south. After 30 minutes, I came to a junction, with one fork leading towards the coast, so I thought, "why not, I'll ride on and see what I find". And the road was surprisingly good. I reached the coast at Lobitos, and was immediately struck by the bizarre sight of old deserted buildings; it was basically a ghost town. I thought it must have been a cannery town, but I soon learned the place was a major oil field developed by British interests. Though the oil days re largely behind the town (though there are countless oil derricks in the sea offshore), the town is now a surf mecca, known for multiple world-class breaks.
I stayed 3 nights, 1 night at surf resort Casa Lobos, then 2 in La Casona de Lobitos, the former mansion of the British company town boss, now surfer accommodation. There are a few decent restaurants in town, and many international surfer dudes to banter with. I also randomly met a fellow adv rider I had crossed paths with in Ecuador couple of weeks before.
Ride: 65 km / 2 hrs
Stay: La Casona de Lobitos ****
Short video on YouTube
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