GUINNESS LONG RIDES

Chicama is a paradise for people who enjoy wave riding. Waves here can carry you as far as 2 km. The left hander at Chicama is the Queen of Peru’s northern region. You can easily understand why when you realise that there are few places in the world where you can ride endless waves without having to get off your board.

And we’re serious when we talk about record breaking material. Cristobal Col, a local surfing star, established a Guinness record for longest distance ridden on a wave in 2012. The young Peruvian surfer completed 34 manoeuvers on one wave, which he rode for 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

And that’s not all Chicama is about. There are more waves in the area, many of which have identical characteristics. Almost all of them are relatively crowd free. You can be sure that in this part of Peru the average distance ridden will easily be three or four digits by the end of your trip.

What more could you ask? All this is complemented by the impressive background of the Andes mountain range and the tropical rainforest.

WEATHER

Being a coastal region, the weather is semi-arid and ideal for travellers. The temperatures never get too high or too low, except at the height of winter. Rain is rare, although that doesn’t mean that the sun is always shining. In the summer the skies tend to be clear, but during the rest of the year grey is the dominant colour. There is some humidity. Be advised that in years when the El Niño kicks in it rains frequently and travelling is not recommended.

SEASON

The region is consistent year round, although the best season is between March and November (autumn and winter in the southern hemisphere). During this period you’ll get an average of two swells a week. The southerly or south-easterly swells bring bigger waves which can get Chicama going perfectly. In the summer months, between January and February, you can also surf the westerly/north-westerly swells, although they are less consistent. Wind is offshore all year long.