Discover Mancora and Negritos | A Kiteboarder's Paradise in Peru!

Have you ever considered traveling to northern Perú for a kite trip? Up until a couple months ago, I hadn't either. I'm Cole from MACkite, and I'm going to share my experience kiting in Perú and give you tips on how to get there, where to stay, and things to do outside of kiting.

When to Go

Northern Perú is an epic spot that you're definitely going to want to put on your list. The kiting is good from about April through December, with the most consistent wind coming in August through November. I was in Máncora, Perú in November and we were riding 9m and 12m kites most of the time. The wind blew on 80% of the days, but in the summer you can expect it to blow closer to 50% of the time.

Riding Spots

Máncora, Perú has a very consistent left-hand wave that you can ride on a twintip. You'll have some mild chop with a bit of flat water off the point near that left-hand wave. When the waves are firing, it's a super fun wave to ride strapless, but when they aren't, it's a great spot to twintip right near town.

About an hour and a half south of Máncora is a spot called Negritos. It has this peeling lefthand wave and side-offshore winds, and it's a world-class spot for strapless riding.

There are other spots as well, but I mainly rode and stayed in Máncora, heading to Negritos when I wanted to go ride that epic wave.

Water Conditions

Expect to wear a 3/2 wetsuit or even a shorty. The water is a balmy 70-72 degrees F, so it's plenty warm and you won't need a winter suit even though you're on the Pacific Ocean. The air temps are also nice, between 65 F at night and up to around 80 F during the day.

How Do I Get There?

The easiest way to get to Northern Peru is to fly into Lima. From there you can either fly into either Talara, a small airport south of Máncora, or fly into Tumbes, which is north of town. From Talara it's about an hour-long shuttle drive to get to Máncora, and from Tumbes it's more like 2-and-a-half hours.

Where to Stay

Once you get to Máncora, there are a ton of places to stay. The place I stayed in on the south end of town was only $45 a night, including the room and food. There are also plenty of little hostels you can stay in, so it's no issue to find housing.

In Negritos there is a cool little kite hotel right in front of the wave. You can stay there and walk right out and go kite every day. There isn't much else in the little town, so this is a good option if you want to get to bed early and hardcore kite every day.

Máncora is a developed town with plenty of little tourist shops and great places to eat. There is also a lighthouse with a very cool overlook on top of the bluff. You can see the kite spot, the surf spot, the sunset, and even whales, which is a super fun thing to do. If you want restaurants and some sort of night life, you should stay in Máncora.

Other Things to Do

In northern Perú the winds are thermal, so it's dead calm in the mornings. In Máncora, that left-hand wave is glass calm, and it's super fun to surf. On the weekends it can get busy, but if you can go during the week the crowds are minimal. Surfing without the wind is a lot of fun, and the wave is beginner-friendly, so you can bring the family and go ride together.

Should I Go?

Northern Perú is a hidden kiting gem. Since not a ton of people know about it, prices are very reasonable. I'd say it's definitely something you should look into for a future trip. Feel free to reach out to us if you'd like to connect and get more info. Happy travels!

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