Country
Peru
149 beaches surveyed and measured. Ten chosen by fame. All ten rated.
11 judged · 149 surveyed · See on the Atlas →
The 10 best beaches in Peru
Ordered by fame: how often Lonely Planet, Tripadvisor and Cuppa to Copa Travels name them, plus measured size. The order is theirs. The rating is ours. Every number is measured or sourced.
- 1
Playa Vichayito
WORTH A DETOURPeru's most-listed beach is signposted like a hostel. Inside: no rocks, gentler waves.
The factThe way in is marked by a little sign with green letters that says Vichayito, among the hostel signs at kilometre 1155 of the old North Pan-American Highway.
1,583 m long · 60.2 m wide
- 2
La Mina Beach
WORTH A DETOURA beach small enough to lose, inside a national reserve. Bring a windbreaker.
The factAt 187 metres it is the shortest of Peru's ten by our measurement, and it sits inside the Paracas National Reserve, guarded by cliffs.
187 m long · 35.8 m wide · Photo: GraceAlison, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3
Playa Las Lagunas de Puerto Viejo
WORTH A DETOURLima's weekend, measured: the most sand of the ten, and migrating birds next door.
The factIt is the largest of Peru's ten by area by our measurement, an hour and a half from Lima, with wetlands that host a variety of migratory birds.
2,352 m long · 126.1 m wide
- 4
Playa de Pimentel
WORTH A DETOURThe surfboards are modern. The fishing boats are made of reeds.
The factFishermen still go out from this beach riding or kneeling on caballitos de totora, their reed boats, south of the pier.
2,571 m long · 72.4 m wide · Photo: Inti Runa Viajero, CC BY 2.0
- 5
Playa Cerro Azul
WORTH A DETOURIn a Beach Boys song since 1962. The wave still has not decided where it lives.
The factThe Beach Boys mentioned Cerro Azul in their first major hit, Surfin' Safari, released in 1962.
913 m long · 170.7 m wide · Photo: Lalitocy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 6
Playa Pocitas
OVERRATEDLong, thin and rocky. You come down a staircase someone called dangerous and stay for the quiet.
The factIt is 3,328 metres long and 44 metres wide on average by our measurement, and the way down is a set of stairs one visitor calls dangerous.
3,328 m long · 44.1 m wide
- 7
Playa Los Órganos
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREA fishing village that does everything, whales included.
The factYou can take a surf lesson, snorkel, try hand-pole fishing or go whale watching from the same beach.
1,557 m long · 80.1 m wide · Photo: Ministerio de la Producción, Public domain
- 8
Playa El Silencio
OVERRATEDForty-five minutes from Lima, with showers, lifeguards and nothing silent about it.
The factIt is called El Silencio and, in Lonely Planet's words, it naturally attracts a large crowd of Limeño beach lovers.
1,111 m long · 110 m wide
- 9
Playa Punta Sal
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREThe resorts take the front. Walk thirty minutes and the beach is yours.
The factWalk about 30 minutes past the resorts and vacation homes and you reach wide open stretches of beach with very few visitors.
1,533 m long · 71.6 m wide · Photo: DIOHER_PAVAL, CC BY 3.0
- 10
Playa Lobitos
WORTH A DETOURA port that emptied out, then filled up with surfers.
The factLobitos is often called a ghost town for its abandoned buildings, and its surf sits at the westernmost point of continental South America.
1,166 m long · 58.6 m wide · Photo: Freddy Sinarahua, CC BY-SA 4.0
How we rate: we have not stood on these beaches, so the sources decide. A beach starts in the middle. It moves up for something no other beach has, or for a top-three place on the fame list. It moves down when someone has been hurt there, when it is closed or banned, or when a source calls the water dangerous. Ordinary cautions are printed on each beach’s page and leave the rating alone.
Asked about beaches in Peru
- What is the best beach in Peru?
- By how often it appears on the best-beach lists we read, Vichayito, about 8 km from Máncora. Six of Peru's ten are rated Worth a detour: Vichayito, La Mina, Puerto Viejo, Pimentel, Cerro Azul and Lobitos.
- When is the sea warmest in Peru?
- February and March. In 2025 the warmest monthly averages of the ten ran from 18.9 °C at La Mina, in Paracas, to 28.1 °C at Punta Sal, in the far north.
- Which Peruvian beaches are close to Lima?
- El Silencio, 45 km from downtown Lima; Puerto Viejo, about an hour and a half away; and Cerro Azul, 131 km south.
- Is the water cold at Peruvian beaches?
- On the central and southern coast, yes. At La Mina in Paracas the sea averaged 14.7 °C in October 2025 and never passed 19 °C. In the north it is warmer: Punta Sal averaged 21.7 °C even in August.
From the blog, on Peru
The Rankings
Hidden Beaches: Twelve That Make You Work for It
A beach on a best-of list is not hidden. What is left is effort: steps, dirt roads, hikes and boats. Twelve from our records, ranked by what stands between you and the sand.
October 2026 · 4 min
One Beach, One Story · Lobitos, Peru
Lobitos, Peru: The Ghost Town the Surfers Moved Into
An oil settlement, a port for cruise ships to Europe, a military base, then nothing. Now people travel to northern Peru to surf in front of the ruins.
October 2026 · 3 min
One Beach, One Story · Cerro Azul, Peru
Cerro Azul, Peru: The Beach the Beach Boys Sang About in 1962
A cotton pier built around 1900, a port that lost its trade, and a wave good enough to end up in Surfin' Safari.
October 2026 · 3 min
Beach Science
A Beach in the Tropics Has Colder Water Than One in Portugal
La Mina sits 14 degrees from the equator. Its sea peaked at 18.9°C. We checked 47 beaches in three countries and the map of warm water is not the map in your head.
October 2026 · 3 min
The Rankings
The Top 10 Beaches in Peru, Judged by the Data
The Beach Boys sang about one of them in 1962. Another is 187 meters long. We surveyed 149 and these ten survived.
Survey verified, July 2026 · 5 min
The Big Board
Which Country Has the Most Beaches?
We counted eleven countries the same way, in the same month. Spain names the most beaches. Australia has the most sand. Croatia's, all of it together, covers 4.6 km².
Updated October 2026 · 4 min
Surveyed, awaiting judgment
first 100 of 138, widest firstEvery one is real: taken from OpenStreetMap, pinned where it actually is and measured. We have not rated these yet.