Surfing

Although few people are aware of this fact, it was probaly in ancient Peru, and not in Polynesia or in the South Sea Islands, that men first used external aids to ride waves. Evidence of this has been found on textiles and pottery dating back to pre-Hispanic civilizations.

This art, believed to date back at least 2,000 years in Peru, is still practiced by fishermen in northern fishing villages such as Huanchaco, Santa Rosa and Pimentel, where fishermen venture out onto the waves on totora reed rafts (known as "caballitos de totora") during their daily fishing trips.

The Maui surfboard made its debut on the Peruvian coast in 1942. Since then, surfing has gathered enough fans as to become one of the most widely practiced sports around. The waves off the Peruvian coast are well-known all over the world and some of the best breakers -such as Punta Rocas south of Lima or Cabo Blanco to the north- are part of the surfing world championship circuit.

Peru has ideal beaches that will satisfy the most demanding surfer all year round: the central coast features constant waves during winter (April to September), while the north coast sees heavy seas (or "crecidas") between October and March.

At the same time, as there are only 12,000 surfers in Peru, compared to 700,000 in Brazil, for example. One can always find empty beaches and perfect waves in Peru.

Check the best surfing spots in the country.

Source: PromPerú (Comission for the Promotion of Peru).