Peru has an incredibly long coastline, yet surprisingly there are not that many beaches suitable for relaxing, swimming and sunbathing. Fortunately, the beaches around Mancora are some of the best beaches in Peru. Beaches, yes plural because there are multiple beautiful beaches to choose from. We will provide you with an overview of the different beaches with pros and cons and a Mancora beach score per beach to help you chose your best beach in Mancora.
Beaches in Mancora
There are four main beaches that we will discuss: playa Mancora in the town center and a little north, Playa del Amor and Playa Las Pocitas. Click on the name to read more, but in short…
Playa Mancora – vivid beach in the town center
- Pros: close to restaurants and surf schools, buzzing atmosphere, and sellers with cold drinks and food.
- Cons: a bit crowded and not great to swim because of the rocks.
Playa Mancora around Buena Vista (northish)
- Pros: quieter and cleaner and no sellers bothering you, yet still close to town. Good swimming and beautiful sunsets.
- Cons: 5-minute walk from the town center and restaurants.
Playa del Amor Mancora (north)
- Pros: very quiet beach, good swimming close to backpacker hostels.
- Cons: a tuk tuk drive away from the town center and thus very far away from the surf spot.
Playa Las Pocitas Mancora (south)
- Pros: the most beautiful beach in Mancora with palm trees and no one there. Great for walks on the beach as well. This beach is described as the best beach in Mancora on TripAdvisor!
- Cons: minimally a 10-minutes tuk tuk drive or an-hour walk from Mancora. No restaurants, but private houses on the shore.
Now, shall we discuss these beaches in Mancora in more detail 🙂
Playa Mancora center – vivid beach in the town center
The beach in Mancora belonging to the town center is actually rather big and can be subdivided into three areas. There is the busy, local section to the right with restaurants, the surf school section in the middle, and the more exclusive hotels on the left. We treat them piece by piece.
Beach in the middle – surf schools and shadow
Mancora best beaches score: 5/5
Let’s start in the middle, our most loved piece of beach in Mancora: namely the beach at the surfing schools Inca Warrior and Surf Point right in front of our favorite restaurant Green, Eggs & Ham (these are our other favorite places to eat!) We love it because it’s the middle of town and when you rent a surfboard for a day or take lessons, you can just run into the water whenever you feel like it. Furthermore, there is some blissful shadow cast over the beach because of the palm trees. Not unimportant as Mancora is super close to the equator and therefore sunburns are a feasible threat.
Beach to the right – restaurants for nationals
Mancora best beaches score: 1/5
This is the area around the “boulevard” and you find tables and restaurants of some small bars that are mostly occupied by Peruvians that come to Mancora for the weekend. Accordingly, not much space to put lay down. It’s also not the best place for food and you will have to wave away many restaurant owners when you walk by.
Beach to the left – luxurious and spacious
Mancora best beaches score: 4/5
To the left of the surf schools, you have the more upscale restaurants with their lounge beds. These places are relatively pricy for Mancora and include hotels like La Ola and La Wawa. However, in front of these hotels and extending to the far left, there is a wide stretch of beach where you can lay down to enjoy the sun. There are sellers walking by with drinks and delicious food if you dare to take the risk. Lastly, this is an amazing place to watch the sunset.
Conclusion
An advantage of this area is that there are always sellers walking around offering everything could possibly you need for a beach day: sunglasses, cold drinks, food. Furthermore, you are very close to the surf schools, restaurants, shops, and bars (these are our favorite places to eat!). This comes with the disadvantage that it is busier of course. Furthermore, swimming in this central area is not great because of the rocks in the water.
TIP: Surfing is the main thing to do in Mancora 🙂 Perfect if you are chilling around the town center close to the surf schools.
Learn to surf in Mancora, Peru – surf lessons in paradise
Learn Surfing in Mancora, Peru – the beach town of the North
Playa Mancora around Buena Vista
This beach you find by walking north from the surf schools for about 5-minutes either along a dusty street or next to the beach (at low tide). Once you reach Buena Vista Mancora, go left. This beach is a lot less touristic, and there are no bars directly at the seafront but hotels.
Moreover, there are way fewer rocks in the water, which makes swimming a lot more enjoyable. Plus, this is also a great place to watch the sunset in Mancora because it is very quiet.
Mancora best beaches score: 4/5
We would say the beach around Buena Vista Mancora is the best of both worlds. You are still only 5 minutes walking from town, yet it’s good swimming and you have all the space and quietness you need for a relaxing beach day. Just bring your own food (or walk for 5 minutes to buy something in a supermarket).
Playa del Amor Mancora
Mancora best beaches score: 3/5
This area in northern Mancora is the place where more and more backpacker hostels are being opened: it really is a small hub of hostels over there. Positioned on a 5-10 minute tuc tuc drive from town, it is sort of remote from the city center and personally, I do not recommend travelers to stay in this area as you will miss the town vibe of Mancora.
However, there is a beach that is pretty, clean and quiet. There are fewer rocks than in the city center, and for food or drinks, you can simply walk into one of the many hostels around. Oh, and don’t forget about those sunsets!
Playa Las Pocitas Mancora
Mancora best beaches score: 3/5
Not really a feasible option if you are staying in Mancora and just want to lay down for an hour, because these beaches are quite a walk away or should be traveled to tuk tuk. However, if you are in for a day trip, a walk towards Organos gives you the beaches you expect from tropical South America: palm trees and beautiful views.
This is where the rich Peruvians have their holiday homes and go in the holidays. The amount of luxurious villas on Airbnb that you can rent is incredible. One thing is certain: you will not find many restaurants and supermarkets in this area and thus it is important to bring your own food, drinks and most importantly: sunscreen. Lastly, watch out a bit for stones.
Conclusion
Mancora is definitely the most vivid and fun beach town in Peru. you will find great food, good surfing ánd as we concluded the best beaches in the country. Our best beaches in Mancora are either directly at the surf schools or near Buena Vista, what is yours? We hope that this post will help you in finding the best beaches in Mancora, that you get a nice tan and have great travels!
Might you, after your beach day be craving for delicious food, this article might be useful to you too 🙂
