Chicama Surf – Peru’s Longest Left / Full Guide
There’s hardly a goofy foot out there who wouldn’t salivate at the chance to hit the Chicama surf. This is the undisputed longest left on the planet, and it’s not even in New Zealand. Nope, it peels off the rocks of the Peruvian desert and has all the whack of the south Pacific behind it. Read on to get an idea about this epic wave…
An introduction to Chicama surf
Chicama is the longest left in the world. Period. Skeleton Bay, you protest? Nope. Pavones, you say? Take a hike. There’s genuinely nothing that can match this one.
On the best days, with medium-sized, long-period groundswells from the SW, Chicama will fire off thigh-busting 4,000-meter rides that keep you cruising for minute after minute. Even on the bad days, you can expect peeling lefts that seem to go on forever until they final section on.
But that’s not really why we adore the spot. We adore it because it’s not, strictly speaking, an academic wave by any stretch. Yes, it attracts rippers in abundance.
But that’s the rep; not the difficulty level.
To put it another way: Us mere mortals have a good shot at scoring the ride of a lifetime on the forgiving shoulders of Chicama, which makes it all the more appealing to the everywoman surfer.
Chicama’s time in the spotlight is really only just beginning. It’s now firmly on the Peruvian surf map and we’ve got mixed feelings about just how fast it’s been commercialized.
Specifically, we’re not sure about the ski-lift style fleet of boats that hover around the endzone waiting to ferry folks back to the point. The paddle is doing the hard yards. Earn your lefts.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in Peru
Chicama surf at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to Chicama surf?
Where is Chicama?
Chicama is actually a tiny little farming community on the fertile plains of the Rio Chicama, some 12 miles inland from the Pacific.
What surfers are really talking about when they say Chicama is Puerto Malabrigo or Puerto Chicama, as it’s also now know.
This is the coast town that’s right by the point that makes the break. It’s some 42 miles north of the next big city, Trujillo, and over 340 miles north of Lima.
How to get to Chicama?
First step: Book a flight to Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) in Lima, the capital of Peru.
Once in Lima, you can book a domestic flight to Trujillo Airport (TRU).
From Trujillo, you can take a taxi, hire a car, or use public transport to get to Chicama, which is approximately 70 miles to the north.
It’s also possible to get buses from Lima if you don’t want to do connecting flights. For that, get an overnight bus to Trujillo but get out at Paijan. Another bus will take you on to Puerto Chicama from there in 30 minutes.
Search 12Go for your connections – we think it’s now one of the best bus bookers out there for connections like this. You can also sort your trip in Lima at the bus station. Seats MIGHT sell out but it’s rare.
Of course, there’s also always the car hire straight out of Lima option. The upside of that is a) you get traveling as soon as you land in Peru and b) the route to Chicama takes you along some of the the best surf territory in the country.
We tend to use RentalCars.com to look for hires because we think they are the cheapest and do nice late-cancellation options on most bookings.
The surfing in Chicama
Naturally, it’s Chicama itself that really draws the attention in these parts. But that long, long, long left is also in the middle of some of the top surf breaks in northern Peru. We’ll touch on those and delve into the detail of the point everyone’s talking about below…
Pacasmayo
Pacasmayo is much more of swell magnet that Chicama, which lies just to the south. That’s on account of the topography of the headland here.
It’s not as long and has a shallower shelf around it, helping any swell in about 180 degrees of the compass bring heavy power onto the outside section.
The lefts can actually run for longer than the Chicama lefts but they aren’t surfable for the whole way. They almost always section out into real shallow parts and then fizzle into northingness before reforming.
The rideable section is still fantastic – think a fast, hollow left that gives backdoor pits on 12-foot swells.
Puemape
There’s a nascent surf-camp scene in the small town of Puemape.
Neatly perched between Pacasmayo and Chicama, it’s a good base for exploring the best breaks of northern Peru.
But you’ll also have frothing beach break sets aplenty on the local playa, which runs the whole way from a headland by the town up some five kilometers. They’re not the best spots but are punchy A-frames with good power.
Chicama (also the Chicama Point or Chicama Surf Point)
Just to lay eyes on Chicama is something special. The wild, dusty bluffs of the northern Peruvian desert looms large over the Pacific Ocean. They crash into the water at the end of the cape, as long, marching lines of perfectly peeling lefts work their way into the bay like ripples.
The wave does connect up and it’s not all that fickle. There are a few days each month when you can ride all the way from point to port if you’ve got the legs for it. Boats now hang out at the various end zones for you to kick out and hitch a ride all the way back to the take off and do it all over again.
Most of the time, the wave sections into three or four parts. The farthest out is Malpaso, probably the heaviest and hardest part of the wave, though it’s still not completely down-the-line stuff, with enough mellowness to allow for top-to-bottom turns and plenty of hotdogging away from the pocket.
The longest section of the wave, which is most people will hammer all day long, is known as Keys. It’s a 600-meter stretch that’s almost parallel to the headland. That will soon run into Main Point, which is the last section and the mellowest of the lot, as the refraction of the SW swells means there’s plenty of power lost by this point.
There are purists who like to see extra size on Chicama but we see it as a midlengther’s dream, working at its best with low winds and swell in the 4-7 foot range.
Huanchaco
The OG of Peruvian surf towns, Huanchaco is where they say the spot itself started back like 2,500 years ago.
The local fishing folk still use the traditional reed rafts that they surfed back then. It’s a cool sight to behold. Boards of the EPS and PU variety are also welcome these days.
The main spot is a quality left point that works really well on any swell above 2 foot really. Sadly, the Muelle de Huanchaco fishing pier does interrupt the final section but there’s still a 600-meter ride on semi-hollow left shoulders to enjoy before that.
We actually have a separate guide to surfing in Huanchaco that you can read right here (coming soon)
Surf camps in Chicama
Chicama, for all its fame, is still developing as a destination for dedicated surf-camp packages.
Most of the options here are still hotels or surf lodges that prefer to organize your lessons or guided surfs once you’ve arrived (check for those below).
There is one option that’s kinda tempting, though…
- 7 Days Chicama Surf Trip with Waves Surf Camp – Waves Surf Camp is actually based in Playa Hermosa south of Lima. But they now run this guided tour of the remoter breaks in northern Peru and – of course – it includes a pitstop at legendary Chicama. It’s a great option for those who want to check off all the amazing left handers this region has to offer in one swoop.
Where to stay when surfing in Chicama?
For us, the best way to organize a trip to Chicama is still to book yourself into a hotel in the town and travel up on your own accord.
There’s really substitute for it, because there are seafront options that let you check the surf from your balcony, rise early to beat the surf trippers, and enjoy the chilled vibes of the place in the evening.
The top, top options would be:
- Chicama Boutique Hotel & Spa – For the couples and the luxury lovers, the Chicama Boutique Hotel & Spa has stunning seaside pool and terraces, a relaxing spa with steam room, and downright gorgeous rooms done in traditional Peruvian style.
- Surf House Chicama – It’s impossible not to love the Surf House. A colorful pad with hammock-strewn balconies and one of the best board rental offerings in the town, it’s the original and best surf lodge around these parts.
When to surf in Chicama?
The best season to surf in Chicama is the winter (April to October), which brings the best S-direction swells up through the Pacific.
The holy grail for Chicama is that SW swell channel. Thankfully, it’s not really that holy because it’s really common. Sets pump up pretty much the whole winter from the depths of the Southern Ocean, and it’s like 90% consistency from April to October, which is by far the best time to surf in Chicama.
The summer months (November-March) rely on long-distance NW swells. They’re okay but don’t angle so well for the headland and sections won’t connect as nicely for those long rides.
Chicama is wetsuit territory. 3/2s are the order of the day most of the year but sometimes you can drop to rashvest for the summer months, though they aren’t as reliable.
One thing we wouldn’t skip on is the sunscreen. I use Suntribe’s blocks because they’ve made a real effort to strip out any unneccessary chemicals. Plus, they offer Surf Atlas readers 10% orders with code Surfatlas10.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
