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Huanchaco, Peru

Stay in Huanchaco: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Watch this spot We email you when Huanchaco is worth the trip.

Huanchaco Beach
Huanchaco. Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Huanchaco

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (233°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (53°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 37). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 16°C in October, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February and December, with about 6 good days in 7; in July and September, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Huanchaco, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car).

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 18 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to CIX, changing at PTY.

    See flights ORD → CIX · Skyscanner from about £350 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 3 h 10 from the airport to Huanchaco.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in HuanchacoAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Huanchaco · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Huanchaco · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Huanchaco on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct365 ft12 scrumbling604kJ25°C
Mon 19Oct505 ft11 scrumbling469kJ25°C
Tue 20Oct435 ft11 scrumbling465kJ25°C
Wed 21Oct355 ft12 scrumbling728kJ25°C
Thu 22Oct06 ft11 scrumbling968kJ25°C
Fri 23Oct76 ft10 smushy542kJ25°C
Sat 24Oct404 ft10 scrumbling374kJ25°C
Sun 25Oct454 ft6 smushy114kJ25°C
Mon 26Oct514 ft7 smushy132kJ25°C
Tue 27Oct333 ft13 smushy243kJ26°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to CIX, changing at PTY, then 3h 10 by road. About 18h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Huanchaco

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, wind 8 kn (16 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Huanchaco

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 5 ft at 12 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 29 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Huanchaco

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 13 kn (23 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to CIX, changing at PTY, then 3h 10 by road. About 18h door to door

The trip from Huanchaco, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £785–£1,495 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to CIX, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£350–£730
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£60–£100
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£145–£245
Food7 days eating out£135–£255
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£60–£100
Total£785–£1,495

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Huanchaco

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.