Espacio Blogs

Province of Piura

Main Square
Downtown Piura
This plaza is surrounded by tamarindo trees, whose seedlings were brought from the Yapatera plantation and planted in 1870. At the center, you find the marble statue of the “Pola” who represents liberty and was presented by the President Jose Balta around 1870.

Cathedral of Piura
Calle Huancavelica 362. Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 7:00 A.M. – 8:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M; Sat. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
It was built in 1588 under the protection of the Virgen de la Asuncion (Assumption Virgin) and San Miguel Arcangel (Michael the Archangel). Preserved on the inside is the Churrigueresque shrine of the Virgin of Fatima carved from Nicaraguan cedar and covered in gold leaf. It was probably one of the first in Peru. The upper plateresque altar was reconstructed by the Spanish sculptor, Julian Alagua, after the 1912 earthquake. As the department’s main church, the Piura parish archives are kept there.

San Francisco Church
Intersection of Calle Lima and Malecon Eguiguren 516. Telephone: (073) 31-1111
Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. Mass times: 8:30 A.M. and 5:30 P.M.
An ancient cloister constructed by Franciscan priests during the eighteenth century, it was declared a National Monument in the years 1969 and 1980.

Casa Museo de Almirante Miguel Grau (Museum of the House of Admiral Miguel Grau)
Jiron Tacna 662. Telephone: (073) 32-6541 / 33-1961. Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and 3:30 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
This is the house where Admiral Miguel Grau, hero of the War of the Pacific (the war against Chile, 1879) was born and lived. The home consists of four large rooms and a library. Besides the furniture used by the Great Admiral, you can see pictures, letters, diplomas, and documents.

Del Carmen Church
Jiron La Libertad 366. Across from the Merino Plaza
It dates from the eighteenth century and was declared a National Historical Monument in 1974. Today, it houses the Museo de Arte Religioso (Religious Art Museum).

Vicus Museum
Intersection of Avenida Sullana and Jiron Huanuco. Telephone: (073) 32-7541. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sat. 8:00 A.M. – 10:00 P.M; Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
There are three halls, Ceramic Hall, Metallurgical Technology Hall, and Hall of Gold, the last of which houses sixty-one gold pieces that demonstrate the development and technology reached by the Vicus.

Los Ejidos National Tourism Center
10 km / 6 miles from Piura (Approximately 15 minutes by car). Visiting hours: Sat. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.
The center of this site is a pool of water, 20 km / 12 miles long, that was created by the damming of the Piura River. Animals such as the iguana, the grey heron, the grebe, and the wild geese inhabit its shores.

Catacaos Town
12 km / 7 miles southwest of Piura (15 minutes by car)

This town is home to excellent artisans who work with straw and cotton fabrics, and also elaborate silver and gold filigree.

Fortaleza de Narihuala (Narihuala Fortress)
3 km / 1,8 miles from Catacaos (5 minutes by car). Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.
It is considered to be the capital of the Tallan, a pre-Inca culture. The buildings are constructed of platforms of adobe with mud mortar and organized into four sectors. The total area covers 6 hectares.

ALTITUDE
Capital:Piura (29 masl / 95 fasl)
Lowest point: 3 masl / 10 fasl (Paita and Los Organos)
Highest point: 2709 masl / 8888 fasl (Ayabaca)
CLIMATE
The city of Piura tends to be arid and hot, with no rain all year. The average annual maximum temperature is 31,2ºC (88,1ºF) and the minimum is 17,7ºC (63,8ºF). During the presence of the El Niño effect, it rains, especially between December and June.

ACCESS ROUTES
By land Lima – Piura: 1035 km / 643 miles by the Pan-American Highway North (12 hours by car)
By air Regular flights to Piura from Lima (1 hour and 15 minutes), Trujillo (40 minutes) and Chiclayo (30 minutes).

DISTANCES FROM THE CITY OF PIURA TO THE FOLLOWING CITIES
-Ayabaca(Province of Ayabaca) 229 km (142 miles) / 6 hours
-Huancabamba(Province of Huancabamba) 214 km (133 miles) / 7 hours
-Chulucanas(Province of Chulucanas) 60 km (37 miles) / 45 minutes
-Paita(Province of Paita) 60 km (37 miles) / 45 minutes
-Sechura(Province of Sechura) 50 km (31 miles) / 55 minutes
-Sullana(Province of Sullana) 39 km (24 miles) / 35 minutes
-Talara(Province of Talara) 118 km (73 miles) / 1 hour and 30 minutes

DIRECTORY:

AIRPORT
Carlos Concha Iberico Airport
Avenida Corpac Piura Telephone: (073) 34-4503 / 34-4997
Talara Airport
Upper Talara Telephone: (073) 38-1604 / 38-1363

OVERLAND TRANSPORT
There is no bus terminal, but the majority of bus companies are located downtown.

HEALTH CENTERS
Reategui Hospital: Avenida Grau 1150. Telephone: (073) 33-1157. Attention: 24 hours
Cayetano Heredia Hospital: Avenida Independencia, Castilla. Telephone: (073) 34-2648

LOCAL POLICE
Piura Police Station: Avenida Sanchez Cerro, block 12. Telephone: (073) 30-6266
San Martin Police Station: Prolongacion Avenida Grau, San Martin. Telephone: (073) 36-1197

CRAFT MARKETS
Catacaos: Calle Comercio
Morropon: La Encantada, Chulucanas

POSTAL SERVICES
-Piura: Calle Ayacucho Telephone: (073) 32-7031.
Attention: Mon. – Sat. 8:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.
-Sullana: Calle San Martin 778 Telephone: (073) 50-2143.
Attention: Mon. – Sat. 8:00 A.M. – 7:30 P.M.; Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
-Paita: Jiron Bolivar 126 Telephone: (073) 61-1016.
Attention: Mon. – Sat. 8:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.

TOURIST INFORMATION

-Regional Government of Piura www.regionpiura.gob.pe
-IPerú, Tourist information

The department of Piura contains many types of terrain. The coast features the largest desert in Peru, Sechura, which also includes the lowest place in Peru, the Bayovar depression at 37 mbsl / 121 fbsl towards the east, in the Andes, the terrain becomes rougher. The Porculla Trail is located there, (2138 masl / 7014 fasl); it is the lowest Andean trail in Peru.

Piura, full of joy and song, was in 1532 the first city founded in Peru by Francisco Pizarro. At present, it is an important center of economic development in northern Peru. Just twelve kilometers from the city is Catacaos, known for its artisans who work in straw and cotton and gold and silver filigree and for its exquisite restaurants. The town of Chulucanas is another famous place, but this time for pottery and excellent chicherías (taverns where chicha, a local drink, is served).

The coast of Piura offers many diverse attractions. Máncora, located close to the Piura-Tumbes border, is a small cove with beautiful beaches much prized by surfers, fun loving youths, and entire families. Toward the south lies Cabo Blanco, famous for the people cut from the same cloth as Ernest Hemmingway, attracted by ocean fishing for marlin, swordfish, and grouper. Today, it is the perfect place to surf since some of the best waves in Peru are found there. Colán is the main beach resort for the inhabitants of Piura, lovely for its typical wooden houses set upon pylons at the edge of the sea.

On the way to the highlands in the province of Huancabamba, you find the Huaringas, an enclave for shamans and mystic healers and an area of medicinal lakes and apus, protector mountains.

 

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Tourist Attractions :

Cerros de Amotape National Park
36 km / 22 miles from Tumbes (1 hour and 20 minutes by car)
This park is spread out over 91.300 hectares and is located at the border of the Departments of Tumbes and Piura. The altitude varies from 120 masl / 394 fasl (Rica Playa) to 1538 masl / 5045 fasl (Cerro Campana), and its diverse geography combines dry tropical forests with the mountains of the North Peruvian Cordillera or the Amotapes Mountains.

These mountains gather a large amount of biodiversity. Carob trees, spruce trees, charan trees, sapote trees, pasallo trees and guayacán trees grow there. The wildlife is very diverse and includes species representative of tropical forests, arid zones, and the Andean mountain ranges such as the Andean condor, the little spotted cat, the red deer, the percari, the northern anteater, the spectacled bear, the gray deer, the Guayaquil squirrel, and the scarlet macaw.

The ecological importance of the area has allowed it to be considered as part of the Northwest Peruvian Biosphere Reserve. There are many different circuits you can take to hike around the mountains and gorges allowing you to observe the equatorial dry forest flora and fauna and to navigate through the Tumbes River canyon, an impressive site on the Peruvian coast.

The zone can be visited all year round, but it is difficult to get there during the rainy season (January – March) or when El Niño phenomenon strikes.

Zorritos Beach Resort
28 km / 17 miles from Tumbes (30 minutes by car)
This beach is made of fine, white sand and is stroked by continuous waves. The waters are warm (on average 26°C / 79°F) and the area offers lodging, restaurants, shops, Internet access, small markets, and public phones. Zorritos is an ideal place for sports such as jet ski, surf, and fishing.

Punta Sal Beach
80 km / 50 miles from Tumbes (1 hour and 15 minutes by bus)
It is one of the most beautiful and longest beaches of the north coast of the country characterized by its warm, tranquil waters (average temperature 24°C / 75°F). The beach is divided in two, the Big and Small Punta Sal beach resorts. The latter is an isolated, half-moon beach with white sand and protected by two small headlands.

Hervideros Hot Springs
40 km / 25 miles from Tumbes (45 minutes by car)
South of Zorritos, the water bubbles through a layer of fine clay where it forms a mixture much like the pure liquid clay used by potters, with elements of iodine, chlorine, and iron which is supposed to have medicinal properties. The concentration of mineral substances in the solution gives it the aspect of a volcano of mud or some type of boiling liquid.

Main Attractions:

Main Square, city of Tumbes
The main square has been recently remolded and the part that stands out the most is an acoustic shell covered with a mosaic. Called the “Encounter of Two Worlds”, the sculpture refers to the arrival of the Spanish and to all the natural richness of the region. In the center, you can see a representation of the chief Chilimasa, powerful ruler of the area who resisted the Spanish forces. The inhabitants enjoy walking or resting in the shade of the trees, locally known as matacojudos (Kingelia pinnata – sausage tree). The weather is warm and it rains in summer (December – April).

Saint Nicolas de Tolentino Church, Main church
Main Square
Built in the seventeenth century by Augustinian priests, this Baroque church features two Roman arches, a slanted two-level roof, and a rib vault covered with mosaics. Inside, you can see the wood carven upper altar decorated with mosaics, stained glass windows with episodes from the life of Christ, figures of the saints and the Virgin, and a remarkable sculpture of the Christ.

Pedestrian Esplanades
There are many esplanades inviting the visitor to stroll through the city. The best are La Concordia, Los Libertadores, Jerusalén, and Triunfino. The Boulevard of La Madre, the plazas El Beso and Bolognesi, and the park of El Avión are areas often frequented by the citizens of Tumbes.

Palo Santo Tourist Lookout and Private Natural Area
This is a lookout constructed on top of the highest hill of the city, just five minutes away by car, from where you can see a great amount of the geography of the area. The lookout is located inside the Private Natural Area called Palo Santo, which is made up of forests housing characteristic native trees like carob trees, palo santo trees, spruce trees, and charan trees. The zone is home to thirty species of birds, many of them endemic to the Tumbes Region. A trail has been created for visitors to observe the local flora and fauna. It is open all year long.

Puerto Pizarro Beach and Mangroves
13 km / 8 miles from Tumbes (15 minutes by car)
The fishermen’s cove of Puerto Pizarro is the launching point for boat tours in the mangroves. This ecosystem is made up of estuaries or navigable canals, some of them up to six meters in height, and islands created from the accumulation of sediment and lime that are all part of the Tumbes River delta. Along the trip, you can disembark on the islands of Amor (love) and Hueso de Ballena (whale bone), whose beaches are the largest in the zone.

The area is a refuge for a large variety of birds, and the Island of the Pajaros (birds) is an ideal spot for bird watching, especially at sunset when they fly to their nest for the night. It is famous for its black scallops and mollusks prized for their flavor and aphrodisiac properties; the mangroves are also well known for being the breeding grounds of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), a species unique to Peru but unfortunately endangered.

The best time to visit the mangroves is between May and December. During the rainy season (January – April), the tours are subject to 48-hour previous agreement.

El Bendito Rural Community
El Bendito is a rural community, located on the southwestern edge of the Mangrove Sanctuary, where the inhabitants live from gathering black scallops and catching prawns. Visitors can participate in the gathering of black scallops, take rowboat rides, or relax on the white sandy beach.

Cabeza de Vaca Archeological Remains
5 km / 3 miles from Tumbes (10 minutes by car)
This adobe and stone archeological site was occupied before the Incas during the reign of the Chimu but also during the Inca Empire. The investigators have found pieces of pottery, bones, stone instruments, and a workshop in which artisans used to create items using shells such as spondylus and other bivalve mollusks. Likewise, an 8 km pathway (5 miles) constructed from small rounded stones has been found that connects the archeological site with the shore, an irrigation ditch, and atruncated pyramid or adobe huaca called

“Cabeza de Vaca” (cow head) that is 250 meters long (820 feet), 100 meters wide (328 feet), and 15 meters high (49 feet).

Distances from the city of Tumbes to the following cities:

-Zorritos(Province of Contralmirante Villar) 27 km (17 miles) / 25 minutes
-Zarumilla(Province of Zarumilla) 23 km (14 miles) / 25 minutes

ALTITUDE
Capital:Tumbes (7 masl / 23 fasl)
Lowest point:5 masl / 16 fasl (Caleta La Cruz)
Highest point: 1650 masl / 5412 fasl (Cordillera de los Amotapes – San Jacinto)

CLIMATE
All along the coast, there are wide beaches of white sands and warm waters from the tropical seas that reach a temperature of 25°C (77°F). The sun shines all year round, and the variety of activities available there have turned the zone into an extremely frequented and popular area. The average annual maximum temperature is 26°C (79°F) and the minimum of 19°C (66°F). However, when the El Niño phenomenon occurs, the weather can change drastically, causing more rain and higher temperatures, sometimes over 40°C (104°F).

ACCESS ROUTES
By land: Lima – Tumbes: 1270 km / 789 miles (18 hours by bus on the Pan-Americana Highway)
By air: Daily flights to Tumbes from Lima (1 hour and 30 minutes)

DISTANCES FROM TUMBES
Zorritos(Province of Contralmirante Villar) 27 km (17 miles) / 25 minutes
Zarumilla(Province of Zarumilla) 23 km (14 miles) / 25 minutes

DIRECTORY:

AIRPORT
Pedro Canga Rodríguez Airport
Kilometer marker 1276 of the Pan-American Highway North.
Telephone: (072) 52-5102

OVERLAND TRANSPORT
There is no bus terminal but almost all the bus companies are found between the first and eleventh blocks of Avenida Tumbes.

HEALTH CENTERS
-JAMO Support Hospital. Calle 24 de Julio 565 and Avenida Tumbes. Telephone: (072) 52-4775 / 52-2222. Attention: 24 hours
-Puerto Pizarro Health Center. Calle José Olaya. Attention: Mon. – Sat. 8:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.
-Zorritos Medical Outpost. Prolongación Grau. Telephone: (072) 54-4158. Attention: Mon. – Sat. 8:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.

LOCAL POLICE
-Regional Headquarters of the National Police of Peru
Avenida Tumbes Norte. Telephone: (072) 52-5250. Attention: 24 hours
-San Jose Neighborhood Police Station
Intersection of Avenida Mayor Novoa and Calle Zarumilla. Telephone: (072) 52-2525. Attention: 24 hours
-El Tablazo Police Station
Calle Hilario Carrasco 515. Telephone: (072) 52-4823. Attention: 24 hours

CRAFT MARKET
– Jr. Mariscal Cáceres Cdra. 5.
– Jr. Tarapacá cdra. 8.
– Jr. Tacna cdra. 6.
– Jr. Sucre cdra. 3.
– Pasaje Mayer Cohen.

POSTAL SERVICES
Calle San Martín 208. Telephone: (072) 52-3868 / 52-3866
Attention: Mon. – Sat. 8:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.

TOURIST INFORMATION
-Regional Government of Tumbes www.regiotumbes.gob.pe
-Contact the service nationwide, 24 hours a day:
Telephone: (01) 574-8000. Email: iperu@promperu.gob.pe

 

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Beautiful beaches, wide open plains, rolling hills, and towering mountains make up the diverse terrain of the department of Tumbes where several eco-systems are located such as estuaries and mangroves, the dry equatorial forest (Cerros de Amotape National Park) and the Pacific tropical forest (Reserved Zone of Tumbes). More than 30% of the territory has been declared natural protected areas.

Cerros de Amotape National Park (91,300 hectares) is located on the Tumbes-Piura border and gathers together a great biological diversity. The wildlife is especially assorted with species like the Andean condor, the little spotted cat, the red deer, the peccary, the northern anteater, the spectacled bear, the gray deer, and the Guayaquil squirrel.

The Mangrove Sanctuary of Tumbes (2,072 masl) that is composed of extensive aquatic forests that create a one of a kind environment between the river and the sea is home to black hawks, egrets, and other birds.

Its closeness to the Equator makes the beaches of Tumbes ideal places for surfing, diving, fishing, or simply for the people searching for fun and sun in summer. Punta Sal is thought to be one of the best beaches in Peru because of its white sand and rich marine life. The Zorritos cove is famous for its tranquil water and wide variety of fish.

To the north of Tumbes, you come across Puerto Pizarro, well known for its islands and for its American crocodile farms, a species unique to Peru and one in danger of being extinct. This is also a city where you find large amounts of black scallops and crabs, the basis for an exquisite local cuisine.

While Peru inevitably evokes images of Machu Picchu and the Inca empire, the country is also riddled with archaeological sites which are a legacy of even more ancient times, when great civilizations bequeathed a legacy of their art, customs and rituals, their wisdom and skills.
The Inca empire was a recent arrival during the process of cultural development in the Andes during the pre-Hispanic era, and the history of the Incas barely accounts for a century within the 20,000 years of human occupation of Peruvian territory.

Much earlier than the Incas and while civilizations like the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese (3000 and 2000 B.C.) flourished, the city of Caral, located north of the city of Lima, was built; this was the first American expression of a Pre-Ceramic urban settlement with monumental architecture in an area greater than 10 hectares. Later, in the northern highlands, the Chavin (800 – 200 B.C.) achieved significant advances in architecture, engineering, and agriculture.

The Chavín civilization (1500-400 BC) achieved considerable prowess in architecture, engineering and agriculture in the northern highlands. Along the north coast, the Moche civilization (200 BC-700 AD) is famous for its realistic pottery (portraits carved into pots and gourds) and its pyramid-shaped temples. The same area was later controlled by the Chimú kingdom (900-1450 AD), who built Chan Chan, an immense mud-brick citadel featuring 12-meter-high walls and superb architectural work.

To the south, the Nazca people (200 BC-900 AD) etched an impressive series of figures etched into the desert floor known as the Nazca Lines, while graves belonging to the Paracas culture (800 BC-600 AD) have unearthed superb weavings which point to the magical and religious vision that governed the lives of this ancient civilization.

Centuries later, the Incas (1300-1500 AD) were to make Cuzco the center of their empire, building major constructions such as Sacsayhuaman, Pisac and Koricancha. It is here that myth and history merge, where the Inca roads, the towns, people and traditions are a living example of the Andean spirit, sacred and monumental.

Discover why Peru is for many the heart of South America’s greatest civilizations.

Peru: a privileged destination

Heir to ancient cultures and a rich colonial tradition, Perú is a magical spot which involves one of the richest biodiversities of Earth, and is a melting pot of different cultures who together are forging the promise of a better future.

Important hotel infrastructure

• 7.646 lodgings offering 131.624 rooms and 229.886 beds.
• 26 five-star hotels, 26 four-star hotels, 487 three-star hotels.
• 927 two star-hotels, 411 one star-hotels and 42 logdes.

Accessibility by air and land

• 14 airports equipped to receive commercial flights and 10 ready for international flights: Lima, Arequipa, Chiclayo, Pisco, Pucallpa, Iquitos, Cusco, Trujillo, Tacna and Juliaca. (++ CORPAC – Corporación Peruana de Aviación Comercial)
• 17 airlines operating international flights.
• 7 airline companies offering domestic flights.
• More than 78,000 kilometers of highways, 8,084.26 of which are asphalted.

Archaeological heritage
Ten thousand years of history are lived through 180 museums and historical places. While Peru inevitably evokes images of Machu Picchu and the Inca empire, the country is also riddled with archaeological sites which are a legacy of even more ancient times, when great civilizations bequeathed a legacy of their art, customs and rituals, their wisdom and skills.

Nature and Landscapes
• As home to 84 of the 104 life zones that exist on our plant makes Peru a privileged destination for nature lovers.
• Close to 20% of the worlds birds and 10% of the world’s reptiles live here. .
• Peru has converted 13% of its territory into Protected Natural Areas.

Festivities and Traditions
Peru is a country that sings and dances in joy and sadness with color and a great deal of paraphernalia. Peruvians celebrate some 3,000 festivals all over the country.

Incomparable cuisine
Over 40,000 restaurants across the country reflect the diversity of a nation that has mixed its native traditions with the cuisines of Europe, Arabia, China, Africa and Japan. The result: unique flavours that make Peruvian cuisine one of the best and most varied in the world.