A half hour south of Lima at Km 40 of the Panamericana, Punta Hermosa is a big-time surfing destination with a great range of beaches and services. It is here that Pico Alto, the largest wave in South America, forms in May and reaches heights of up to 12 meters.

The town itself is on a rocky peninsula, called La Isla, which is surrounded by seven beaches. From north to south, these are El Silencio, Caballeros, Señoritas, Pico Alto, Playa Norte, La Isla, and Kontiki. When covered in rocks and not sand June–November, Playa Norte is a good place to get away from crowds, along with Kontiki.

But wherever you stay in Punta Hermosa, these beaches are no more than a half-hour walk away.

Getting to Punta Hermosa

Probably the easiest way to get to Punta Hermosa from Lima is to hire a taxi (US$10) or arrange a pickup through your hotel. Flavio Solaria (tel. 01/230-7578, srtsurfcamp [at] yahoo [dot] com) picks up groups from the Lima airport for US$25. Buses for Mala—which stop outside of Punta Hermosa, San Bartolo, and Santa María—pick up passengers at the circle, or trébol, where Avenida Javier Prado intersects with the Panamericana in Monterrico. These buses, called Maleños, take 45 minutes to reach Punta Hermosa and charge US$0.75.