Province of Tumbes

Capital: City of Tumbes
Altitude: 40 m.a.s.l.
Distance: 1.250 kilometers from Lima

The province of Tumbes is located in the extreme north western part of the country. Due to its geographic location, so close to the equatorial line, Tumbes has a hot and humid weather all year round.

Tumbes was a populated region well before the Inca Empire. Most recent cultures that lived there have left evidence of the refinement in their ceramics, and huacas or ruins that still stand today. The first settlers were fishers and hunters.

The capital is Tumbes, a city with natural landscapes. It characterizes for its beautiful beaches of warm sea. Ideal for surfing and underwater fishing.

A good time to visit Tumbes is in October, when visitors can take part in the local Tourism Week and enjoy the beaches, the local cooking and above all the warm hospitality of its people.

How to arrive to Tumbes

Yo can get to Tumbes city by land or air:

By land: By Panamericana highway links the peruvian coast with Ecuador. The trip by bus takes 20 hours and by car takes 18 hours approximately (1 276 kilometers).

By air: There’s daily flights that departure from Lima and arrives to Capitán FAP Pedro Canga Rodriguez Airport, located 16 kilometers north from Tumbes city. The flight time is 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Festivities

Tumbes Touristy Week (October)

Touristy and cultural promotion activities take place for private and the public in general.

Peruvian-Ecuatorian Integration Fair (December)

In this fair takes place many cultural activities, artist performances, handicraft products exhibits from the industry of both countries among others.

Tourist Site Attractions:

It is interesting to visit:

- Square of Arms
- Bolognesi Square
- Alipio Rosales Square
- Church of San Nicolas de Tolentino
- Los Manglares Forest
- Puerto Pizarro Beach

Los Manglares.

Los Manglares are a forest of mangrove trees that grows and develops in a transit area between land and sea. It is a natural beauty with labyrinths, inlets, and a refuge and food source for a numerous species of crustaceans, mollusks, fishes, and a varied bird fauna.

The mangroves have formed vast clumps of water-borne forests which have created a unique eco-system linking the river and the sea. The mangroves are the breeding grounds for black scallops, which are served up in Tumbes´ most famous dish, the cebiche de conchas negras. Other mouth-watering local recipes include ají de langostinos (spicy shrimp strew) and majarisco (plantain served in a shellfish sauce).

Aguas Verdes

It is a frontier location of great commercial activity. This town connects with the city of Huaquillas in Ecuador through a bridge.

Puerto Pizarro.

A beautiful port with white sand beaches, and a place to enjoy a variety of dishes based sea food. It is the gateway to the National Mangroves Sanctuary.

Punta Sal
It is a small beach located 84 kilometers from Tumbes. The beach of Punta Sal is considered one of the finest on the Peruvian coast for its pure white sands and a sea ideal for water sports. It characterizes for its sand dunes and groves of carob trees.

Malecón Benavides.

A belvedere built on a main road bordering the river. The perfect site for a beautiful sunset.

Zorritos.

Capital of the province of Contralmirante Villar where the first oil well was perforated in 1860. It has a beautiful landscape and beaches. Not far from Zorritos lies the Bocapán beach, where visitors can swim in Hervideros, natural hot springs bubbling with iodized salts.

Tumpis Fortress.

It is Located at 5 kilometers from the city of Tumbes. It is an archeological monument similar to the Paramonga fortress in the department of Ancash.

Caleta de Cruz Pizarro.

It is the cove where Francisco Pizarro started the conquest of Peru. It has a replica of the Cross set up by him in 1532.

Tumbes Mangroves Natural Sanctuary.

It is Located at 23 kilometers from Tumbes, on the far northwest Peruvian coast, covering an area of 2.972 hectares. The Tumbes mangroves are the borderline for many species of flora and fauna associated with this kind of eco-system.

The natural sanctuary protects the country´s largest mangroves, and is a haven for the many varied animal species that feed off them.

National Parl Cerros de Amotape.

It is located at 35 kilometers from Tumbes. It has an extension surface of 91.300 hectares of Equatorial dry forests.

The Cerros de Amotape, or Amotape Hills, provides shelter to a wide and unique collection of plant and animal wildlife. It was created in 1975 to protect the vast forests of the Amotape Cordillera and the neighboring valleys, subject to intense lumbering activity due to the valuable hard woods that grow there like hualtaco and guayacan.

Tourist Information

Industry and Tourism General Direction

Calle Francisco Bolognesi 194.
Centro Cívico 2do piso. Of. 204, Main square. Tumbes.
Phone: (074) 52-3699.
Phone/fax: (074) 52-4940.

PromPerú
Tourist Information Service

Phone/fax: (511) 224-9355.
Phone: (511) 574-8000

PromPerú / Indecopi
Tourist Protection Service

Phone/fax: (511) 574-8000

Phone: 0-800-42579 (Free call from provinces).