Pucusana District
Pucusana District
3.5
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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3.5
73 reviews
Excellent
19
Very good
22
Average
20
Poor
10
Terrible
2
YwanT
Lima, Peru19 contributions
Apr 2013 • Friends
For a wonderful day away from the traffic mayhem of Lima, head south to the coastal fishing town of Pucasana. Our driver/guide Mario first took us along the beach road from Miraflores to Chorillos to compare all the known and secret surfing spots and then we took the old winding highway south to the pre-Inca historical site of Pachacamac, which at first sight is more akin to a dusty old paddock with not much to see than a famous historical site.
However, with a knowledgable guide such as Mario, the amazing waves of pre-Inca history comes to life. People have been living there for about 7000 years and each lot put their stamp on the place, with the Inca temple of the sun taking the biggest, highest site overlooking the spectacular coast on one side and the rest of the site on the other.
The journey south keeps going from dry as a bone desert to lush green irrigated valleys lucky enough to be fed by rivers flowing down from the mountains. There are lots of dusty villages lined with piles of bamboo poles and sheets of reed thatching---supplies for the local building industry and especially for the squatters who invade empty patches of ground when the police or owners are not looking. Every so often we took little side tracks to the coastal cliffs to view the best surfing spots, the sandy beaches and picturesque off-shore islands.
At Pucusana there were hundreds of multi-colored boats tied up in the harbour and according to Mario, the fishing industry is disappearing due to overfishing. It seemed that someone must still be catching fish though, as the little streets are lined with fish restaurants, one after another and on pulling up at a mate of Mario's, we eagerly scanned the fantastic choice of fish on menu board. However, when we tried choosing a few dishes, each time it was, "sorry, haven't got that one today." Finally we asked what actually was on offer and the choice narrowed down to fried calamari, fried fish eggs or, there was one flounder. "Fine, we'll have all three dishes", which of course was way more food than we needed but pretty good. We then went down to the fish market, skirting around piles of fish boxes being loaded into trucks, all destined for restaurants other than those in Pucasana (Hey Mario, someone is catching fish?) Past the pelicans, and onto a chuggy boat, we then toured out from the town, past the fancy holiday houses and around the little offshore island, to say hello to marching bands of pelicans, gannets, boobies and penguins, along with lazy, sleeping sea lions, all happily lying in piles of smelly guano.
Best time to go---off season, when all is quiet, not too much traffic and Pucusana is a beautiful, sleepy fishing village. All that changes in summer, when the hordes of LImaneans descend and there is standing room only both in the restaurants and on the beach.
However, with a knowledgable guide such as Mario, the amazing waves of pre-Inca history comes to life. People have been living there for about 7000 years and each lot put their stamp on the place, with the Inca temple of the sun taking the biggest, highest site overlooking the spectacular coast on one side and the rest of the site on the other.
The journey south keeps going from dry as a bone desert to lush green irrigated valleys lucky enough to be fed by rivers flowing down from the mountains. There are lots of dusty villages lined with piles of bamboo poles and sheets of reed thatching---supplies for the local building industry and especially for the squatters who invade empty patches of ground when the police or owners are not looking. Every so often we took little side tracks to the coastal cliffs to view the best surfing spots, the sandy beaches and picturesque off-shore islands.
At Pucusana there were hundreds of multi-colored boats tied up in the harbour and according to Mario, the fishing industry is disappearing due to overfishing. It seemed that someone must still be catching fish though, as the little streets are lined with fish restaurants, one after another and on pulling up at a mate of Mario's, we eagerly scanned the fantastic choice of fish on menu board. However, when we tried choosing a few dishes, each time it was, "sorry, haven't got that one today." Finally we asked what actually was on offer and the choice narrowed down to fried calamari, fried fish eggs or, there was one flounder. "Fine, we'll have all three dishes", which of course was way more food than we needed but pretty good. We then went down to the fish market, skirting around piles of fish boxes being loaded into trucks, all destined for restaurants other than those in Pucasana (Hey Mario, someone is catching fish?) Past the pelicans, and onto a chuggy boat, we then toured out from the town, past the fancy holiday houses and around the little offshore island, to say hello to marching bands of pelicans, gannets, boobies and penguins, along with lazy, sleeping sea lions, all happily lying in piles of smelly guano.
Best time to go---off season, when all is quiet, not too much traffic and Pucusana is a beautiful, sleepy fishing village. All that changes in summer, when the hordes of LImaneans descend and there is standing room only both in the restaurants and on the beach.
Written June 19, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
xochitl
Lima, Peru19,907 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
In summer it is quite crowded and in winter it is cold and empty.
Would not waste my time visiting unless you are a resident of Lima.
Would not waste my time visiting unless you are a resident of Lima.
Written June 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Silvita
7,841 contributions
Jan 2017 • Family
If you want to experience some authentic Peru beach with loads of people, this is the place to check out. A little town, with little street markets, a lot of cheaper restaurants (great authentic ceviche, better than in many places in Lima...) and a not sooo beautiful beach and fisher boats all over the place.
Written January 3, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yessikab914
Miami, FL42 contributions
Jul 2022 • Couples
Beautiful place to visit so much to see, and the locals are so nice and welcoming would definitely recommend.
The only thing I didn’t like was the wait time for our excursion on the boat. They made us all wait till they were fully booked before the boat went out, but once out it was truly amazing our guide Martin was fabulous shared so much information and history with us.
There’s a lot of great places to eat and make sure to have some yummy icecream
The only thing I didn’t like was the wait time for our excursion on the boat. They made us all wait till they were fully booked before the boat went out, but once out it was truly amazing our guide Martin was fabulous shared so much information and history with us.
There’s a lot of great places to eat and make sure to have some yummy icecream
Written July 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CapTsquare
Venice, FL13 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
Visited Pucusana via Viator booking from Lima. It was a 5 hour tour in a comfortable minivan. Stopped on the way at a local bakery where bread is cooked in clay ovens. Very popular with the locals and very clean bathrooms. The village was a working fishing port with colorful boats every where. We toured the island Galapagos and added 6 new birds to my list and the crown of thorns sea star. Well worth the trip.
Written May 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
agnatal
Lima, Peru107 contributions
Jan 2015 • Solo
Pucusana is a fishing town situated 50 Km southern Lima. There are a lot of fish restaurants where you can eat very good "ceviche". You can take a fisherman boat and see all the bay and the Naplo beach. I was there yesterday enjoy a sunny summer Sunday, You can arrive there easy by bus. Take a bus in Grau Avenue (in the city Center) or a bus in the Panamericana road. the tryp from Lima is around 1 hour.
Written January 19, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nomad565894
Dania Beach, FL11 contributions
Jun 2017 • Solo
If you are close-minded and need luxury this is not the place for you but if you like seeing the real heart of a place this Village has it all.. it's rustic and beautiful.. the boats in the harbor don't even look real I went on a boat tour with a fisherman who wrote me around for 30-40 minutes.. I met a lot of interesting characters along the Waterway and I watched as fishermen came in with their catch literally unload off the boat and load into trucks to take to Market.. the favorite part of my day was having some Ceviche at Jhony's while watching the locals have a boat race it was offseason so it was much more quaint.. if you are real traveler ..this place is for you.. if you need luxury ..keep going
Written June 27, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MarioDab M
23 contributions
Jan 2016 • Family
Dogs on the beach pissing on your chair , annoying ice cream man and trash on the beach......Not recommend
Written January 13, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
claudiosala2015
Lima, Peru8 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
Here you can find amazing wildlife, great people and the best ceviche spots in Perú! and only 60 km away from lima!
Written July 10, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ed W
Annapolis, MD119 contributions
Nov 2014 • Family
My daughter and I rode on a handmade wooden fishing boat from the Harbor to the Sea. We saw penguins, sea lions and a variety of wildlife! It was a fun day. On the way our guide stopped at a local bakery with a traditional adobe clay oven. We enjoyed fresh bread that I must admit rivaled croissants in Paris.
Written November 29, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi can i get a bus from Pucusana to Pachacamac?
Thanks :)
Written March 12, 2016
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