3 Best Sights in The North Coast and Northern Highlands, Peru

This wide, rocky beach south of the pier is less popular for swimming, but there's good surfing. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude, surfing.

North of the pier, this is the town's most popular beach, and it is filled with rows upon rows of restaurants. Local craftspeople sell their goods along the waterfront walk, and fishermen line up their caballitos de totora, the reed fishing rafts that are used more as a photo op or to rent to tourists than for actual fishing. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

An easy drive from the Sechín area, this small beach is a low-key base for exploring the nearby ruins. A ghost town in winter, it is much more pleasant, in terms of both weather and people, in summertime. The stony beach, in a perfectly round cove surrounded by brown hills, offers limited hotel and restaurant options, but with its fleet of fishing boats and pleasant lapping waves, it's a relaxing destination. Facilities: food and drink; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming.