Huanchaco
Surf spot · Peru
Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Tue 3 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 329kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 556kJ
- Wind
- SE 13 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 450kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 267kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 246kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 445kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 407kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 245, fair
- Tue 337, poor
- Wed 445, fair
- Thu 578, good
- Fri 672, good
- Sat 742, too small
- Sun 869, good
- Mon 961, good
- Tue 1057, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Dec–Feb6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Huanchaco does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft12 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 631kJ | wind from the south-east, 11 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 329kJ | wind from the south-east, 11 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft12 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 556kJ | wind from the south-east, 13 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 78, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 450kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 72, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 267kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft15 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 246kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 69, good | 4 ft12 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 445kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 61, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 407kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 57, fair | 4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 268kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 26°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:58 −0.2 mHigh 10:13 +0.1 mLow 16:27 −0.4 mHigh 23:25 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:16 −0.3 mHigh 11:55 +0.2 mLow 17:55 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:32 +0.5 mLow 07:16 −0.4 mHigh 13:16 +0.3 mLow 19:11 −0.3 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Dec–Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Huanchaco on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Huanchaco
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More surf near here
1 place
- Las Delicias 16.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Huanchaco
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (233°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (53°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 37). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 16°C in October, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February and December, with about 6 good days in 7; in July and September, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Huanchaco, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$898–US$1,710 each
about US$898–US$1,710 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to CIX, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$395–US$831 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$268 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$181–US$342 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$80–US$134 |
| Total | about US$898–US$1,710 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
1 min by car · 81 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Huanchaco its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Trujillo on Booking.com
19 min by car · 261 places to stay
About US$60 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 18h
About 18h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → CIX, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 3h 10m by road
Flights ORD → CIX on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.