If you want to lose a few days in an authentic Peruvian beach town that foreigners haven’t yet embraced, look no further than Colán, 15km north of Paita, Piura’s main port some 50km west of the city.
Paita itself is a dusty, crumbling colonial port town that looks like it sprouted organically from the desert and has a roguish, Wild West feel to it, but as soon as Colán comes into view after you’ve turned off the main highway, you feel that sense of discovery so often lost in a world of Google Earth and iReports. Not only is Colán home to the oldest colonial church in Peru (it looks like something out of a Cormac McCarthy novel), this white-sand beach is a trendy summer destination for the Peruvian jet set – and is practically deserted the rest of the year. The curving bay has a shallow beach that’s excellent for swimming.
Loads of restaurants line the main drag, and there are a few great places to plop yourself down for a few days.
There are buses every 15 minutes to Paita from the Terminal Interprovincial Gechisa in Piura (S4, one hour). Colectivos leave from the main terminal in Paita, near the market, to Colán (S4, 20 minutes) and Sullana (S6, 1¼ hours).
