Exploring the unexplored – Ancón, Lima – Peru

This active fishing port, mainly known to be a beach town, is a great city break within the city. It is still located within Peru’s capital city of Lima. However, the bus journey does take its time, with an average of 2 hours to arrive at the destination. If you feel you deserve a short inexpensive vacation to escape from the everyday stress the city can cause, as well as requiring some much needed fresh ocean air to fill your lungs, then this is the place to visit.

It is relatively straightforward to get there, wherever in Lima you may be. If you are renting a car, make sure you have some form of digital navigation and you are good to start your road trip. If you wish to travel by public transport, then there are some buses that will take you directly to Ancón. Make sure it states Ancón on the bus and the person selling tickets onboard the vehicle will help you, its usually the last stop for the majority of the bus routes. The journey is straightforward, but depending on your location you may need to change once or twice. However, from the largely inhabited tourist areas within Peru, you should easily find transport that can take you without a problem.

Ancón becomes very popular during the Peruvian summer and spring months of December to May, but during the autumn and winter, it becomes a little deserted with only residents making up the majority of the visitors who stroll across the beach. It is also a large fishing port, and you can witness the live action of how the fishermen bring back their catch to the port in order to be sold at the markets or taken away in lorries to carry on their journey to other restaurants. You can sample some traditional Peruvian seafood dishes, fresh daily, but only until 6 pm, at the neighbouring restaurants for a good price. Starting from 20 soles, equivalent to $4.

Ancón is a large district, with houses taking over the Peruvian mountains which can be admired from the beach. So there is a lot more to the place, than what surrounds the premises of the ocean. It is a delightful place to spend half the day or even the full day. The fresh ocean air is my top reason for advocating to go to this location if you really want to feel soothed and energised to make your way back to the active way of life that is synonymous with Lima.

Many pelicans call this district their home.

Churros can be bought here for 1 sol, and they are a great treat!

If you have already visited Ancón, please drop a message below about your time there. And if you have not, I do wish you find some inspiration to go there in the near future, whenever you may find yourself in Lima, Peru. As always, I wish all my fellow travellers, very happy travels!