Costa Verde

The Costa Verde is the strip of coast below the cliffs that Lima's central districts sit on top of - about eighty metres of loose conglomerate cliff, green with planted vegetation that gives the coast its name, with a highway, beaches and sports facilities squeezed between the cliff foot and the sea. The beaches are pebble rather than sand and the water is cold, grey and polluted in places, but the surf is consistent and Lima's surf culture is real: Makaha, Redondo and La Herradura break year-round and are used daily. On the cliff top the Miraflores malecón runs several kilometres of park, and paragliders launch from it and ride the sea breeze along the cliff face, which is the other thing people come for. The cliffs are unstable and rockfall onto the highway happens; sections are netted. Getting down from the districts means specific access roads or long stairways.

History

The Morro Solar, with San Cristóbal Hill and San Lorenzo Island, was held sacred in pre-Hispanic times, when the area belonged to the Ichma culture of the 12th to 15th centuries; the hill takes its name from Antonio del Solar, a companion of Pizarro who held an encomienda here. The cliffs met the sea directly until the Costa Verde highway, designed by Ernesto Aramburú, opened on 15 December 1970, and the name comes from the planting of the cliffs in the 1960s (Wikipedia, Costa Verde (Peru)).

Highlights

• The cliffs - eighty metres of planted conglomerate below the districts.
• The surf - Makaha, Redondo and La Herradura, used year-round.
• The paragliders - launching from the Miraflores clifftop on the sea breeze.
• The malecón - the clifftop park running several kilometres.

When to go

December to April for sun; Lima is under grey cloud for much of the rest of the year. Surf runs year-round. Half a day for the malecón and a beach.

Before you go

Pebble beaches, cold grey water and pollution in places - this is not a swimming coast for most visitors. The cliffs are unstable with rockfall onto the highway. Access from the districts above is limited to specific roads and stairways.

Nearby

Miraflores and Barranco are on the clifftop; Chorrillos and Pantanos de Villa are south.

Key facts