Playa Tuquillo

Tuquillo is a small cove on the Ancash coast north of Huarmey, enclosed by rock formations that break the Pacific swell before it reaches the sand, so the water inside is calm and clear in a way that almost nothing else on this coast is - hence la piscina de Huarmey, the swimming pool. The colour is genuinely turquoise on a bright day against pale sand and dark rock. It is small: a couple of hundred metres of beach with rock at both ends, a few simple restaurants serving ceviche and fish, and informal parking. Around it are other coves and rock pools reachable on foot. In January and February it fills with Peruvian holidaymakers and is crowded; outside the summer months it is largely empty and the water is cold. There are no lifeguards, the rocks are sharp and the currents outside the sheltering rocks are strong.

What you actually see

• The sheltered cove - rock formations breaking the swell, leaving calm clear water.
• The colour - turquoise against pale sand and dark rock on a bright day.
• The rock pools - other coves reachable on foot along the shore.
• The summer crowd - full of Peruvian holidaymakers in January and February.

When to go

December to April for warm water and weather; January and February are the busiest. Outside summer it is empty and the water is cold.

Honest expectations

Small - a couple of hundred metres of sand, and crowded in the Peruvian summer. No lifeguards. Currents outside the sheltering rocks are strong. Facilities are a few basic restaurants and nothing else.

Nearby

Huarmey is south; the Casma valley and Sechín are north.