What to see there

Main Square, city of Tumbes
The main square has been recently remolded and the part that stands out the most is an acoustic shell covered with a mosaic. Called the “Encounter of Two Worlds”, the sculpture refers to the arrival of the Spanish and to all the natural richness of the region. In the center, you can see a representation of the chief Chilimasa, powerful ruler of the area who resisted the Spanish forces. The inhabitants enjoy walking or resting in the shade of the trees, locally known as matacojudos (Kingelia pinnata – sausage tree). The weather is warm and it rains in summer (December – April).
 
Saint Nicolas de Tolentino Church, Main church
Main Square
Built in the seventeenth century by Augustinian priests, this Baroque church features two Roman arches, a slanted two-level roof, and a rib vault covered with mosaics. Inside, you can see the wood carven upper altar decorated with mosaics, stained glass windows with episodes from the life of Christ, figures of the saints and the Virgin, and a remarkable sculpture of the Christ.
 
Pedestrian Esplanades
There are many esplanades inviting the visitor to stroll through the city. The best are La Concordia, Los Libertadores, Jerusalén, and Triunfino. The Boulevard of La Madre, the plazas El Beso and Bolognesi, and the park of El Avión are areas often frequented by the citizens of Tumbes.                   

Palo Santo Tourist Lookout and Private Natural Area
This is a lookout constructed on top of the highest hill of the city, just five minutes away by car, from where you can see a great amount of the geography of the area. The lookout is located inside the Private Natural Area called Palo Santo, which is made up of forests housing characteristic native trees like carob trees, palo santo trees, spruce trees, and charan trees. The zone is home to thirty species of birds, many of them endemic to the Tumbes Region. A trail has been created for visitors to observe the local flora and fauna. It is open all year long.
 
Puerto Pizarro Beach and Mangroves
13 km / 8 miles from Tumbes (15 minutes by car)
The fishermen’s cove of Puerto Pizarro is the launching point for boat tours in the mangroves. This ecosystem is made up of estuaries or navigable canals, some of them up to six meters in height, and islands created from the accumulation of sediment and lime that are all part of the Tumbes River delta. Along the trip, you can disembark on the islands of Amor (love) and Hueso de Ballena (whale bone), whose beaches are the largest in the zone.                            

The area is a refuge for a large variety of birds, and the Island of the Pajaros (birds) is an ideal spot for bird watching, especially at sunset when they fly to their nest for the night. It is famous for its black scallops and mollusks prized for their flavor and aphrodisiac properties; the mangroves are also well known for being the breeding grounds of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), a species unique to Peru but unfortunately endangered.
 
The best time to visit the mangroves is between May and December. During the rainy season (January – April), the tours are subject to 48-hour previous agreement.
 
El Bendito Rural Community
El Bendito is a rural community, located on the southwestern edge of the Mangrove Sanctuary, where the inhabitants live from gathering black scallops and catching prawns. Visitors can participate in the gathering of black scallops, take rowboat rides, or relax on the white sandy beach.                       

Cabeza de Vaca Archeological Remains
5 km / 3 miles from Tumbes (10 minutes by car)
This adobe and stone archeological site was occupied before the Incas during the reign of the Chimu but also during the Inca Empire. The investigators have found pieces of pottery, bones, stone instruments, and a workshop in which artisans used to create items using shells such as spondylus and other bivalve mollusks. Likewise, an 8 km pathway (5 miles) constructed from small rounded stones has been found that connects the archeological site with the shore, an irrigation ditch, and atruncated pyramid or adobe huaca called “Cabeza de Vaca” (cow head) that is 250 meters long (820 feet), 100 meters wide (328 feet), and 15 meters high (49 feet).

Distances from the city of Tumbes to the following cities:
 -Zorritos(Province of Contralmirante Villar) 27 km (17 miles) / 25 minutes
-Zarumilla(Province of Zarumilla) 23 km (14 miles) / 25 minutes

Cerros de Amotape National Park
36 km / 22 miles from Tumbes (1 hour and 20 minutes by car)
This park is spread out over 91.300 hectares and is located at the border of the Departments of Tumbes and Piura. The altitude varies from 120 masl / 394 fasl (Rica Playa) to 1538 masl / 5045 fasl (Cerro Campana), and its diverse geography combines dry tropical forests with the mountains of the North Peruvian Cordillera or the Amotapes Mountains. These mountains gather a large amount of biodiversity. Carob trees, spruce trees, charan trees, sapote trees, pasallo trees and guayacán trees grow there. The wildlife is very diverse and includes species representative of tropical forests, arid zones, and the Andean mountain ranges such as the Andean condor, the little spotted cat, the red deer, the percari, the northern anteater, the spectacled bear, the gray deer, the Guayaquil squirrel, and the scarlet macaw.
 
The ecological importance of the area has allowed it to be considered as part of the Northwest Peruvian Biosphere Reserve. There are many different circuits you can take to hike around the mountains and gorges allowing you to observe the equatorial dry forest flora and fauna and to navigate through the Tumbes River canyon, an impressive site on the Peruvian coast.
 
The zone can be visited all year round, but it is difficult to get there during the rainy season (January – March) or when El Niño phenomenon strikes.
 
Zorritos Beach Resort
28 km / 17 miles from Tumbes (30 minutes by car)
This beach is made of fine, white sand and is stroked by continuous waves. The waters are warm (on average 26°C / 79°F) and the area offers lodging, restaurants, shops, Internet access, small markets, and public phones. Zorritos is an ideal place for sports such as jet ski, surf, and fishing.                          

Punta Sal Beach
80 km / 50 miles from Tumbes (1 hour and 15 minutes by bus)
It is one of the most beautiful and longest beaches of the north coast of the country characterized by its warm, tranquil waters (average temperature 24°C / 75°F). The beach is divided in two, the Big and Small Punta Sal beach resorts. The latter is an isolated, half-moon beach with white sand and protected by two small headlands. 

Hervideros Hot Springs
40 km / 25 miles from Tumbes (45 minutes by car)
South of Zorritos, the water bubbles through a layer of fine clay where it forms a mixture much like the pure liquid clay used by potters, with elements of iodine, chlorine, and iron which is supposed to have medicinal properties. The concentration of mineral substances in the solution gives it the aspect of a volcano of mud or some type of boiling liquid.