Tumbes is the capital of the department of the same name in the Region Grau of Peru.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Tumbes is a gritty, mostly unpleasant city, though a gateway to beach resorts, mangroves and national parks in its vicinity.
There are kombis to beach resorts, and colectivos to the frontier. An official, white taxi will charge S/33 (Feb 2018) to take you to the joint Peru-Ecuador border post at Aguas Verdes. Exit from Peru and entry to Ecuador is now handled by officials sitting beside each other. Yellow Ecuadorian taxis will charge US$5 (Feb 2018) to take you to Huaquillas. International buses are another means of crossing the frontier. Beware of currency exchange scams. Tumbes is infested with trimotos, motorcycle taxis that will take you around the city for a few soles.
White sand beaches, mangroves, Tumbes River & national parks like Cerros de Amotape. The manglares are a series of swamplike everglade type islands in the shallow water. You can visit a small crocodile zoo, where they are trying to restore the local breed.
Observe the beautiful mosaics in the town, including a 6-m (20-ft) 3-D mosaic of Jesus's ascension into heaven. Others can be found across the various plazas. Go for a walk along the malecon, the walkway along the river. Get out to the beaches in Aguas Verdes, or Puento Pizarro to see the manglares, or eat lunch on a small island only reachable by boat. Explore Cerros de Amotape National Park, characterized by its dry forests and endangered species such as the Tumbes crocodile.
Seafood is of course plentiful and affordable. There are many chifas, Chinese restaurants with a Peruvian flavor, on Feijoo Street. Many delicious dessert shops are on the market street.
Tumbes is not a dangerous city at all, but it is indeed a place of many scams run by mixed Ecuadorian/Peruvian gangs, with the complicity of the frontier police and some bus companies. The most common scam is that "taxi drivers" (or imposters) wait for tourists at the Emtrafesa bus terminal in Tumbes. They offer a ride to the frontier for a low price. They then take the victims to a secluded spot and force the payment of US$100 or more. Do not get into a taxi that solicits your business in Tumbes. Use buses or combis instead.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Tumbes typically sees ~27°C daytime highs and 2 rainy days.
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