Our whirlwind South American adventure was quickly coming to a close. With only a few days left before it was time to return home, we decided to beeline it back to the Lima coastline for some R&R.

When researching the ideal place to catch a few waves in between sipping cervezas on the beach, I stumbled across a site called called My Surf Camp – Peru that offered very reasonably priced surf and stay packages in Punta Hermosa, about an hour south of Lima. Better yet, meals and free airport ‘shuttle’ was included in the price! After a few e-mails back and forth with the owner, Victor, we had booked a room and arranged for our complimentary pick up.

Our flight into Lima from La Paz was delayed. As we rounded the last corner of the arrival gate, I was having serious doubts as to whether or not there would still be a ride waiting to whisk us away to the surf camp. But sure enough, there he was – Victor himself, dressed in board shorts and flip flops, holding a white board with my name scrawled across it, floating just above the crowd.

From that moment on, Victor treated us more like friends than guests. He was one of those people who could immediately put you at ease and make you feel like you had known him for years. Soon we were whirring down the costal highway with Victor and two of his friends who had come along for the ride, laughing as Victor translated the jokes they were making at each other’s expense in Spanish.

The Surf Camp itself was equally inviting, with comfortable rooms upstairs and a shared kitchen and living space on the main floor. Our meals were cooked by the fabulous Paulo and were some of the best we had had during our time in South America. (insert My Surf Camp picture). We spent our days surfing, exploring the sleepy surf town and getting to know Victor and his many friends who stopped by the camp. It quickly became clear that Victor not only took amazing care of his guests, but of those around him in his community—in the mornings before taking us out on the water Victor could be found on the beach teaching surf lessons to a group of local youth.

For our last meal together, Paulo took it upon himself to make us cerviche, the popular lime-cured seafood dish we had not yet had a chance to try. I couldn’t have been happier – trying cerviche was the last item I had been hoping to check off my Peruvian bucket list, not to mention the fact that it was now going to be homemade especially for us!

Paulo certainly out did himself. We sat outside on the surf camp patio eating, laughing and sharing stories with Victor and his friends who had adopted us as their own during our short stay. We were sad to leave Punta Hermosa the next day, but could not have asked for a more warm or authentic surf experience than with Victor and My Surf Camp.

Stay tuned for a full account of the thrills and spills from a day of surfing with Victor in Punta Hermosa.

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE WANDERING SOUL

I could not recommend Victor’s Surf Camp more highly — if you are looking for a chilled-out surfers paradise just a little off the beaten path, this is your spot. 45 min drive from Lima. E-mail him at info@mysurfcampperu.com

For two nights (based on triple occupancy) we each paid 180 soles ( or approx. $67/night) which included our airport pickup/drop off, all meals, and the coolest host in Peru.

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