Buckle up, Peru is packed FULL of jaw dropping places to camp. In this post, I’ll share a few amazing things to do but overfall the purpose it to share wild camp spots. To make life as easy as possible, all the locations shared in this post (and more) can be found here on Google maps.
Along the Northern Coast
Camp next to the westernmost point in South America. Big rig and pet friendly. Here there are many walking paths, you can see flocks of flamingos, possibly sea lions and dolphins. Peaceful and quiet nights, local fisherman and surfers visit during the day. Everyone leave at sunset. Police may arrive at night around 2300-2330. They never knock or bother, just making rounds.
Cliff Camp
If you’re looking to escape and decompress for a week, consider cliff camping here near Playa Blanca Bayover. The entire coast of Peru reminds me of Baja, Mexico. This specific location is peaceful 24/7 and offers stunning sunsets, with a constant breeze. Locals fish in their boats from sunup to sundown. No one really around. Can be windy at night.
**FUEL** On this stretch of road there are few gas stations. That being said, there is a gas station here. They have gasoline and diesel. Pay with card or cash.
Longest Left in the World
Surfers, as I’m sure you all know Peru is home to the world famous longest left in the world. Would say it is probably better to stay in a hostel. There is a location here to camp on top of hill. It offers beautiful beautiful views in every direction, but it is non-stop WIND.
Another option is to camp here on the main beach — the few nights I stayed in this area there was loud music all night as late as 2-3 am and then 6:30-7am there can be loud garbage trucks.
zoom out
Save for later: All Peru camp spots can be found here on Google maps.
Playa Esperanza
The further you drive south the less wild camp options seem to be. Here at Playa Esperanza you can expect a peaceful beach camp to rest after a long day of driving. During the day locals come here to swim, guys work on boats and fish. Everyone seems to leave at sunset. It was foggy and quite humid here in February.
The next location, you can have your pick of camps where giant sand dunes meet the ocean. Within just a few day, this area of Peru quickly became my all time favorite place. I spent 3 weeks here and returned for a few days after route 106 and 107.
Beach and Sand Dunes
This location is out in the open and it is where the main tracks meet, it is close to a fishery and some type of tire working place. Each day a bus picks up an drops off all of the employees.
Every weekends locals are out and about here enjoying life, riding their ATVs and UTVs on the dunes. Overall, this is a beautiful beach camp. No one bothers you.
Camping here at Playa Salinas was 10/10 for me. One family lives close by. The husband gifted me a giant watermelon and the wife came by to make sure everything was okay. They would like people to camp closer to their house just to make sure we are okay from afar.
This area is about 30 minutes south of Chimbote where you can easily drive to and from Plaza Vea and The Asian Market to stock up on everything you need.
Huascaran National Park
Laguna Paron
The drive to the mirador is an adventure full of jaw dropping views. The photo might look intimidating but any vehicle can make the drive up. 4WD is not required.
Here is a place to camp. Take care with the altitude as it is approximately 4,200 meters (13,779 feet). If you need, make your way down to camp at a lower altitude.
Route 106 and 107 *an absolute must*
My personal recommendation for 106 and 107 is this: Do not complete the loop.
Instead, drive 106 to the summit and turn around. Make the drive to the summit a full day of adventure. Stop for a picnic, stop to take 1,000 photos and simply soak up the views. Camp here between the lagoons, photos above and below.
Route 106 is gravel and perfectly ok with 2WD. Nights can be cold, check the weather and plan accordingly. When I camped at Lake Llanganuco in February I used my electric blanket, it was not cold enough to start my heater.
After you’ve thoroughly enjoyed route 106 and the jaw dropping lagoons, drive back to the town of Yungay then down and over to start the paved adventure of Route 107.
For route 107 I suggest driving to the end. You’ll know it is the end when the switchbacks stop, give or take 20 mins past the tunnel.
Suggest camping here up a gravel road overlooking two lagoons. Google maps will say you arrived when you didn’t. Driving towards the entrance of the tunnel there is a dirt road (photo below, where the bus station is marked) take that up and around all the way to end. Camp above the road next to the tunnel.
After completing 106 and 107 consider a trip back to Chimbote, stock up on supplies and rest and relax back at Playa Salinas before another big leap south.
North of Lima
About four hours north of Lima there is a UNESCO archaeological site with remains of an ancient urban city, temples and more. Pretty cool and you can camp here in the parking lot without issue.
Lima
First, I want to start off by addressing the warnings all over the maps. Starting about 2 hours north of Lima along the coast down to Lima there are a ton robbery warnings. Even in broad daylight. This is an ongoing issue, highly recommend avoiding this area.
Second, Lima has some of the best food (and worst drivers) in the world. Restaurant Miado is currently the #1 best restaurant in the world. Followed by #9 Kjolle, #26 Merito, #39 Mayta.
If you decide to spend time Lima, I recommend getting an Airbnb in Miraflores or Barrcano. These two districts have a lot of gated communities. Which makes it easy and safe to park. With my truck, I stayed here, it was easy to park on the street.
South of Lima
Before heading down to Paracas, there is a side quest over to a desert oasis, Laguna de Moron. Enjoy the lake or sand board the sand dunes. In my opinion this camp was 100xs better than Huacachina which is crowded with tourists.
If you’re going to be a daredevil with the sand, let some air out of your tires first. Rest assured, if you don’t and you get stuck someone will be by soon to help, as you can see I speak from experience 🙂
Camp in the parking lot for a few nights. Big rig and pet friendly. Locals visit during the day. Everyone leaves after sunset. Quiet and peaceful nights.
Save for later: All spots in this post can be found here on Google maps.
Paracas
From the lagoon, I recommend to leave as early as possible to spend the day exploring Paracas. No camping allowed anywhere inside the park. First place in a long time where I saw rangers on duty driving the entire park.
Huacachina
From Paracas it is easy to drive over to Ica and camp in the poplar tourist area of Huacachina. If you’re keen to go on and ATV or UTV adventure, I recommend booking a tour in advance. Options to wild camp around / in / near Huacachina are quite limited, especially for big rigs. Here is a spot to camp pretty well out of sight and away from people.
Many people park on the small dead end streets here in town. The noise can be quite loud into the night. There are a few hostels if you want to park and stay.
If you skipped an Airbnb in Lima and you’re keen to stay in a place with hot showers, a real bed, breakfast, a pool with the nicest people, contact Luis here. Luis and his wife Victoria offer free rooms to overlanders. I ended up staying here while some repairs were being done and was able to leave a nice tip for their great hospitality. Luis is a also a guide, full of information, ask about fossils, and his tours. Luis can advise you on the next two paces in this post.
Cañón de los Perdidos
Follow the main route, once you see a sign full of stickers turn left, in about 20 miuntes you’ll reach this exact location. Each day around 10 am small vans arrive with tourists. Really nice guy, they take photos and share fun facts for about 15 minutes and then you’re left with the quietness of the vast desert.
I camped here for a week and after a few days they gifted me some fresh fruit. This exact location draws quite a few people. One night a group of older men arrived. They were so excited to hear about my adventure. They played a guitar and sang a few songs before saying goodbye. About a month later two of them found me on Tiktok and we keep in contact.
The largest groups usually arrive on Sundays.
If you like a neat adventure, follow anyone of the tour groups down or join them. This area used to be the ocean so there are endless fossils to be found. It is a nice change of perspective to go into the canyon and admire the rock formations and layered walls. Look for the smiley face.
Marvelous sunsets here.
Nazca Lines
The best way to see the Nazca lines is by airplane. Luis can help book the plane tickets for you or you can go on your own and try to book in person. There are towers along the road that you can climb up, but you really cannot see much of anything.
Really neat experience to fly over these ancient geoglyphs. To this day, the purpose and origin remain a mystery. I have to say, after seeing them from the sky I was also left with more questions than answers.
Playa Hermosa
This was the perfect camp to rest and relax before starting the very long drive to Sacred Valley.
This is a gated area, when you arrive simply tell them that you are going to the beach and they will let you pass. No camping directly on the beach. When I arrived, I parked on the beach at the furthest end. On my third day of camping, the local police arrived and let me know there is no camping of any kind allowed on the beach.
Camping here in the parking lot is perfectly acceptable and in the lot, the police can see you at all times. A lot of locals swimming, playing spots and celebrating here. If you want to have a little more solitude drive down the road and camp around here.
Alright fellow overlanders, this post is getting very long and I’m sure information overload has kicked in about 4 camping spots ago. The next Peru post will include places to camp driving to Sacred Valley, of course Sacred Valley and then the south coast of Peru camping the coast to Chile. Stay tuned, it is coming soon.
Happy Travels!
Hey there! My name is Ashley and I am the adventurer behind the wheel of Macho Taco
This once-in-a-lifetime adventure is not only fulfilling my dreams, but also paying homage to my late father. His free spirit of exploration continues to guide me every mile of the way.
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